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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a type of flame retardants which are currently banned in EU and USA due their hazardousness for humans and mammals. However, these compounds were highly used during more than 30 years and still persist in the environment since they are resistant to degradation. Herein we present a biosensor for the detection of PBDEs using screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) based on the electrochemical monitoring of water oxidation reaction (WOR) catalyzed by iridium oxide (IV) nanoparticles (IrO2 NPs). Our assay shows a limit of detection of 21.5 ppb of PBDE in distilled water. We believe that such an IrO2 NPs-based electrocatalytic sensing system can lead to a rapid, sensitive, low cost and miniaturizable device for the detection of PBDEs., We acknowledge support from EU (FP7, SMS project) and MINECO (Spain) MAT2017-87202-P. This work is also funded by the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. ICN2 is supported by the Severo Ochoa program from Spanish MINECO (Grant no. SEV-2013-0295). Daniel Quesada-González also acknowledges Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) for the possibility of performing this work inside the framework of Chemistry PhD Programme.

The application of algae to the most meaningful fields of our life, such as food, environment and energy, finds a further confirmation in the extension of this application to cultural heritage protection. In this letter, we present the results of a preliminary study testing how a polysaccharide extracted from algal matrix can restore degraded paper giving back it mechanical strength and chemical structure.