Direct determination of chemical oxygen demand by anodic decomposition of organic compounds at a diamond electrode

Development of a low-cost electrochemical sensor for monitoring components in wastewater treatment processes

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a complex biological process widely used to decompose various types of organic matter, as well as to produce some metabolites and biogas. Diverse microorganism groups cooperate in many intricate metabolic routes so that organic matter can be degraded. However, any imbalance on these routes can lead to process instability or even failure. Therefore, a proper monitoring system, as well as a good understanding of the process, are key steps to improve performance and stability. Several mathematical models have been developed to represent AD. Despite this, process monitoring is mostly conducted by analytical methods, whose equipment is either expensive or the analyses are time-consuming, which may be a hindrance to low-budget developments. The objective of this study was to develop a low-cost electrochemical sensor to monitor components in wastewater treatment plants. Hundreds of synthetically supplemented sugarcane vinasse and synthetic domestic sewage samples were characterised. The obtained signals were used to calibrate principal component regression, partial least square and artificial neural network estimation models. The predictable variables were chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acids, sodium bicarbonate, beef extract, and lipids, and their R2 ranged from 0.84 to 0.99, depending on the component.

Sensing of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by amperometric detection-dependence of current signal on concentration and type of organic species

The standard method to determine chemical oxygen demand (COD) with K₂Cr₂O₆ uses harmful chemicals, has a long analysis time, and cannot be used for on-site online monitoring. It is therefore necessary to find a fast, cheap, and harmless alternative. The amperometric determination of COD on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes is a promising approach. However, to be a suitable alternative, the electrochemical method must at least be able to determine the COD of water samples independently of the contained substances. Therefore, the current signal as a function of various organic materials was investigated for the first time. It was shown that the height of the signal current depended on the type of organic matter in single-substance solutions and that this substance dependency increases with the amount of COD. Those findings could be explained by the mechanism proposed for this reaction, showing that the selectivity of the reaction depends on the ratio of the concentration of hydroxyl radicals and organic species. We give an outlook on how to improve the method in order to increase the linear working range and avoid signal variance and how to further explain the signal variance.

A phage virus-based electrochemical biosensor for highly sensitive detection of ovomucoid

Whole peptide-displayed phage particles are promising alternatives to antibodies in sensor development; however, greater control and functionalization of these particles are required. In this study, we aimed to identify and create highly sensitive and selective phage-based electrochemical biosensors for detecting ovomucoid, a known food allergen. Phage display was performed using two different phage libraries (cyclic and linear form of peptides), which displayed affinity peptides capable of binding specifically to ovomucoid. Throughout the biopanning, two phage clones that displayed both peptides (CTDKASSSC and WWQPYSSAPRWL) were selected. After the characterization of their binding affinities, both whole phage particles were covalently attached to a gold electrode using crosslinking chemistry (MUA-EDC/NHS and Sulfo-LC/SPDP); the developed phage sensor was characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The cyclic peptide-displayed phage sensor modified using EDC/NHS chemistry exhibited significantly better binding affinity (K_d = 2.36 ± 0.44 μg/mL) and limit of detection (LOD, 0.12 μg/mL) for ovomucoid than the linear phage sensor, resulting in good reproducibility and recovery, even in an actual egg and white wine samples. This approach may provide an alternative and more efficient way of sensing food allergens with desirable sensitivity, selectivity, and feasibility in food diagnostic applications.

Nano-Cu Modified Cu and Nano-Cu Modified Graphite Electrodes for Chemical Oxygen Demand Sensors

Nano-Cu modified Cu (nano-Cu/Cu) and nano-Cu modified graphite (nano-Cu/C) electrodes were prepared by depositing a thin layer of copper nanoparticles on a Cu wire or graphite electrode. Chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetry techniques were applied to deposit the nanoparticles. The effects of Cu²⁺ concentration, deposition time, number of scan cycles, and scan rate were studied to determine the optimum conditions of the experiment. The applications of both electrodes in the COD analysis were performed using glucose and glycine as the models. The voltammetry of a mixture solution of glucose (mg/L) and glycine (mg/L) in 0.075 M NaOH solution showed an oxidation peak at +0.68 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Good stability of this peak current was shown with relative standard deviations lower than 3% for 10 measurements. Amperometric determination of COD at this potential showed excellent linearities at both nano-Cu/Cu and nano-Cu/C electrodes (R² = 0.997) as well as good precision and accuracy with estimated detection limits of around ∼9 mgO/L for both the developed electrodes. Validation using the conventional COD measurements showed that the measurements achieved the average values of 92.58 and 87.86%, respectively, for nano-Cu/Cu and nano-Cu/C electrodes. Furthermore, comparison with the theoretical COD value achieved 94.90 and 89.87%, respectively, for nano-Cu/Cu and nano-Cu/C electrodes. The results indicated that both electrodes are suitable for practical application in COD determination.

Photochemiresistor Sensor Development Based on a Bismuth Vanadate Type Semiconductor for Determination of Chemical Oxygen Demand

The present paper describes the development of a novel photochemiresistor sensor for the determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD). A chemiresistive device was produced by a thin film of the monoclinic phase of bismuth vanadate deposited on an FTO glass surface. The resistive properties of the photosensor were carried out by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrical resistance of the platform was dependent on the presence of organic material in aqueous solution and the incidence of light. The decrease in resistance can be explained by considering that by increasing the amount of organic material, the amount of charge transferred to BiVO₄ increases, as does the amount of the photogenerated conduction band on the film. This behavior is not observed when carrying out the same measurements in the absence of light. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the linear response of the chemiresistor sensor is between 0.20 and 19.9 mg L^-1 COD at a fixed AC frequency of 0.1 Hz. There is a good correlation between the charge transfer resistance and COD concentration in the electrolyte solution. Quantification of COD in waste and lake waters was successfully performed using the novel photochemiresistor sensor. The results achieved in the analysis with the sensor are in accordance with the conventional method.

A Self-Supported CuO/Cu Nanowire Electrode as Highly Efficient Sensor for COD Measurement

A self-supported CuO/Cu nanowire electrode (CuO/CuNWE), which was prepared by annealing Cu nanowires to form a porous Cu nanowire electrode (CuNWE) and then anodizing the as-prepared CuNWE in alkaline medium to generate Cu(OH)₂ nanowires followed by calcination, was employed for chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The structure and electrochemical behavior of the CuO/CuNWE were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and CV. The results indicated that the as-synthesized CuO/CuNWE, in which CuO nanowires with a length of several micrometers and a diameter of 100 to 300 nm could be found, was stable in alkaline medium and more electrocatalytically active for oxidizing a wide range of organic compounds in comparison with the CuNWE. Under optimized alkaline concentration and scan rate, the CuO/CuNWE exhibited a good performance for COD measurement, with a linear range of 5 to 1153 mg L⁻¹, a sensitivity of 2.46× 10⁻² mA /(mg L⁻¹), and a detection limit of about 2.3 mg L⁻¹. In addition, an excellent correlation was observed in COD values obtained by our method and the classic dichromate method (r = 0.9995, p < 0.01, n = 11). Finally, our method was successfully used to measure the COD values in real water samples, showing great potential for practical application in water pollution control.

Polycrystalline boron-doped diamond electrodes for electrocatalytic and electrosynthetic applications

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes are recognized as being superior to other electrode materials due to their outstanding chemical and dimensional stability, their exceptionally low background current, the extremely wide potential window for water electrolysis that they have, and their excellent biocompatibility. However, whereas these properties have been utilized in the rapid development of electroanalytical applications, very few studies have been done in relation to their applications in electrocatalysis or electrosynthesis. In this report, following on from reports of the electrosynthesis of various products through anodic and cathodic reactions using BDD electrodes, the potential use of these electrodes in electrosynthesis is discussed.

Development of Electrochemical Oxygen Demand Measurement Cells Using a Diamond Electrode

Electrolytic cells for electrochemical oxygen demand (ECOD) measurements based on total electrolytic decomposition at a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode were developed for rapid measurement of organic pollutants at low concentrations. Using improved electrolytic cells designed for efficient mass transfer, the ECOD for 10 μM potassium hydrogen phthalate (theoretical ECOD: 2.3 mg-O₂ L^-1) was determined in a relatively short electrolysis time. Thus, ECOD measurements using these cells would be useful for estimating organic water pollution in industrial waste and lake water.

Highly sensitive detection of influenza virus by boron-doped diamond electrode terminated with sialic acid-mimic peptide

The progression of influenza varies according to age and the presence of an underlying disease; appropriate treatment is therefore required to prevent severe disease. Anti-influenza therapy, such as with neuraminidase inhibitors, is effective, but diagnosis at an early phase of infection before viral propagation is critical. Here, we show that several dozen plaque-forming units (pfu) of influenza virus (IFV) can be detected using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode terminated with a sialic acid-mimic peptide. The peptide was used instead of the sialyloligosaccharide receptor, which is the common receptor of influenza A and B viruses required during the early phase of infection, to capture IFV particles. The peptide, which was previously identified by phage-display technology, was immobilized by click chemistry on the BDD electrode, which has excellent electrochemical characteristics such as low background current and weak adsorption of biomolecules. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that H1N1 and H3N2 IFVs were detectable in the range of 20-500 pfu by using the peptide-terminated BDD electrode. Our results demonstrate that the BDD device integrated with the receptor-mimic peptide has high sensitivity for detection of a low number of virus particles in the early phase of infection.

Electrically Conductive Diamond Membrane for Electrochemical Separation Processes

Electrochemically switchable selective membranes play an important role in selective filtration processes such as water desalination, industrial waste treatment, and hemodialysis. Currently, membranes for these purposes need to be optimized in terms of electrical conductivity and stability against fouling and corrosion. In this paper, we report the fabrication of boron-doped diamond membrane by template diamond growth on quartz fiber filters. The morphology and quality of the diamond coating are characterized via SEM and Raman spectroscopy. The membrane is heavily boron doped (>10(21) cm(-3)) with >3 V potential window in aqueous electrolyte. By applying a membrane potential against the electrolyte, the redox active species can be removed via flow-through electrolysis. Compared to planar diamond electrodes, the ∼250 times surface enlargement provided by such a membrane ensures an effective removal of target chemicals from the input electrolyte. The high stability of diamond enables the membrane to not only work at high membrane bias but also to be self-cleaning via in situ electrochemical oxidation. Therefore, we believe that the diamond membrane presented in this paper will provide a solution to future selective filtration applications especially in extreme conditions.