Pseudomonas aeruginosa Derived Biosurfactant as a Potential Biosensor for Heavy Metal Detection: A Possibility Using Microfluidic Approach

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Title

AIP Conference Proceedings

Abstract

Seawater is the probable sink of many industrial wastes. The effluent water from the industries contaminates the marine environment with toxic heavy metals like nickel and chromium. The ship-breaking industries add to the plight and further impose a hazardous impact on the environment by contaminating the soil and seawater with the ores of heavy metals. Intake of Chromium present in seawater can result in multiorgan toxicity and dermatitis, while Nickel is carcinogenic and can cause DNA damage in human beings. A portable heavy metal monitoring device can be an efficient method to predict the heavy metal load in the marine environment. Many efforts have been made to develop portable sensors for monitoring heavy metals in the environment. The incorporation of nanomaterials and nanostructures into sensors leads to significant improvement in the performance of devices in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, multiplexed detection capability, and portability. The present design aims to design, fabricate and analyze an environmentally friendly heavy metal ion sensing Bio-MEM (Bio-Microelectromechanical Sensor) using a rhamnolipid biosurfactant from a halophilic bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain SBI. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based microfluidic substrate will be used to make the basic process flow in soft lithography. The single inlet and outlet formed on the substrate by molding will carry the contaminated marine water through the passage. Within this passage, a silver nanoparticle conjugated rhamnolipid biosurfactant will be immobilized on the working electrode as a biosensor kit. This will detect the heavy metal ion in the contaminated fluid. The biosurfactants will co-precipitate the heavy metal after forming a biosurfactant heavy metal complex. This handheld device can be a potential tool to detect heavy metals in any contaminated site with better sensitivity.

DOI

10.1063/5.0100768

Publication Date

10-10-2022

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