Biosensors as useful tools for environmental analysis and monitoring

Recent advances in the development and application of biosensors for environmental analysis and monitoring are reviewed in this article. Several examples of biosensors developed for relevant environmental pollutants and parameters are briefly overviewed. Special attention is paid to the application of biosensors to real environmental samples, taking into consideration aspects such as sample pretreatment, matrix effects and validation of biosensor measurements. Current trends in biosensor development are also considered and commented on in this work. In this context, nanotechnology, miniaturisation, multi-sensor array development and, especially, biotechnology arise as fast-growing areas that will have a marked influence on the development of new biosensing strategies in the near future.