Nanosensors and Nanobiosensors for Monitoring the Environmental Pollutants

Abstract

Nowadays, both developed and developing countries are more concerned about their sensitive natural resources, especially water resources. Therefore, conservation and sustainable utilization of available and limited water resources are a must. Globally, agriculture is the primary water-using sector. Usually, water and soil qualities are monitored and recorded for agricultural purposes through traditional analytical techniques that require planning and effort for sampling. The need for more sensitive and simple techniques is the main driving force for using nanobiosensors. Recycled nanomaterials can be integrated into nanobiosensors so that various nanobiosensors can achieve the same goals with high sensitivity and without sample preparations. The new nanobiosensors can easily operate at low cost and function at a wide range of detection scales. Nanobiosensors can monitor and detect either physicochemical parameters or microbes in remote areas and monitor environmental conditions. Real-time nanobiosensors can boost agricultural production by monitoring the temperature and humidity and regulating the usage of fertilizers/pesticides at a specific time in a targeted location. This chapter provides an insight into the concepts and parameters of nanobiosensors, emphasizing the recent progress of their applications in organic and inorganic pollutants sensing. The chapter also summarizes the statistics of the last two decades for using nanosensors and nanobiosensors for environmental monitoring.