Abstract
Effective detection of contaminants in water is the basis of safe water provision to communities. Traditional analytical methods are, however, expensive, time-consuming and cannot be easily adapted to emerging pollutants (i.e. herbicides, pharmaceuticals and their metabolites). Microalgae have been shown to be an ideal sensing probe for bioactive compounds, with great sensitivity and limit of detections at very low concentration levels (nM range). In this study, we explore the use of microalgae in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as a means to generate a sensitive, portable and cost-effective bioelectrochemical sensor for onsite monitoring of pollutants in water. In particular, we report an innovative miniature single chamber photosynthetic MFC (photoMFC) and demonstrate its ability to detect formaldehyde, a highly toxic compound that can arise in drinking water from the oxidation of natural organic matter during ozonation and chlorination. The photoMFC, inoculated with a mixed microalgae culture from a wastewater treatment algal pond, generated a peak power and current density of 0.18 mW m−2 and 7.2 mA m−2 respectively, when exposed to light. A current response to formaldehyde proportional to its concentration was produced in less than 1 h, with a sensitivity of 69.2 ± 16.7%−1 cm−2. As such, this work provides the first miniature photosynthetic MFC device water shock sensor, with the great benefit of simple operation (with light being the sole energy source) and rapid onsite biosensing capability.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 392-401 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Electrochimica Acta |
Volume | 309 |
Early online date | 15 Apr 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 20 Jun 2019 |
Keywords
- Algae
- Biosensor
- Formaldehyde
- Photosynthetic microbial fuel cell
- Water quality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemical Engineering
- Electrochemistry
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'A photosynthetic toxicity biosensor for water'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Profiles
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Petra Cameron
- Department of Chemistry - Professor
- Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT)
- Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change
Person: Research & Teaching, Core staff
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Mirella Di Lorenzo
- Department of Chemical Engineering - Professor
- Faculty of Engineering and Design - Associate Dean (International)
- Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT)
- Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC)
- Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change
- Centre for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies (CBio)
- Bath Institute for the Augmented Human
- Centre of Excellence in Water-Based Early-Warning Systems for Health Protection (CWBE)
Person: Research & Teaching, Core staff
Equipment
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Raman confocal microscope RENISHAM INVIA
Material and Chemical Characterisation (MC2)Facility/equipment: Equipment