Advanced Monitoring of Environmental Pollutants Using Eco-sensor -- Measurement of VOCs, Heavy Metals, Pesticides, and Endocrine Disruptors

摘要

An original biosensor (eco-sensor) based on a bilayer lipid membrane mimicking a cellular membrane has been developed by Toshiba for the real-time and highly sensitive measurement of various environmental pollutants in groundwater. The bilayer lipid membrane in water is only 10 nm in thickness and very fragile to physical or electric shock. Up to now, such membranes have not been considered suitable for practical application. Toshiba has developed a mechanism where a small volume of a lipid solution is ejected into water by a pumping system, and is working on the creation of a prototype eco-sensor system incorporating a bilayer lipid membrane based on the principle that a new membrane will be automatically formed when the membrane is broken. This will make it possible to develop an advanced environmental monitoring system (AEMS) based on real-time monitoring of various environmental pollutants in groundwater.