Developing a bio-electrochemical sensor for naphthenic acids detection in oil sands-produced water: a path forward

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Naphthenic acids (NAs) represent the primary source of acute toxicity in oil sands process affected water. Due to the seepage potential of NAs from oil sands tailings ponds into the surrounding surface water and groundwater, environmental monitoring of NAs in water samples from tailing ponds, surrounding groundwater and surface water, and groundwater wells became a routine part of oil sands mining operations. Commonly used analytical techniques for NA concentrations measurement include Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy. However, these methods are time-consuming and resource-intensive, and samples need to be sent to an analytical laboratory which can cost up to $1,000 per sample. Hence, developing a fast, low-cost analytical method for on-site quantification of NAs will help address these challenges. Consequently, this project aims to develop a simple bio-electrochemical sensor for rapid and on-site quantification of oil sand-related NAs in water samples.