Trends and Thematic Clusters in Studies on Biosensors for Groundwater Quality

Abstract

Groundwater plays an important role in food production. However, it faces environmental pressures from various factors, and the presence of contaminants in these waters—whether emerging or traditional—is a growing cause for concern. Nevertheless, there are few reviews available that address the analysis of biosensors for the detection of these specific contaminants in groundwater. Therefore, the objective of this study was to conduct a review to determine which types of biosensors, which contaminants, and other factors are most frequently highlighted in studies on the detection of contaminants in groundwater. In line with this objective, the findings indicate a predominance of electrochemical biosensors, with a particular emphasis on the use of bacteria as the biological component. The detection of pesticides has been a focus since the earliest publications, yet there are still significant gaps regarding the detection of multiple substances, such as the co-occurrence of arsenic and other pollutants. Thus, this review contributes to a broad overview of the technologies used, offering important insights for future research and mapping the current state of the art in the detection of contaminants in groundwater.