Feasibility of using a translucid inorganic hydrogel to build a biosensor using immobilized algal cells
Résumé
Anthropic activities generate contaminants, as pes- ticides and other pollutants, in the aquatic environment which present a real threat to ecosystems and human health. Thus, monitoring tools become essential for water managers to de- tect these chemicals before the occurrence of adverse effects. In this aim, algal cell biosensors, based on photosystem II activity measurement, have been designed for several years in previous studies. In this work, we study a new immobiliza- tion technique of algal cells in the aim of improving the per- formance of these biosensors. Immobilization was here achieved by encapsulation in a hybrid alginate/silica translucid hydrogel. The feasibility of this process was here assessed, and the biosensor designed was tested on the detec- tion of chemicals in urban rainwaters.