Fast measurements - use of biosensor technology for measurement of environmental pollution

Environmental protection requires measuring systems characterised by fast, cost-effective, and environmentally appropriate pollutant determination. Instrumental requirements should be modest and the measuring systems should be easy to operate and have minimal maintenance needs. These demands can be met by biosensors. This article describes the development of a microbial sensor for fast determination of BOD; by extension of the substrate spectrum this sensor can serve for optimisation of previously used BOD sensors. It is still a little early for the practical application of a biosensor for measurements of heavy metals since the time required for measurement and the sensitivity have not yet been optimised.