Nanobiosensors for Soil Remediation

With its enormous potential in multiple fields of study and in daily life, nanotechnology has emerged as a gift to civilization. In comparison to conventional biosensors, an effective nanobiosensor with a small structure is produced by the advent of nanotechnology. Pathogens, moisture, soil pH, and a wide range of pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides can be detected by nanobiosensors. Selectivity, sensitivity, stability, reproducibility, rapid response, and linearity are major characteristics of nanobiosensors which makes them relevant to the rapidly growing agricultural sector. The enzyme-based nanobiosensors possess high selectivity and affinity towards target molecule thus are commonly used for detection of pesticides in soil. The popularity of aptamer and whole cell-based nanobiosensors is increasing now a days due to there is no need for extraction or purification methods as microbes can reproduce on their own. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) biosensor with nanocomposite is developed for triazophos detection with 0.35 ppb detection limit. Gold nanoparticles can be used as paraoxon detection with detection limits of 1.0 × 10–9 ppm, chitosan Fe oxide nanocomposite aptasensor for malathion detection, tyrosinase-based sensor for atrazine with detection limit of 0.3 ppm. Besides that, aptamer-modified by conjugating ZnS:Mn quantum dots are suitable for acetamiprid detection. These biosensors are most acceptable mainly because of their repeatability and stability for pesticide detection in soils and real matrices. Beside organic pollutants, novel biosensors are also used as detection of metal content in soil viz. G-quadruplex DNA and gold nanoparticles for lead detection, fluorescence aptamer biosensor for arsenic determination, electrochemical DNA sensor using gold nanoparticles and DNAzyme-based biosensor to recognize Cu2+ in soil with detection limit of 10−12 M.