Microalgal whole-cell biomarkers as sensitive tools for fast toxicity and pollution monitoring of urban wet weather discharges.

Urban wet weather discharge (UWWD) management is an important issue. UWWD often represents a significant source of pollution in all aquatic bodies. The occurrence of this pollution is difficult to predict due to the variability of storm events and the unknown contents of urban watershed leached out by rain.

Xurography-based microfluidic algal biosensor and dedicated portable measurement station for online monitoring of urban polluted samples.

A critical need exists to develop rapid, in situ, and real-time tools to monitor the impact of pollution discharge toxicity on aquatic ecosystems. The present paper deals with the development of a novel, simple-to-use, low-cost, portable, and user-friendly algal biosensor. In this study, a complete and autonomous portable fluorimeter was developed to assess the A-chlorophyll fluorescence of microalgae, inserted by capillarity into low-cost and disposable xurography-based microfluidic chips.