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Harnessing Bioluminescent Microorganisms for Real-Time, Self-Powered Environmental Pollution Sensing

ABSTRACT

Environmental pollution monitoring is critical for public health and ecological preservation. Conventional sensing technologies, while effective, often require external power sources and complex instrumentation, limiting their deployment in remote or resource-limited environments. Bioluminescent microorganisms offer a promising alternative due to their inherent light-emitting capabilities triggered by environmental stimuli. This paper explores the potential of harnessing bioluminescent bacteria and other microorganisms to develop self-powered, real-time environmental pollution sensors. We review the biological mechanisms underlying microbial bioluminescence, sensor design strategies, integration with electronic systems, and case studies on pollutant detection including heavy metals, organic contaminants, and toxins. Challenges such as sensor stability, selectivity, and sensitivity are discussed along with future prospects including synthetic biology approaches to enhance performance and wireless deployment for large-scale environmental monitoring.

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