Abstract
Environmental pollution caused by heavy metals are problems worldwide. In particular, pollution and poisoning by lead ions (Pb(2+)) continue to be common and serious problems. Hence, there is a need for a widely usable method to easily detect Pb(2+) from solutions containing organic materials from environmental water such as seas, ponds, etc. Here, we established a system to easily detect Pb(2+) from such mixture solutions using Pb(2+) binding peptide immobilized beads (peptidyl beads) and ultraviolet (UV) absorption measurements. This method could detect Pb(2+) at low concentrations equivalent to inductively coupled plasmon-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Using the detected values to create a calibration curve, it was found that there was a positive correlation between the concentration of Pb(2+) and absorbance, which also made it possible to quantify sub-µM Pb(2+) in the solutions. Furthermore, Pb(2+) was detected and quantified under mixed conditions of environmental water such as seas, rivers, and ponds. This method is expected to become a versatile and easy-to-use Pb(2+) detection method for end-users worldwide.