Abstract

To increase the quality of natural waters, the current trend is to integrate technologies with water recycling and/or biodegradation of wastes. To succeed with this, fast and reliable monitoring of wastewater is required. In this context the main objective of the project is to create a methodology for fast monitoring of pollution levels in wastewater. The methodology relies on a biosensor array-pattern recognition system. Array will consist of enzyme-, DNA-, and cell-modified electrodes generating fast multivariate response due to interaction of pollutants (phenols, lignins, heavy metals, surfactants) with biomolecules. By the use of chemometrics this response will be converted into patterns and enable fast estimation of wastewater composition and toxicity. The patterns will be derived from simultaneous analysis of wastewater with array electrodes, classical analytical techniques and toxicity tests. The deviation of the pattern from allowed or known norms will generate alarm signal.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to create a methodology for fast monitoring of pollution levels in wastewater and pollution incidents based on a biosensor array-pattern recognition system.

This will be achieved by accomplishing several scientific and technological objectives:

• The manufacture of biosensor arrays based on screen-printed electrodes modified with enzymes, DNA, and cells.
• The development of flow-injection cells and multipotentiostat for portability and rapid on-site analysis.
• The development of pattern recognition methods based on chemometric analysis using array biosensor data, conventional analytical data and toxicity data.
• To perform practical tests of wastewater with the biosensors array-pattern recognition system as a tool for indicating alarm upon deviation of wastewater quality from known or allowed quality.
• To arrange analytical data libraries into formats suitable for wastewater management and development of decision support systems.

Description of the work

The following work will be carried out to develop biosensor array-pattern recognition system:

Year One: Array of 4 screen-printed electrodes now available from partner P2 will be distributed to partners P1-7 to adapt the biosensing layer deposition protocols for reproducible screen- or ink-jet printing. A 4-channel multipotentiostat (available at P2) will be upgraded to 8-channel. P6, P8 and P10 will characterise wastewater from the pharmaceutical, pulp and paper industry and municipal origin, using LC/GC-MS, global parameters (BOD, TOC, COD), and toxicity tests. The characterised wastewater will be stored for later analysis with arrays. P9 (chemometrics) will determine toxicity patterns based on conventional analytical data from P6, P8 and P10.

Year Two At the start, eight-biosensor arrays will be produced using enzymes (cholinesterases, laccases, peroxidases, tyrosinase, glucose and cellobiose dehydrogenases) and will enable monitoring of phenols, lignins, heavy metals, fluorides, cyanides, and surfactants in wastewater. DNA- and cells-based arrays will be developed. The multivariate data for chemometrics will be obtained by simultaneous measurements of wastewater with biosensor arrays and conventional techniques enabling development of pattern recognition methods for fast wastewater characterisation.

Year Three: Routine analysis of wastewater at the waste clean-up company (P10) will be conducted with biosensor array - pattern recognition system as a fast alarm indicator. Cell- and DNA-based biosensor arrays will be evaluated to monitor accumulative genotoxicity and cytotoxicity effects of wastewater and correlated to conventional toxicity testing systems. All data libraries of wastewater analysis will be used to calculate fluxes of pollutants to attempt risk assessment to nature. The final requirements for biosensor array-pattern recognition system as a prototype will be defined.

Deliverables

• The capabilities of biosensor array-pattern recognition systems for fast warning of pollution incidents and to assay the level of pollution in wastewaters will be evaluated.
• Screen- and ink-jet printed biosensor arrays, flow-injection cells, multipotentiostats, and software for pattern recognition will be produced.
• Analytical data libraries of wastewater characterisation will be used to calculate fluxes of pollutants to attempt a fast assessment of risks to nature.

Contacts

Coordinator

• Tautgirdas RUZGAS / Lund University Department of Analytical Chemistry / SWEDEN

Participant

• Thomas WELANDER / ANOX AB SWEDEN
• Dorothea PFEIFFER / BST Bio Sensor Technologie GmbH GERMANY
• Margrethe WINTHER-NIELSEN / DHI Department of Ecotoxicology / DENMARK
• Juozas KULYS / Institute of Biochemistry Laboratory of Enzyme Chemistry / LITHUANIA
• Petr SKLADAL / Masaryk University Department of Biochemistry / CZECH REPUBLIC
• Donal LEECH / National University of Ireland Department of Chemistry / IRELAND
• Lars NORGAARD / The Royal Veterinary & Agriculture University. Department of Dairy and Food Science / DENMARK
• Elena DOMINGUEZ / University of Alcala Department of Analytical Chemistry / SPAIN
• Ulla WOLLENBERGER / University of Potsdam Department of Analytical Biochemistry / GERMANY