Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4 +/15NH4 + Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O.

The importance of understanding the fate of nitrate (NO3-), which is the dominant N species transferred from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems, has been increasing because global nitrogen loads have dramatically increased following industrialization. Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and denitrification are both microbial processes that use NO3- for respiration. Compared to denitrification, quantitative determinations of the DNRA activity have been carried out only to a limited extent. This has led to an insufficient understanding of the importance of DNRA in NO3- transformations and the regulating factors of this process. The objective of this paper is to provide a detailed procedure for the measurement of the potential DNRA rate in environmental samples. In brief, the potential DNRA rate can be calculated from the 15N-labeled ammonium (15NH4+) accumulation rate in 15NO3- added incubation. The determination of the 14NH4+ and 15NH4+ concentrations described in this paper is comprised of the following steps. First, the NH4+ in the sample is extracted and trapped on an acidified glass filter as ammonium salt. Second, the trapped ammonium is eluted and oxidized to NO3- via persulfate oxidation. Third, the NO3- is converted to N2O via an N2O reductase deficient denitrifier. Finally, the converted N2O is analyzed using a previously developed quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system. We applied this method to salt marsh sediments and calculated their potential DNRA rates, demonstrating that the proposed procedures allow a simple and more rapid determination compared to previously described methods.

A green and efficient vortex-assisted liquid-phase microextraction based on supramolecular solvent for UV-VIS determination of nitrite in processed meat and chicken products.

This paper describes a simple, efficient and rapid analytical method for extraction and determination of nitrite in meat and chicken products by vortex-assisted supramolecular solvent-based liquid phase microextraction (VA-SUPRAS-LPME) prior to spectrophotometric detection. The SUPRAS was rapidly formed by the addition of a colloidal decanoic acid suspension to tetrahydrofuran (THF). The validation studies were carried out in terms of linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), matrix effects, robustness, uncertainty measurement, precision, accuracy, and certified reference material (CRM) analysis using optimized experimental conditions. The LOD, LOQ, linearity and matrix effect were 0.035 ng mL-1, 0.1 ng mL-1, 0.1-300 ng mL-1, and 9.6% respectively, with high preconcentration factor (200). The method was successfully applied for the determination of nitrite in processed products. Moreover, the results obtained by the proposed method were compared to the standard Griess method, and showed no significant differences in term of Student's t-test.

Influences of organic nitrogen on the removal of inorganic nitrogen from complicated marine aquaculture water by Marichromatium gracile YL28.

The sediment-water interface is not only an important location for substrate conversion in a mariculture system, but also a major source of eutrophication. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of inorganic nitrogen (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) removal by Marichromatium gracile YL28 in the presence of both organic nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen. The results showed that, in the presence of peptone or urea, seaweed oligosaccharides (SOS) effectively enhanced the ammonia removal capacity of YL28 (6.42 mmol/L) and decreased the residual rate by 54.04% or 8.17%, respectively. With increasing peptone or urea concentrations, the removal of both ammonia and nitrate was gradually inhibited, and the residual rates of ammonia and nitrate reached 22.56-34.36% and 12.03-15.64% in the peptone system and 20.65-24.03% and 12.20-13.21% in the urea system, respectively. However, in the control group the residual rates of ammonia and nitrate reached 11.97% and 5.12%, respectively. In addition, the concentrations of peptone and urea did not affect nitrite removal, and YL28 displayed better cell growth and nitrogen removal activity in the presence of bait and SOS. Overall, the ability of YL28 to remove inorganic nitrogen was enhanced in the presence of organic nitrogen.

"Removal of nitrate and nitrite by hemodialysis in end-stage renal disease and by sustained low-efficiency dialysis in acute kidney injury".

BACKGROUND & PURPOSE: It is well established that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality both in the adult and pediatric population. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood, compromised nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity has been suggested as a contributing factor. With this in mind, we investigated the effects of hemodialysis on NO homeostasis and bioactivity in blood. METHODS & RESULTS: Plasma and dialysate samples were obtained before and after hemodialysis sessions from adults (n = 33) and pediatric patients (n = 10) with ESRD on chronic renal replacement therapy, and from critically ill adults with acute kidney injury (n = 12) at their first sustained low-efficiency dialysis session. Levels of nitrate, nitrite, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and amino acids relevant for NO homeostasis were analyzed. We consistently found that nitrate and cGMP levels in plasma were significantly reduced after hemodialysis, whereas post-dialysis nitrite and amino acids coupled to NO synthase activity (i.e., arginine and citrulline) were only significantly reduced in adults with ESRD. The amount of excreted nitrate and nitrite during dialysis were similar to daily endogenous levels that would be expected from endothelial NO synthase activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that hemodialysis significantly reduces circulating levels of nitrate and cGMP, indicating that this medical procedure may impair NO synthesis and potentially NO signaling pathways.

Denitrifier Method for Nitrite Removal in Electrochemical Analysis of the Electron Accepting Capacity of Humic Substances.

Humic substances (HSs) are important electron acceptors and donors in soils and aquifers. The coupling of anoxic nitrogen (N) cycling to the function of HSs as a redox battery, however, remains poorly understood. Mediated electrochemical analysis is an emerging tool to determine the redox properties (i.e., electron donating capacity (EDC), electron accepting capacity (EAC), and redox state) of HS. However, the presence of nitrite (NO2-), a central intermediate of the N-cycle, interferes with the electrochemical determination of the EAC. To eliminate this interference, we developed a bioassay to remove nitrite in HS samples using the denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas nitroreducens. Cell suspensions of P. nitroreducens completely removed NO2- at various concentrations (1, 2, and 5 mM) from humic acid samples (1 g HA/L) of different redox states. As P. nitroreducens is not able to exchange electrons with dissolved humic acids, the procedure allows an accurate and reliable determination of the EAC of humic acid samples. The proposed method thus opens new perspectives in biogeochemistry to study interactions between HSs and N cycling.

Partial denitrification providing nitrite: Opportunities of extending application for anammox.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) has been extensively investigated for cost-efficient nitrogen removal from wastewater. However, the major issues of nitrate (NO3--N) residue and instability in the current combination of nitritation and anammox process necessitates being addressed efficiently. The recently proposed partial-denitrification (PD), terminating NO3--N reduction to nitrite (NO2--N), has been regarded as a promising alternative of NO2--N supplying for anammox bacteria. Given the engineering practices, the steadily high NO2--N production, alleviating organic inhibition, and reducing greenhouse gas of PD process offers a viable and efficient approach for anammox implementation. Moreover, it allows for the extending applications of anammox process due to the NO3--N removal availability. Here we comprehensively review the important new outcomes and discuss the emerging applications of PD-based anammox including the process development, mechanism understanding, and future trends. Significant greater stability and enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency have been demonstrated in the novel integrations of PD and anammox process, indicating a broad perspective in dealing with the mainstream municipal sewage, ammonia-rich streams, and industrial NO3--N contained wastewater. Furthermore, researches are still needed for the predictable and controllable strategies, along with the detailed microbiological information in future study. Overall, the achievement of PD process provides unique opportunity catalyzing the engineering applications of energy-efficient and environmental-friendly wastewater treatment via anammox technology.

Enhanced nitrogen removal through marine anammox bacteria (MAB) treating nitrogen-rich saline wastewater with Fe(III) addition: Nitrogen shock loading and community structure.

Marine anammox bacteria (MAB) were used to treat nitrogen-rich saline wastewater with Fe(III) addition under nitrogen shock loading. Ammonia loading rate (ALR) and nitrite loading rate (NLR) gradually increased from 0.033 and 0.039 to 0.68 and 0.89 kg/(m3·d), respectively. With 5 mg/L Fe(III) addition, ammonia removal rate (ARR) and nitrite removal rate (NRR) reached maximal values of 0.56 and 0.60 kg/(m3·d), respectively. The value of ΔNO2--N/ΔNH4+-N was lower than theoretical ratio due to existing marine Feammox process. The growth rate of MAB was accelerated by Fe(III) and it dominated the reactor (27.70%). Besides, MAB were synergized with Marinicella and Caldithrix to achieve higher total nitrogen removal. Haldane model was proper to analyze and predict the effect resulting from nitrite on the activity of MAB under nitrogen shock loading. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the effect of Fe(III) on MAB treating nitrogen-rich wastewater.

Effect of COD/N ratio on denitrification from nitrite.

The objective of this study was to investigate dynamic specific denitrification rates (SDNRs) from nitrite at various chemical oxygen demand (COD)/nitrogen (N) ratios using municipal wastewater (MWW). A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) continuously fed with primary effluent and nitrite solution was operated at hydraulic retention time of 8.4 hr and solids retention time of 26-30 days for 3 months. Influent MWW characteristics varied significantly during the study, that is, 200-810 mgCOD/L and 6-80 mgN/L. The SDNRs from the SBR were compared with those determined in four batch reactors using acetate. The SDNR was directly related to COD/N until a maximum SDNR (mgNO2 -N/mgVSS/day) of 0.07 for MWW and 0.4 for acetate occurred at COD/N ratios of 6 and 13, respectively; beyond this COD/N ratio, SDNR decreased. The biomass yield coefficients (mgVSS/mgCOD) were 0.33 for MWW and 0.51 for acetate. The relationships of SDNR with COD/N and F/M ratios were developed. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The optimum carbon dose for denitrification should be determined using acclimatized biomass. Each carbon source should only be dosed at an optimum that maximizes denitrification.

[Nitrite Accumulation Characteristics of Partial Denitrification in Different Sludge Sources Using Sodium Acetate as Carbon Source].

In order to explore the characteristics of nitrite accumulation during the operational period of partial denitrification in different sludge sources using sodium acetate as a carbon source, No.1 SBR and No.2 SBR were used to inoculate with surplus sludge taken separately from a secondary sedimentation tank of a sewage treatment plant and simultaneous nitrification and denitrifying phosphorus removal system. By reasonably controlling the initial nitrate concentration and anoxic time, partial denitrification was realized. The carbon and nitrogen removal characteristics under different initial COD and NO3--N concentrations were investigated. The results showed that, using sodium acetate as the carbon source, the partial denitrification process in No.1 SBR and No.2 SBR sludge successfully began in 21 d and 20 d, respectively. The accumulation of NO2--N and nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) in reactors were maintained at high levels (12.61 mg·L-1, 79.76% and 13.85 mg·L-1, 87.60%, respectively). When the initial NO3--N concentration of No.2 SBR was 20 mg·L-1 and the initial COD concentration increased from 60 mg·L-1 to 140 mg·L-1, the operation time for achieving the highest NO2--N accumulation in the system was shortened from 160 min to 6 min. The NO3--N ratio of the denitrification rate (in VSS) increased from 3.84 mg·(g·h)-1 to 7.35 mg·(g·h)-1. Increased initial COD concentration was beneficial to the accumulation of NO2--N during partial denitrification. When the initial COD concentration of No.2 SBR was 100 mg·L-1 and the initial NO3--N concentration increased from 20 mg·L-1 to 30 mg·L-1, NAR was maintained above 90% and up to 100% (the initial NO3--N concentration was 25 mg·L-1). When the initial NO3--N concentration was ≥ 35 mg·L-1, insufficient COD caused NO3--N to be completely reduced to NO2--N. Under different initial COD concentrations (80, 100, or 120 mg·L-1) and different initial NO3--N concentrations (20, 25, 30, or 40 mg·L-1), the nitrogen and carbon removal and partial denitrification performance of the No.2 SBR was better than that of No.1 SBR.

Ammonium removal characteristics of an acid-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter sp. JR1 from pharmaceutical wastewater capable of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification.

A new acid-resistant bacterium Acinetobacter sp. JR1 was isolated, and its feasibility in nitrogen removal was investigated under acidic condition. Results show that JR1 indicated excellent ammonium and nitrate removal abilities with no accumulation of intermediates, and the maximum ammonium and nitrate removal efficiencies were 98.5% and 91.1%, respectively. Further experiments demonstrated that JR1 preferred to use ammonium with ammonium and nitrate as the mixed N-sources. For JR1, ammonium was assimilated directly as nutrients into cells and also converted into N2 through heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification. Under acidic condition, JR1 performed comparable nitrogen removal abilities to other strains under neutral or weak alkaline environment, and the efficient removal of ammonium occurred at pH 4.5-10, C/N 12-24, 20-40 °C, DO ≥4.72 mg/L, 0-1.5% of salinity, 10 mg/L Zn2+ or 20 mg/L Mn2+. All these make JR1 a promising candidate for treating acidic wastewater containing nitrogen.

Characteristics of heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification bacterium Acinetobacter sp. T1 and its application for pig farm wastewater treatment.

A novel heterotrophic bacterium was isolated from activated sludge of a pig farm wastewater treatment plant and identified as Acinetobacter sp. T1. It exhibited efficient heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification capability to utilize ammonium, nitrate or nitrite as the sole nitrogen source, and their removal rates were 12.08, 5.53 and 1.69 mg/L/h, respectively. Furthermore, the optimal conditions for the heterotrophic nitrification process were sodium citrate as the carbon source, C/N mass ratio of 10, pH of 8.5 and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 5.1 mg/L. Only trace amounts of nitrate and nitrite were observed during the process. When the aerobic tank of the A2O process of a pig farm wastewater treatment plant was inoculated with traditional activated sludge, the average removals of COD, NH4+- N and TN in the effluent were 30%, 15% and 16%, respectively, which was much lower than that of inoculated with strain T1, the increase was statistically significant, indicating a great potential of strain T1 for full-scale applications.

Investigating the effect of copper and magnesium ions on nitrogen removal capacity of pure cultures by modified non-competitive inhibition model.

Copper, a common heavy metal, may be beneficial for or poisonous to microbial activity. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different copper ion concentrations on the nitrogen removal performance of Arthrobacter arilaitensis strain Y-10 and Pseudomonas taiwanensis strain J488. The non-competitive inhibition model was employed to evaluate the 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50 values) of copper ions toward the pure strains. In the absence of magnesium ions, a low concentration of copper (0.1 mg/L) significantly enhanced the ammonium removal ability of strain Y-10 and its removal efficiency increased by 10.88% compared with the control treatment. Copper ranging from 0 to 0.1 mg/L had no significant effect on the ammonium removal capacity of strain J488. After adding 9.90 mg/L of magnesium to the basal medium, the effects of copper on nitrification of ammonium or denitrification of nitrate or nitrite were also assessed. In these conditions, 0.25 mg/L copper ions could strongly inhibit the ammonium, nitrate and nitrite removal activities for strain Y-10. For strain J488, no clear deterioration in ammonium removal efficiency was observed at copper ion concentrations below 0.5 mg/L, but 0.25 mg/L copper ions significantly inhibited nitrate and nitrite removal efficiencies, which were only 45.88% and 6.35%, respectively. The IC50 values of copper ions for nitrate and nitrite removal by strain Y-10 were 0.195 and 0.090 mg/L respectively; for strain J488, the IC50 values were 0.175 and 0.196 mg/L. The magnesium ions could improve the cell growth, nitrogen removal efficiency and copper ion resistance of bacteria.

Rapid start-up and performance of denitrifying granular sludge in an upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor treating high concentration nitrite wastewater.

Denitrifying granular sludge reactor holds better nitrogen removal efficiency than other kinds of denitrifying reactors, while this reactor commonly needs seeding anaerobic granular sludge and longer period for start-up in practice, which restricted the application of denitrifying granular sludge reactor. This study presented a rapid and stable start-up method for denitrifying granular sludge. An upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor with packings was established with flocculent activated sludge for treatment of high concentration nitrite wastewater. Results showed mature denitrifying granular sludge appeared only after 15 days with highest nitrogen removal rate of 5.844 kg N/(m3 day), which was much higher than that of compared anoxic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR). No significant nitrite inhibition occurred in USB and denitrification performance was mainly influenced by hydraulic retention time, influent C/N ratio and internal reflux ratio. Hydraulic shear force created by upflow fluid, shearing of gaseous products and stable microorganisms adhesion on the packings might be the reasons for rapid achievement of granular sludge. Compared to inoculated sludge and ASBR, remarkable microbial communitiy variations were detected in USB. The dominance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes and enrichment of species Pseudomonas_stutzeri should be responsible for the excellent denitrification performance, which further verified the feasibility of start-up method.

[Characteristics of Biofilm During the Transition Process of Complete Nitrification and Partial Nitrification].

The objective of the study was to investigate the change of biofilm characteristics when implementing the procedure of partial nitrification. A ratio control strategy (DO/NH4+-N) was taken to achieve partial nitrification, and biofilm samples were obtained at 10.27%, 52.12%, and 93.54% of the nitrite accumulation rate. The amount and spatial distribution of total bacteria, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and nitrite oxidative bacteria (NOB) were observed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) through a three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (EEM) to observe the secretion and composition changes of extracellular polymer substances. Ratio control successfully enriched AOB and achieved partial nitrification under conditions when NOB was not completely washed. Heterotrophic bacteria and nitrifying bacteria coexist in the biofilm. The heterotrophic bacteria were in the outer layer, but nitrifying bacteria were distributed in the biofilm surface at 6-25 µm. During the process of short-range nitrification, the AOB/NOB value gradually increased, and the stable operation period was as high as 15.56. During the operation of the reactor, EPS and microbial flora changes are closely related. When microbial activity decreased, EPS secretion decreased. During the stable operation period of partial nitrification, NOB and other bacteria that are non-resistant to high nitrite nitrous acid declined, and the fluorescence intensity of aromatic protein-like bacteria decreased. However, the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra showed that the chemical composition of EPS was not obvious during the process of partial nitrification.

[Denitrification Characteristics and Community Structure of Aerobic Denitrifiers from Lake and Reservoir Sediments].

The effect of aerobic denitrifying bacteria is a hot topic in the field of water environment bioremediation. Aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, enriched by intermittent aeration, screened with screening culture media, and treated by ultrasonic waves, could perform high denitrification performance at the higher dissolved oxygen concentration of (7.2±0.6) mg ·L-1. The total nitrogen (TN) removal rate of aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, reached 83.04%, 83.40%, and 82.68%, respectively. There is lower nitrite accumulation during the process of denitrification. Illumina high-throughput DNA sequencing revealed that aerobic denitrifier compositions were significantly different among the three communities. The predominant strains of aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, were Bacillus subtilis, Paracoccus pantotrophus, and Pseudomonas stutzeri, respectively. The proportion of P. stutzeri in aerobic denitrifier communities H-30 and X-10 was almost the same, while Pseudomonas xiamenensis was only detected in H-30. These three efficient aerobic denitrifier communities provide a bacterium source guarantee for polluted water bioremediation of lakes and reservoirs in cities.

Preparation of Biocomposite Microfibers Ready for Processing into Biologically Active Textile Fabrics for Bioremediation.

Biocomposites, i.e., materials consisting of metabolically active microorganisms embedded in a synthetic extracellular matrix, may find applications as highly specific catalysts in bioproduction and bioremediation. 3D constructs based on fibrous biocomposites, so-called "artificial biofilms," are of particular interest in this context. The inability to produce biocomposite fibers of sufficient mechanical strength for processing into bioactive fabrics has so far hindered progress in the area. Herein a method is proposed for the direct wet spinning of microfibers suitable for weaving and knitting. Metabolically active bacteria (either Shewanella oneidensis or Nitrobacter winogradskyi (N. winogradskyi)) are embedded in these fibers, using poly(vinyl alcohol) as matrix. The produced microfibers have a partially crystalline structure and are stable in water without further treatment, such as coating. In a first application, their potential for nitrite removal (N. winogradskyi) is demonstrated, a typical challenge in potable water treatment.

Adsorption of Nitrite and Nitrate Ions from an Aqueous Solution by Fe-Mg-Type Hydrotalcites at Different Molar Ratios.

In this study, we prepared Fe-Mg-type hydrotalcites (Fe-HT3.0 and Fe-HT5.0) with different molar ratios and evaluated their adsorption capability for nitrite and nitrate ions from aqueous solution. Fe-HT is a typical hydrotalcite-like layered double hydroxide. Adsorption isotherms, as well as the effects of contact time and pH were investigated, and it was found that Fe-HT can adsorb larger amounts of nitrite and nitrate ions than Al-HT (normal-type hydrotalcite). Adsorption isotherm data were fitted to both Freundlich (correlation coefficient: 0.970-1.000) and Langmuir (correlation coefficient: 0.974-0.999) equations. Elemental analysis and binding energy of Fe-HT surface before and after adsorption indicated that the adsorption mechanism was related to the interaction between the adsorbent surface and anions. In addition, the ion exchange process is related to the adsorption mechanism. The adsorption amount increased with increasing temperature (7-25°C). The experimental data fit the pseudo-second-order model better than the pseudo-first-order model. The effect of pH on adsorption was not significant, which suggested that Fe-HT could be used over a wide pH range (4-12). These results indicate that Fe-HT is a good adsorbent for the removal of nitrite and nitrate ions from aqueous solution.

A novel electrochemical sensor based on silver/halloysite nanotube/molybdenum disulfide nanocomposite for efficient nitrite sensing.

In the present study, the silver/halloysite nanotube/molybdenum disulfide (Ag/HNT/MoS2) nanocomposite was successfully synthesized. For this purpose, the lumen of HNTs was firstly modified by silver to generate Ag nanorods via chemical process and then the MoS2 layers deposited on the Ag/HNT nanocomposite by hydrothermal method. The characterization of Ag/HNT/MoS2 nanocomposite were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The nanocomposite modified carbon paste electrode (CPE) was applied for the electrocatalytic detection of nitrite in aqueous solutions. It was demonstrated that the treatment of HNTs with Ag and MoS2 materials enhanced the catalytic performance of modified CPE. At optimal experimental conditions, the designed sensor displayed remarkable sensing ability toward nitrite oxidation, offering a good linearity from 2 to 425 µM. The limit of detection (LOD) of the proposed strategy was estimated to be 0.7 µM based S/N = 3. The good reproducibility, acceptable stability, fast response time and anti-interference performance of the proposed assay suggests that the modified CPE has great potential working as a nitrite electrochemical sensor for environmental applications.

Application of silica coated magnetite nanoparticles modified with Cu(I)-neocuproine as nanosorbent to simultaneous separation-preconcentration of trace amounts of nitrate and nitrite.

A novel, inexpensive and sensitive type of magnetic nanosorbent based on the functionalized silica-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles was prepared and used for the adsorption of trace amounts of nitrite and nitrate ions. The work is based on selective ion-pairing complex formation of nitrate and nitrite with Cu(I)-neocuproine which are covalently bounded on nanoparticles. Nitrite was determined according to its reaction with barbituric acid to give violuric acid and determination of nitrate was based on its reduction to nitrite in the presence of Zn/NaCl. After formation of violuric acid, the absorbance was measured spectrophotometrically at 310 nm. The quantitative recoveries were obtained at pH 5.5 for the analytes. Under optimum conditions, the limits of detection in the original solutions were 0.49 µg L-1 and 0.40 µg L-1 for nitrate and nitrite, respectively. The linearity ranges were found to be 1.5 to 2.8 × 103 µg L-1(NO3-) and 1.2 to 1.9 × 103 µg L-1 (NO2-). The preconcentration factor was 120 for nitrate and 150 for nitrite. This method has been successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of nitrite and nitrate in various water and food samples and also accuracy was confirmed by the analysis of the spiked recovery test.

Griess reaction-based paper strip for colorimetric/fluorescent/SERS triple sensing of nitrite.

This study demonstrates a novel strategy for colorimetric/fluorescent/surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) triple-mode sensing of nitrite based on Griess reaction modulated gold nanorods (GNRs)-Azo-gold nanoparticles (GNPs) (GNRs-Azo-GNPs) assembly. The p-aminothiophenol (PATP)-capped GNRs (GNRs@PATP) and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (DAP)-modified GNPs (GNPs@DAP) are first synthesized through Au-S and Au-N bonds, respectively. Upon being excited at 365nm, the dispersion of GNRs-GNPs (GNRs@PATP and GNPs@DAP) emits cyan fluorescence. Next, the addition of nitrite into the GNRs-GNPs induces the formation of GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly, resulting in the enhancement of color and decrease of fluorescence. Therefore, the GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly can not only be used as a naked-eye indicator of nitrite changed from orange-yellow to purple, but also as a highly selective ''fluorescence quenching'' probe due to the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between azo-moiety and DAP. The limit of detection (LOD) for nitrite is 0.05µM by colorimetry and 0.01µM by fluorescence. Meanwhile, the GNRs-Azo-GNPs assembly possesses controllable core-satellites nanostructures and enables on-field SERS detection of nitrite with the LOD of 0.8nM. More importantly, the GNRs-GNPs sensing system can not only be used as a paper-based test strip for on-site fast screening of nitrite with a high sensitivity and selectivity, but also as a SERS substrate for reliable quantitative analysis of nitrite. This study offers a new method for on-site visual detection of nitrite in human urine and meat products, as well as provides a strategy for designing multi-mode sensing platform for various applications.