Recent progress in sensing nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and ammonium in aquatic environment

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 259; p. 127492
• Main Authors: Mahmud, M A Parvez, Ejeian, Fatemeh, Azadi, Shohreh, Myers, Matthew, Pejcic, Bobby, Abbassi, Rouzbeh, Razmjou, Amir, Asadnia, Mohsen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Ammonium; Chemical sensors; Nitrate; Nitrite; Phosphate; Water monitoring; Chemical sensors; Ammonium; Nitrate; Nitrite; Water monitoring; Phosphate
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127492

Aquatic chemical sensors have experienced rapid development in recent years largely due to advances in the fields of nanotechnology. Accurate in situ monitoring of nutrients is fundamental to understanding the biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems and is necessary for the sustainable utilization of water resources. Although many sensor technologies can achieve nM detection levels, quality assurance and reliability for long-term sensing in complex environments is still lacking. Furthermore, some sensors suffer from sensitivity to high background ion concentration. This review aims to address these challenges by highlighting recent improvements in aquatic chemical sensors to monitor nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−), ammonium (NH4+), and phosphate (PO43−) ion concentrations in water. The review critically analyses and compares the performance of these chemical sensors with a particular emphasis on their capability for long-term in situ water monitoring. We also provide an overview on some crucial problems significantly affecting the analytical performance of the sensors. Finally, this review details some recommendations and future directions for improving sensing accuracy and robustness. [Display omitted] •It is critical to continuously monitor quality water that is in contact with different nutrients.•This work reviews sensor developed to monitor nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and phosphate ions.•The analytical performance of different sensors has been compared and contrasted.•The challenges facing the different types of chemical nutrients sensors are discussed.•Finally, future outlook and suggestions for improving the sensors’ performance were provided.