Surface mining is one of the main activities that affects the environment, economy and society in its surrounding region. Therefore, it is important to investigate the results of this activity on the basis of sustainability assessment. One of fundamental issues in mining activities is the pollution caused by the presence of trace metals that can spread through the soil and infiltrate water, thereby directly affecting the environmental index of sustainability. There are many methods that can be used for the detection of trace metals in soil and water, such as inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques, but most of these strategies suffer from certain drawbacks which prevent their on-site use for the detection of trace metals. Many efforts have been made to introduce portable sensors for controling trace metal concentrations in the environment. A conventional sensor for the specific detection of an analyte, comprises two main parts namely, the transducer and sensing elements. In this regard, incorporation of novel structures into sensors like nanostructures can lead to significant improvements in the efficiency of devices with respect to sensitivity, selectivity, multiplexed detection capability and portability. Besides, sensing elements such as small molecules, DNA, proteins and bacteria, have been integrated into sensor design inorder to selectively bind to trace metals as molecular recognition probes. This review presents recent advances in the design of sensor, type of transducer and sensing elements for the detection of trace metals. Regarding the type of transducer, optical, chemical, electrochemical and field-effect transistor sensors will be discussed. Furthermore, different types of specific sensing elements for binding to trace metals are also highlighted.

露天采矿是影响其周边地区的环境，经济和社会的主要活动之一。因此，在可持续性评估的基础上调查这项活动的结果很重要。采矿活动中的基本问题之一是由于微量金属的存在而造成的污染，这些微量金属可以通过土壤扩散并渗入水，从而直接影响可持续性的环境指标。有许多方法可用于检测土壤和水中的痕量金属，例如电感耦合等离子体（ICP）和X射线荧光（XRF）技术，但是这些策略中的大多数都有某些缺点，这些缺点阻止了它们的开启。现场用于检测痕量金属。已经做出了很多努力来引入便携式传感器以控制环境中的痕量金属浓度。用于特异性检测分析物的常规传感器包括两个主要部分，即换能器和传感元件。在这方面，将新颖的结构结合到传感器（如纳米结构）中可以在灵敏度，选择性，多路检测能力和便携性方面显着提高设备效率。此外，诸如小分子，DNA，蛋白质和细菌之类的传感元件已集成到传感器设计中，以选择性地与痕量金属结合作为分子识别探针。这篇综述介绍了用于痕量金属检测的传感器，传感器类型和传感元件的设计方面的最新进展。关于换能器的类型，将讨论光学，化学，电化学和场效应晶体管传感器。此外，还着重介绍了用于与痕量金属结合的不同类型的特定传感元件。