Sustainable treatment of sewage sludge via plasma-electrolytic liquefaction for bio-friendly production of polyurethane foam.

Safe and green disposal or utilization of sewage sludge (SS) has attracted significant attention as SS is increasingly produced worldwide and emerges as an environmental burden if without proper treatment. In this study, efficient and sustainable treatment of SS was achieved using plasma-electrolytic liquefaction (PEL) with alkaline catalysts including sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), and sodium acetate (NaAc) and renewable solvents including polyethylene glycol (PEG) 200 and glycerol. Furthermore, the obtained bio-oil with abundant hydroxyl groups could partially replace polyols derived from fossil energy to synthesize bio-based polyurethane foams (BPUFs) for oil adsorption. The results showed that the Na2CO3 catalyst exhibited better performance and yielded bio-oil with a higher heating value (HHV) of 26.26 MJ/kg, very low nitrogen content (0.14%) and metal ions, and a nearly neutral pH of 7.41, under the optimized conditions. Compared with conventional oil bath liquefaction, PEL can significantly improve the liquefaction efficiency, promote the transfer of metal ions in SS to the solid residue (SR), and facilitate the transfer of nitrogen to the gas phase and SR, thereby upgrading the bio-oil to a certain extent. The BPUFs showed excellent oil adsorption capacity, reusability, and desorption and can play an important role in combating oil spills. The PEL method may provide a green avenue for SS valorization and the comprehensive utilization of the obtained products.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli Cells in Aqueous Solution by Atmospheric-Pressure N2, He, Air, and O2 Microplasmas.

Atmospheric-pressure N2, He, air, and O2 microplasma arrays have been used to inactivate Escherichia coli cells suspended in aqueous solution. Measurements show that the efficiency of inactivation of E. coli cells is strongly dependent on the feed gases used, the plasma treatment time, and the discharge power. Compared to atmospheric-pressure N2 and He microplasma arrays, air and O2 microplasma arrays may be utilized to more efficiently kill E. coli cells in aqueous solution. The efficiencies of inactivation of E. coli cells in water can be well described by using the chemical reaction rate model, where reactive oxygen species play a crucial role in the inactivation process. Analysis indicates that plasma-generated reactive species can react with E. coli cells in water by direct or indirect interactions.

[The study of infrared absorption spectrum of diamond during growth by FTIR].

The diamond thin films were deposited on silicon substrates under invariable conditions of process pressure, substrate temperature negative direct-current (dc) bias of substrate and microwave power while the rations of methane (CH4) to hydrogen (H2) changing from 3% to 5% and 9% using electron-cyclotron-resonance microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique (ECRCVD). In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been used to study the plasma species absorbed on the substrate surfaces as well as the species above the substrates surfaces both before and during the nucleation and film growth. It is demonstrated that these techniques can provide useful information on the early stages of diamond growth. When correlated with film properties measured by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the results from FTIR indicate that the absorption of the graphitic and diamond phases are related to the ratio of CH4 to H2 and can be identified at the early stages of film growth.

The universality of lignocellulosic biomass liquefaction by plasma electrolysis under acidic conditions.

In this research, we compared the discharge characteristics and catalytic efficiency of sulfuric acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, and their respective sodium salts (sodium sulfate and sodium p-toluenesulfonate) in sawdust liquefaction and found that sulfuric acid was the optimal catalyst when glycerol was used as solvent during the plasma electrolytic liquefaction (PEL) process. When sodium p-toluenesulfonate was used as the only catalyst, the liquefaction yield reached 83.51% after 25 min. This yield was higher than that obtained using sodium sulfate as the catalyst (60.63%) because different concentrations of H ions were produced in PEL. Cellulose, lignin, and holocellulose were extracted from sawdust and successfully liquefied in PEL, illustrating the universality of PEL. The optical emission spectra of the different biomass during the PEL process were similar, indicating that the kinds of free radicals produced were similar, which can accelerate the liquefaction of sawdust.

Mechanism and optimization for plasma electrolytic liquefaction of sawdust.

In this work, plasma electrolytic technology was successfully employed to achieve fast liquefaction of sawdust when polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200) and glycerol were used as liquefacient in the presence of the catalyst sulfuric acid. Results showed that H ions could heat the solution effectively during the plasma electrolytic liquefaction (PEL) process. The influence of some key parameters including liquefaction time, catalyst percentage, liquefacient/sawdust mass ratio, and PEG 200/glycerol molar ratio on the liquefaction yield were investigated. Based on the results of single factor experiments, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the liquefaction process. Under the optimal conditions that is liquefaction time of 5.10min, catalyst percentage of 1.05%, liquefacient/sawdust mass ratio of 7.12/1 and PEG 200/glycerol molar ratio of 1.40/1, the liquefaction yield reached 99.48%. Hence, it could be concluded that PEL has good application potential for biomass fast liquefaction.

Effects of Atmospheric-Pressure N2, He, Air, and O2 Microplasmas on Mung Bean Seed Germination and Seedling Growth.

Atmospheric-pressure N2, He, air, and O2 microplasma arrays have been used to investigate the effects of plasma treatment on seed germination and seedling growth of mung bean in aqueous solution. Seed germination and growth of mung bean were found to strongly depend on the feed gases used to generate plasma and plasma treatment time. Compared to the treatment with atmospheric-pressure O2, N2 and He microplasma arrays, treatment with air microplasma arrays was shown to be more efficient in improving both the seed germination rate and seedling growth, the effect attributed to solution acidification and interactions with plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Acidic environment caused by air discharge in water may promote leathering of seed chaps, thus enhancing the germination rate of mung bean, and stimulating the growth of hypocotyl and radicle. The interactions between plasma-generated reactive species, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitrogen compounds, and seeds led to a significant acceleration of seed germination and an increase in seedling length of mung bean. Electrolyte leakage rate of mung bean seeds soaked in solution activated using air microplasma was the lowest, while the catalase activity of thus-treated mung bean seeds was the highest compared to other types of microplasma.

Fast liquefaction of bamboo shoot shell with liquid-phase microplasma assisted technology.

In this study, liquid-phase microplasma technology (LPMPT) was employed to facilitate the liquefaction of bamboo shoot shell (BSS) in polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) and ethylene glycol (EG) mixture. Effects of liquefaction conditions such as liquefaction time, catalyst percentage, solvent/BSS mass ratio, PEG/EG volume ratio on liquefaction were investigated experimentally. The results showed that the introduction of LPMPT significantly shortened the liquefaction time to 3min without extra heating. The liquefaction yield reached 96.73% under the optimal conditions. The formation of massive reactive species and instantaneous heat accumulation both contributed to the rapid liquefaction of BSS. Thus, LPMPT could be considered as a simple and efficient method for the assistance of biomass fast liquefaction.

Synergistic Effect of Atmospheric-pressure Plasma and TiO2 Photocatalysis on Inactivation of Escherichia coli Cells in Aqueous Media.

Atmospheric-pressure plasma and TiO2 photocatalysis have been widely investigated separately for the management and reduction of microorganisms in aqueous solutions. In this paper, the two methods were combined in order to achieve a more profound understanding of their interactions in disinfection of water contaminated by Escherichia coli. Under water discharges carried out by microplasma jet arrays can result in a rapid inactivation of E. coli cells. The inactivation efficiency is largely dependent on the feed gases used, the plasma treatment time, and the discharge power. Compared to atmospheric-pressure N2, He and air microplasma arrays, O2 microplasma had the highest activity against E. coli cells in aqueous solution, and showed >99.9% bacterial inactivation efficiency within 4 min. Addition of TiO2 photocatalytic film to the plasma discharge reactor significantly enhanced the inactivation efficiency of the O2 microplasma system, decreasing the time required to achieve 99.9% killing of E. coli cells to 1 min. This may be attributed to the enhancement of ROS generation due to high catalytic activity and stability of the TiO2 photocatalyst in the combined plasma-TiO2 systems. Present work demonstrated the synergistic effect of the two agents, which can be correlated in order to maximize treatment efficiency.

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from plasma-water interactions.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is usually considered to be an important reagent in green chemistry since water is the only by-product in H2O2 involved oxidation reactions. Early studies show that direct synthesis of H2O2 by plasma-water interactions is possible, while the factors affecting the H2O2 production in this method remain unclear. Herein, we present a study on the H2O2 synthesis by atmospheric pressure plasma-water interactions. The results indicate that the most important factors for the H2O2 production are the processes taking place at the plasma-water interface, including sputtering, electric field induced hydrated ion emission, and evaporation. The H2O2 production rate reaches ~1200 µmol/h when the liquid cathode is purified water or an aqueous solution of NaCl with an initial conductivity of 10500 µS cm-1.

Wave dispersion relations in two-dimensional Yukawa systems.

Collective modes in a two-dimensional Yukawa system are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation in a wide range of coupling parameter Gamma and screening strength kappa. The dispersion relations and sound speeds of the transverse and longitudinal waves obtained for hexagonal lattice are in agreement with the theoretical results. The negative dispersion of the longitudinal wave is demonstrated. Frequency gaps are found on the dispersion curves of the transverse wave due to scattering of the waves on lattice defects for proper values of Gamma. The common frequency of transverse and longitudinal waves drops dramatically with the increasing screening strength kappa.

Organic nanocones fabricated by atmospheric plasma polymerization for immobilizing bioprobes.

Inspired by the formation process of natural thundershowers, we fabricated an organic nanocone matrix-like bamboo-shoot by using atmospheric plasma polymerization in the absence of any catalyst or template. The discharging characteristics affected the nanocone shape and distribution in an obvious way. The nanocones prepared by helium (He) plasma were about 120 nm in diameter and 80 nm high. The nanostructured surface acted as an adhesion layer immobilizing DNA probes for DNA hybridization assay. The density of NH(2)-DNA probes prepared by He, argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N(2)) plasma was confirmed by the dyed oligonucleotide and was found to be 3.2, 1.0 and 0.6 pM cm(-2), respectively. Each nanocone prepared by helium plasma contains nearly 4 × 10(2) amine groups.