Biosensor design for detection of phosphate in surface water

A biosensor based on conductive poly(pyrrole-co-pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid) [Poly(Py-co-PyCOOH)] copolymer film coated gold electrode was developed for the quantitative phosphate determination. Enzyme pyruvate oxidase was immobilized chemically via the functional carboxylated groups of the copolymer. The potential to be applied which is deficiency of phosphate biosensor studies for precise phosphate detection was clarified by using differential pulse voltammetry technique. Performance of the sensing ability of the biosensor was improved by optimizing cofactor/cosubstrate concentrations, polymeric film density and pH. The biosensor showed a linearity up to phosphate concentration of 5 mM, operational stability with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.07 % (n=7) and accuracy of 101 % at -0.15 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Detection limit (LOD) and sensitivity were calculated to be 13.3 µM and 5.4 µA/mM.cm2, respectively by preserving 50 % of its initial response at the end of 30 days. It's performance was tested to determine phosphate concentrations in two streams of Zonguldak City in Turkey. Accuracy of phosphate measurement in stream water was found to be 91 %.