Application and Relevance of Biosensors in The Tanning Industry

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Kenya Leather Development Council, P O Box 14480, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The tanning industry has for a long time been associated as the primal source of pollution to
various ecosystems wherever they are sited. Effluent spewed by these leather industries including particulate
matter has remained very complex requiring more advanced techniques to examine. One such avenue is the use of ecotoxicological diagnosis of the tanning sector to comprehend the underlying environmental impact. Thus recent advances in biotechnology brought to the fore the relevancy and appropriateness of biosensors in determining pollution load and associated impact to the atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Indeed other investigations on Lead, Arsenic and complex anthropogenic and xenobiotics have spurred the development of specific genetically modified organism to facilitate in such investigation. Thus in this paper review the relevancy and advances of the application of biosensors is addressed for purposes of recording, some of the achievements so far attained towards the tanning industry are discussed. However it should be realized that the application of biosensors in evaluating tanning industry effluent is very recent but very opportune area that requires an in-depth ecotoxicological diagnosis through of established biotechnological advances.

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