Voltammetric detection of As(III) with Porphyridium cruentum based modified carbon paste electrode biosensor

A novel biosensor based on carbon paste electrode modified with Porphyridium cruentum biomass was developed for the determination of As(III) in contaminated water. As(III) was first biosorbed-accumulated on the electrode surface at open circuit potential and then stripped off by applying anodic scan range of −0.8 to +0.8 V using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric technique. The best result was obtained at pH 6.0 with 0.1 M HNO3 solution as stripping medium, allowing biosorption-accumulation time of 8 min using 5% P. cruentum biomass in graphite-mineral oil paste. Linear range for As(III) detection with the modified electrode-biosensor was observed between 2.5 and 20 µg L−1. The FTIR spectrum of P. cruentum biomass confirmed the presence of active functional groups that participate in the binding of As(III). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) indulged the surface morphology of modified electrode-biosensor before and after As(III) adsorption. Similarly, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) showed that the average roughness of the modified electrode decreased indicating the successful incorporation of P. cruentum biomass. Efficiency of the biosensor in the presence of different interfering metal (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) ions were also evaluated. The application of P. cruentum modified biosensor was successfully used for the detection of As(III) in the binary metal (Fe3+, Mn2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+) contaminated system. The accuracy of application of biosorption based biosensor for the detection of As(III) is as low as 2.5 µg L−1.