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Seed aging adversely affects agricultural productivity by reducing germination rates and seedling vigor, leading to significant costs for seed banks and companies due to the need for frequent seed renewals. This study demonstrated the use of plasma-activated water (PAW), generated by a solarpowered corona dielectric barrier discharger, to enhance germination rates of spinach seeds that had been stored at 4 °C for 23 years. Treating seeds with PAW at 17 kV for 15 min improved germination (by 135%) and seedling growth compared to untreated seeds. Through detailed analysis, beneficial PAW properties for seed development were identified, and a molecular mechanism for this rejuvenation is proposed. The solar-powered microreactor used in this study is considered to represent a significant advancement in seed treatment technology, offering a sustainable solution to meet growing food demands while addressing environmental and resource sustainability challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent inflammatory skin disease that is currently incurable. Plasma-treated solutions (PTS) (e.g., culture media, water, or normal saline, previously exposed to plasma) are being studied as novel therapy. Recently, PTS is gaining attention due to its advantages over non-thermal plasma (also known as cold atmospheric plasma). Thus, we explore the application of PTS in treating AD. In vivo experiments demonstrated that PTS significantly alleviated AD-like symptoms. It reduced mast cell and macrophage infiltration, decreased scratching times and serum IgE levels. These therapeutic effects of PTS on AD mice were associated with the activation of the antioxidant molecule Nrf2. In vitro experiments revealed that PTS could decrease ROS level and regulate cytokine expression (such as IL-6, IL-10, IL-13 and CCL17) in TNF-α/IFN-γ-stimulated keratinocytes and LPS-stimulated M1 macrophages. Additionally, PTS could upregulate the expression of antioxidant stress molecules such as Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1 and PPAR-γ in both cell types. Overall, PTS demonstrated potent therapeutic potential for AD without notable side effects. Our research provided a promising approach to AD treatment and may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy in other inflammatory skin diseases. [Display omitted] • PTS reduces AD symptoms and serum IgE levels effectively. • PTS lowers ROS and regulates cytokines in keratinocytes and macrophages. • PTS activates Nrf2 and PPAR-γ, boosting antioxidants. • PTS shows therapeutic potential in skin diseases without side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New approaches are required in the agricultural sector to keep pace with the ever-growing demand for food in the context of climate change and resource deterioration and avoiding further negative impact on the environment. Nonthermal plasma is an environmentally-friendly technology which could make a difference in future agricultural production. This review intends to introduce the topic of plasma agriculture to a broad audience by describing in detail various plasma sources with potential for agricultural applications, as well as the effects of plasma exposure of seeds, both at the macroscopic scale, and concerning the intimate mechanisms occurring inside the plant. Examples meant to illustrate the plasma effect on seeds and plants have been selected among extensively investigated species, such as cereals and legumes, as well as among a few species that are less often reported in literature, such as medicinal plants and woody plants. Generally, the main effects for all types of seeds consist in increased germination, higher plant yield, seed decontamination, and sometimes higher tolerance to various stress factors. These effects are due to the physical and chemical plasma interaction with seeds followed by the response of cell mechanisms, which are addressed in detail in the paper. Finally, a few crucial aspects regarding the practical application of nonthermal plasma in agriculture are discussed to illustrate the challenges and perspective of such treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the comparative analysis of untreated, optimized non-thermal plasma (NTP)–treated (38 kV/631 s), extreme NTP–treated (45 kV/900 s), and thermally treated (95 ℃/12 min) pineapple juice (PJ) on enzyme activity, microbial count, protein structure, particle size, bioactive substances and, sensory, rheological, and biochemical attributes. The PJ treated with optimized NTP demonstrated merits over extreme NTP–treated and thermally treated in terms of the retention of bromelain, bioactive components, and biochemical attributes. Moreover, the fuzzy logic evaluation showed that optimized NTP–treated juice had superior sensory characteristics than extremely NTP– and thermally treated juice. The NTP approach, like thermal treatment (95 ℃/12 min), extends shelf life by assuring microbiological safety (<1 log10 cfu/mL) and enzyme inactivation (>90%). However, the thermal treatment resulted in loss of bioactive, sensory, and biochemical attributes. Particle size distribution indicates that NTP significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the sauter mean and volume mean diameter from 1617 to 894 nm and 1688 to 917 nm, respectively, which stabilized juice after treatment. NTP treatment substantially reduced the consistency from 1.22 to 0.31 mPa.sn and showed a pseudo-plastic behavior of juice. These results collectively imply that NTP has a tremendous ability to maintain bioactive compounds, and sensory and physicochemical attributes, as well as extend the shelf life of PJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spurred by global COVID‐19, work in recent years has demonstrated that various devices based on technology generating cold plasma are capable of reducing the infectivity of virus particles. There is great potential in this approach, which is, however, hampered by the ability of most cold plasma science laboratories to test for antiviral effects of their individual plasma sources in sophisticated mammalian cell test systems. To this end, we developed a quick, simple, and fast assay system based on bacteriophages and their ability to lyse bacterial hosts, which can be monitored in readily available microplate readers. We successfully demonstrated the principal ability of this approach using two types of plasma jets, different microplate readers, and two different bacteriophage strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) catalysis is considered one of the most promising technologies to address a wide range of energy and environmental needs, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion, NH3 synthesis, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) removal. A systematic approach to optimizing NTP systems benefits from understanding VOCs' fundamental NTP destruction behavior and analyzing the correlations between molecular structures and conversion and selectivity. Herein, the mechanical performance of the toluene destruction in NTP is examined and compared with benzene bearing a similar molecular structure. Different experimental and theoretical techniques are applied, including synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry(SVUV-PIMS), thermochemistry, and quantum chemistry. Comparatively, toluene is more readily destroyed under the same NTP conditions than benzene. More intriguingly, the distribution of the decomposition species is significantly different. The theoretical calculations reveal that the abundant methyl radicals generated in toluene decomposition mainly lead to the various species distribution. These radicals promote some reactions, such as the decomposition of obenzoquinone, one of the key intermediates, thus leading to new reaction pathways and products different from benzene. Finally, the critical mechanistic steps of toluene decomposition under the present non-thermal plasma conditions are established, which include the interactions between toluene and electrons or reactive radicals, the cleavage of the aromatic ring, and the various reaction pathways involving of methyl radicals. This study presents an effective approach to elucidate the distinct fundamental reaction mechanisms arising from subtle structural differences, offering new insights into the underlying plasma chemistry crucial for advancing various promising environmental and energy applications of non-thermal plasma systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) are frequently utilized in various gas conversion processes. For industrial applications a low flow resistance and scalability are crucial. In this study a tenfold scaled‐up reactor based on a surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) was employed for the removal of oxygen traces from H2/N2/O2 gas mixtures. The conversion efficiency of the reactor with ten electrode configurations was investigated for different admixtures of O2, and high degrees of conversion were observed that decreased with increasing flow rate, but remained constant when raising the pressure to 2 bar(g). A new generator based on silicon carbide field‐effect transistors (SiC‐FETs) was used and compared to a generator based on classical metal oxide semiconductor field‐effect transistors (MOS‐FETs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization leads to a reduction in arable land area, which seriously endangers food security. Developing saline-alkali land has become a key measure to address the contradiction between population growth and limited arable land. Rice is the most important global food crop, feeding half of the world's population and making it a suitable choice for planting on saline-alkali lands. The traditional salt–alkali improvement method has several drawbacks. Currently, non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology is being increasingly applied in agriculture. However, there are few reports on the cultivation of salt/alkali-tolerant rice. Under alkaline stress, argon NTP treatment significantly increased the germination rate of Longdao 5 (LD5) rice seeds. In addition, at 15 kV and 120 s, NTP treatment significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and SOD. NTP treatment induced changes in genes related to salt-alkali stress in rice seedlings, such as chitinase and xylanase inhibitor proteins, which increased the tolerance of the seeds to salt-alkali stress. This experiment has expanded the application scope of NTP in agriculture, providing a more cost-effective, less harmful, and faster method for developing salt-alkali-tolerant rice and laying a theoretical foundation for cultivating NTP-enhanced salt-alkali-tolerant rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysprosium doped Ni0.50Co0.50DyxFe2−xO4 (x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75) was synthesized via auto combustion of nitrate citrate gel. The prepared composites were given microwave plasma treatment to improve their dielectric properties for constructing high-frequency devices. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the production of Dy-doped cubic spinel NiCo ferrites. The average crystallite size for the untreated magnetic composite was 32.10 nm, while for plasma-treated samples was 25.17 nm. A growth in lattice parameters and decreased porosity was observed in plasma-treated composites. VSM findings revealed a decrease in saturation magnetization from 54.15 to 36.75 emu/g with an increase in Dy3+ from 0.25 to 0.50%. Saturation magnetization again raised with increasing Dy3+ content from 0.50 to 0.75%. The lower Dy3+ concentration resulted in low saturation magnetization, while the high Dy3+ concentration showed high saturation magnetization of the composite. Temperature and frequency-dependent dielectric characteristics revealed bulbous enrichment in the dielectric constant and significant Q factor for plasma-treated samples. The perceived deviation in dielectric loss with frequency change is credited to the conduction phenomenon, which agrees with Koop's phenomenological theory. High dielectric constant and low dielectric loss, even at higher temperatures, enable the synthesized ferrites to be strong candidates for high-frequency devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH3) production is of global concern for today's food supply security and as future energy vector. Plasma technology can add to supply‐chain resilience of fertilizer production and improve the environmental profile using renewable energy; allowing distributed NH3 production. With the objective to provide process intensification of small‐capacity reactors for local supply, a novel micropyramid‐disk plasma reactor operated in micro‐arc mode was developed. NH3 was synthesized from N2, nitrogen, and H2, hydrogen over Ru/MCM‐41 catalyst at atmospheric pressure. The microplasma brings plasma and catalyst surface close together and intensifies the electric field. The arc plasma elevates temperature, 'nonthermal', releasing high‐energy free electrons, known to be effective in converting low‐reactive molecules. The study demonstrates that microplasma, with reduced electrode‐to‐electrode dimensions and a microstructured reaction environment, enhances the performance of the NH3 synthesis and opens novel process windows. This is detailed on the impact of feed ratio (N2/H2), applied voltage, frequency, electrode gap, and the flow distribution by which the gas is fed in. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was used to identify vibrationally and other excited species generated by the microplasma and confirms the catalyst is in symbiosis with the radicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study encompass the characterization of process parameters and the antimicrobial potential during operation of a novel non-thermal plasma (NTP) source in a duct system containing a particulate matter (PM) filter thus mimicking the interior of an air purifier. Simulating conditions of a long-term operation scenario, in which bacterial aerosols in indoor environments accumulate on PM filters, the filter surfaces were artificially inoculated with Escherichia coli (E. coli) and exposed to an air stream enriched with reactive species. Electrical power consumption, key plasma parameters, volume flow and air flow velocity, reactive gas species concentrations as well as inactivation rates of E. coli were assessed. The NTP operated at a gas temperature close to ambient air temperature and featured a mean electron energy of 9.4 eV and an electron density of 1∙1019 m−3. Ozone was found to be the dominating reactive gas species with concentrations of approx. 10 ppm in close vicinity to the PM filters. An inactivation rate of 99.96 % could be observed after exposure of the PM filters to the gas stream for 15 min. This inactivation efficiency appears very competitive in combating realistic bacterial aerosol concentrations in indoor environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this endeavor, three types of non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma (NTDBDP) systems are designed and built locally in custom configurations and investigate the properties of the produced plasma. The difference between these systems is the shape and configuration of the discharge electrode, which plays an essential role in defining the nature of the generated plasma. The first type is two circular plane copper discs, the second is two concentric circular rings of copper, and the third is two concentric cylindrical tubes. Quartz was used as a plate or tube as dielectric material. The optical emission spectroscopy (OES) method was used to analyze the produced plasma spectrum and calculate the various plasma properties (the temperature of electrons, the density of electrons, the frequency of electrons, the Debye length, and the Debye number) in different conditions of applied voltage for all designs. The generated non-thermal plasma was used to inactivate E.coli bacteria at different AC applied voltages (18, 20 and 22 kV) and plasma exposure durations (10, 15, and 20 min). The effect of nonthermal plasma was slight on the bacteria at low applied voltage and exposure time. In contrast, the impact positively of the high voltage and treatment time values on the bacteria. The plasma effect appeared effective at these voltages due to the homogeneously and high intensity of produced plasma and high temperature of plasma electrons. Thus, the effect is more effective on bacteria. The re-cultivation of the treated bacteria demonstrated this, as the spread was very little. All operating scenarios had an electron temperature of around 4. 27-5.2eV, while the electron density was (1. 035-3.6) × 1018 cm-3. The results demonstrated the distinct effect of electrode configurations on the properties of the produced plasma due to a change in the electric field's distribution in the discharge region, which allowed it to be used in E. coli bacteria inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialized chemicals are used for intensifying food production, including boosting meat and crop yields. Among the applied formulations, antibiotics and pesticides pose a severe threat to the natural balance of the ecosystem, as they either contribute to the development of multidrug resistance among pathogens or exhibit ecotoxic and mutagenic actions of a persistent character. Recently, cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPPs) have emerged as promising technologies for degradation of these organic pollutants. CAPP-based technologies show eco-friendliness and potency for the removal of organic pollutants of diverse chemical formulas and different modes of action. For this reason, various types of CAPP-based systems are presented in this review and assessed in terms of their constructions, types of discharges, operating parameters, and efficiencies in the degradation of antibiotics and persistent organic pollutants. Additionally, the key role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is highlighted. Moreover, optimization of the CAPP operating parameters seems crucial to effectively remove contaminants. Finally, the CAPP-related paths and technologies are further considered in terms of biological and environmental effects associated with the treatments, including changes in antibacterial properties and toxicity of the exposed solutions, as well as the potential of the CAPP-based strategies for limiting the spread of multidrug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-phase gliding arc discharge reactors are devices in which it is difficult to maintain stable plasma parameters, be it electrically, physically, or chemically. The main cause of plasma instability is the source, which is freely burning arcs in a three-phase system. In addition, these arcs burn at low currents and are intensively cooled, further increasing their instability. These instabilities translate into the electrical characteristics of the plasma reactor. The analysis for the four gases nitrogen, argon, helium, and air shows that the type of plasma-generating gas and its physical parameters have a strong influence on the operational characteristics of the plasma reactor. Current–voltage, power and frequency characteristics of the plasma reactor were plotted experimentally. Characteristics obtained in this way make it possible to determine the areas of effective operation of the plasma reactor, and to estimate the quality of the generated plasma. Based on the characteristics obtained, a method of controlling the plasma parameters can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, MOF-74 catalysts with various Co/Ni ratios obtained by hydrothermal method were prepared, and the degradation performance of various catalysts with synergistic non-thermal plasma for toluene was investigated. The addition of catalysts to NTP shown notable effects in toluene degradation and energy usage efficiency when compared to NTP alone. Notably, CoxNiy-MOF outperformed Co-MOF and Ni-MOF in terms of toluene catalytic activity. In comparison to the single plasma condition, Co2Ni3-MOF showed the maximum toluene degradation rate of 78% at the NTP discharge power of 11.66 W. SEM, BET, XRD, XPS, and FTIR were used to examine the impact of various Co/Ni ratios on the structure and redox characteristics of the samples. The interaction of Co and Ni results in many flaws and oxygen vacancies, increasing the amount of oxygen adsorbed on the surface and the reducibility of the catalyst, which is thought to be the cause of the rise in catalytic activity. Finally, based on the discovered organic compounds, the process of toluene breakdown in the plasma co-catalytic system was deduced. This work provides a novel concept for improving catalysts for the non-thermal plasma-catalyzed decomposition of toluene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional ammonia production process using the Haber-Bosch (H-B) method is highly efficient but necessitates severe reaction conditions with a large energy consumption. Meanwhile, a significant CO 2 emission are generated due to the acquisition of H 2. This study proposed a system combined the non-thermal plasma and fluidized catalysts with the water vapor as the green feedstock for high-efficiency ammonia synthesis. Results reveal that bimetallic Co-Ni supported catalysts on the MgO carrier exhibit notably higher NH 3 formation rates than single-component metal-supported catalysts and no catalysts. The highest NH 3 formation rate, achieved with a 4 wt% catalysts loading, reached 12.07 μmol g−1h−1 (specific energy input of 2.15 kJ L−1, energy efficiency of 6.57 mg kW−1h−1). A synergistic effect between the fluidized catalysts and the plasma was observed. It greatly improves ammonia yield and provides a new platform for sustainable ammonia synthesis. [Display omitted] • A plasma-coupled fluidized catalysts for ammonia synthesis is proposed. • The synergistic effect of DBD plasma and fluidized catalysts is explored in depth. • The green ammonia synthesis process is based on N 2 and H 2 O as feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma-catalytic synthesis of ammonia has the potential to store hydrogen on a decentralized scale under mild conditions by consuming the distributed renewable energy power. Suitable catalyst supports can promote plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis (PCAS). The impact of the support (Al 2 O 3 , Si-MCM-41 and SiO 2) on the performance of the Ni catalysts for PCAS was investigated under ambient pressure without heating under various N 2 :H 2 ratios, discharge powers, and flow rates. Results indicated that Ni/Al 2 O 3 (Ni–Al) had an energy yield of 0.47 g NH 3 /kWh at an NH 3 concentration of 13,670 ppm or 1.15 g NH 3 /kWh at an NH 3 concentration of 3086 ppm and Ni/Si-MCM-41 (Ni-SiM) had a highest ammonia production rate of 6311 μmol/(g cat ·h) with the NH 3 concentration and energy yield closed to those of Ni–Al. The performances of the Ni–Al and Ni-SiM catalysts were maintained for at least 50 h, and the structures of the catalysts undergoing the 50-h reaction did not change significantly. The role of the support was revealed via several characterizations, suggesting that the number of weak acid sites, Ni dispersion, and Ni-support interactions of the catalysts, which are vital for PCAS, can be affected by the type and structure of the support. In situ and ex situ spectral measurements for some important species in PCAS were performed to test the hypothesis that the reaction takes place over the catalyst and in the gas phase. According to the in-situ DRIFTS in the N 2 –H 2 plasma, ex-situ N 1s XPS, and NH 3 -TPD, it was speculated that the generated NH 3 absorbed on the weak acid site could desorb in a timely manner to accelerate the regeneration of the active sites of the catalyst in the N 2 –H 2 plasma, which resulted in a higher ammonia concentration for PCAS. • Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis using Ni catalysts provides a novel idea on hydrogen storage using renewable energy. •The type and structure of the support affect the performance of the catalysts for plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis. •In situ and ex situ spectral measurements of some important species for plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis were performed. •The performance of the Ni/Al 2 O 3 and Ni/Si-MCM-41 catalysts were maintained for at least 50 h.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of an ambient air plasma with a water surface in a pin–water electrode configuration is presented in a polydiagnostic study. A discharge was generated by applying different high-voltage (HV) waveforms to a metallic pin electrode, positioned 2 mm above the water surface of a Petri dish filled with demineralized water. For pulsed discharge operation, a clear distinction is observed between a dielectric barrier discharge regime featuring a transient discharge at the rising as well as at the falling slope of the HV pulse, while a steady discharge is present in the gap during the complete HV pulse for the electrolysis regime. The occurrence of those two regimes is coupled to the increasing conductivity of the water over time, which additionally results in a quick rise of the dissipated discharge power and an increase of the gas temperature. The AC driven discharges exhibit only the electrolysis regime and do not significantly evolve over the treatment time. The resulting water conductivity was found to be a function of the total dissipated energy, irrespective of the discharge driving mode. Additionally, the resulting water conductivity shows a strong correlation with the total transferred charge in the gas phase. The total dissipated energy can potentially be used as a global measure to compare different experiments involving plasma–water interaction across different setups in different research groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive species are involved in various aspects of neoplastic diseases, including carcinogenesis, cancer-specific metabolism and therapeutics. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) can directly provide reactive species, by integrating atmospheric and interjacent molecules as substrates, to represent a handy strategy to load oxidative stress in situ. NTP causes apoptosis and/or ferroptosis specifically in cancer cells of various types. Plasma-activated Ringer's lactate (PAL) is another modality at the preclinical stage as cancer therapeutics, based on more stable reactive species. PAL specifically kills malignant mesothelioma (MM) cells, employing lysosomal ·NO as a switch from autophagy to ferroptosis. However, the entire molecular mechanisms have not been elucidated yet. Here we studied cytosolic iron regulations in MM and other cancer cells in response to PAL exposure. We discovered that cells with higher catalytic Fe(II) are more susceptible to PAL-induced ferroptosis. PAL caused a cytosolic catalytic Fe(II)-associated pathology through iron chaperones, poly (rC)-binding proteins (PCBP)1/2, inducing a disturbance in glutathione-regulated iron homeostasis. PCBP1/NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy started at a later phase, further increasing cytosolic catalytic Fe(II), ending in ferroptosis. In contrast, PCBP2 after PAL exposure contributed to iron loading to mitochondria, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Therapeutic effect of PAL was successfully applied to an orthotopic MM xenograft model in mice. In conclusion, PAL can selectively sensitize MM cells to ferroptosis by remodeling cytoplasmic iron homeostasis, where glutathione and PCBPs play distinct roles, resulting in lethal ferritinophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction. Our findings indicate the clinical application of PAL as a ferroptosis-inducer and the potential of PCBPs as novel targets in cancer therapeutics. [Display omitted] • Cells with higher catalytic Fe(II) are more susceptible to PAL. • GSH coordinates with elevated cytosolic Fe(II) as catalytic part of labile iron pool. • PAL caused a cytosolic catalytic Fe(II)-associated pathology through iron chaperones. • PCBP2 carried excess cytosolic catalytic Fe(II) to mitochondria, causing ferroptosis. • Effect of PAL was demonstrated in an orthotopic MM xenograft model of mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NTP), an ionized gas containing electrons, ions, radicals, and photons, has various biological effects, including wound healing and anticancer effects. Plasma-activated medium (PAM), which is prepared by irradiating medium with NTP, preferentially kills cancer cells. Large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) included in PAM are closely related to its anticancer effects. The precise mechanism of PAM-induced cytotoxicity is not fully understood; however, PAM exposure has been reported to reduce cellular energy metabolism. Glutamine (Gln) is an important amino acid as an energy source in cancer cells. Gln is converted to glutamate by glutaminase (GLS), and is utilized to synthesize ATP and glutathione (GSH). Expression levels of GLS have been shown to be higher in certain types of cancers. In this study, we examined the effects of GLS inhibition on PAM cytotoxicity using breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. Pretreatment with BPTES, a glutaminase 1 (GLS1) inhibitor, dose-dependently enhanced PAM-induced cell death. PAM-induced ROS production and γ-H2AX formation, a DNA damage marker, were increased in cells pretreated with BPTES compared with PAM alone. BPTES pretreatment enhanced a PAM-induced decrease in intracellular GSH, indicating the possibility that BPTES reduces the antioxidant capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, BPTES pretreatment enhanced PAM-induced loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential and reduction of ATP production. Moreover, GLS1 knockdown promoted PAM-induced cell death. Taken together, the combination of GLS1 inhibitors such as BPTES is considered to be useful for enhancing the cytotoxic effects of PAM against cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Though (1S, 3R)-RSL3 has been used widely in basic research as a small molecular inducer of ferroptosis, the toxicity on normal cells and poor pharmacokinetic properties of RSL3 limited its clinical application. Here, we investigated the synergism of non-thermal plasma (NTP) and low-concentration RSL3 and attempted to rise the sensitivity of NSCLC cells on RSL3. Methods: CCK-8 assay was employed to detect the change of cell viability. Microscopy and flowcytometry were applied to identify lipid peroxidation, cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level respectively. The molecular mechanism was inspected with western blot and RT-qPCR. A xenograft mice model was adopted to investigate the effect of NTP and RSL3. Results: We found the synergism of NTP and low-concentration RSL3 triggered severe mitochondria damage, more cell death and rapid ferroptosis occurrence in vitro and in vivo. NTP and RSL3 synergistically induced xCT lysosomal degradation through ROS/AMPK/mTOR signaling. Furthermore, we revealed mitochondrial ROS was the main executor for ferroptosis induced by the combined treatment. Conclusion: Our research shows NTP treatment promoted the toxic effect of RSL3 by inducing more ferroptosis rapidly and provided possibility of RSL3 clinical application. DeK3en8zu4Ed_UHNNMi2cX Video Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma gasification stands as an effective technique for sludge treatment. This study focuses on investigating the characteristics of plasma sludge gasification using a plate barrier discharge reaction and examines both the sludge itself and its model compounds, glucose and leucine. A thorough analysis of voltage effects was conducted, and kinetic parameters for H 2 , CH 4, and CO production were calculated. The findings revealed that increasing voltage led to higher concentrations of reaction products, with H 2 being the predominate gas produced. Notably, glucose in the sludge contributed to CO 2 production during the gasification reaction, while leucine played a vital role in enhancing H 2 production. FTIR results showed that the initial step of the reaction primarily involved macromolecular ring-opening, followed by the secondary fracture of organic components, such as aromatic rings. Remarkably, the activation energy for sludge gasification under plasma was significantly lower (17.1 kJ/mol) compared to pyrolysis (above 70 kJ/mol). • The gasification process of sludge was studied. • As The voltage increases, the efficiency of sludge gasification increases. • The reaction activation energy of sludge under plasma is generally lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables, the tendency is to benefit from ultra-sour natural gas reserves, whose monetization was previously considered unviable. The increasing H2S content together with the growing concern about emissions that are harmful to the environment, make necessary the development of efficient strategies for pollutants management. Although large-scale H2S conversion is well-established through the Claus process, novel technologies for H2S valorization could be a reliable alternative for waste-to-valuable chemicals, following the circular economy. In this perspective, technologies such as Hydrogen Sulfide Methane Reformation (H2SMR), non-thermal plasma, photocatalytic decomposition, decomposition through cycles and electrolysis are analyzed for the H2 production from H2S. They represent promising alternatives for the simultaneous H2S valorization and H2 production, without direct CO2 emissions, as opposite to the traditional methane steam reforming. The various H2S conversion routes to H2 are examined, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each of them. This review focuses in particular on the most promising technologies, the H2SMR and the non-thermal plasma, for which preliminary process scheme and techno-economic analysis are also reported. Finally, the major research gaps and future developments necessary to unlock the full potential of hydrogen sulfide valorization as a sustainable pathway for hydrogen production are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents the wave propagation analysis due to the interaction between electromagnetic waves and a finite-width slit embedded in an anisotropic medium. The separated field results are obtained in the case of Neumann boundary conditions while employing Fourier transform and Wiener–Hopf analysis. The numerical findings using the rectangular and polar plots of the far-field are presented to investigate the impacts of various physical parameters and characteristics of the anisotropic medium. The results provide significant insights, including the amplification of oscillations with changes in wave number and slit width, the reduction of wave dispersion in anisotropic media, and the observation of an extended wavelength with an expanding electron charge density in the separated field. Notably, nullity occurs at observation angles of 0 and ?, offering valuable directions for future research. These findings enhance comprehension of electromagnetic wave diffraction in anisotropic media, with implications for optics and telecommunications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions are a factor in a number of environmental issues. To reduce the associated negative consequences, it is crucial to develop efficient VOCs removal systems. Non‐thermal plasma (NTP) co‐catalytic technology has become a popular research topic in this field as a result of its ability to reduce the activation energy of the reaction while simultaneously improving product selectivity. Despite the huge number of studies synthesising the use of metals and their oxide catalysts in the degradation of VOCs, metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF derivatives are the subject of comparatively few studies in this area. This paper reviews the basic principles and technological progress of NTP co‐catalytic VOCs degradation, with a focus on the use of MOFs and their derivatives in plasma VOCs degradation, as well as the use of other non‐metallic carbon materials in plasma VOCs degradation. It highlights the potential future development direction of NTP catalytic synergistic treatment of VOCs by focusing on the optimization of catalytic synergism on the treatment impact. In the end, the challenges faced, the prospects, and our personal perspective on future research directions are also estimated and elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-thermal plasma (NTP) therapy in accelerating wound healing in patients who have undergone laparoscopic and open surgeries. (2) Methods: NTP was applied using a needle-type reactor with an irradiance of 0.5 W/cm2 on the surgical wounds of fifty patients after obtaining informed consent. Three NTP treatments, each lasting three minutes, were administered hourly. (3) Results: The pilot study showed that NTP-treated surgical wounds healed completely without any signs of infection, dehiscence, pain, or itching. Notably, patients reported minimal pain after the NTP treatment. Visual assessments conducted twenty-four hours after surgery revealed no redness or fluid discharge. Comparisons with traditionally sutured wounds indicated that NTP-treated wounds healed at a rate equivalent to seven days. (4) Conclusions: The application of NTP in laparoscopic and open wounds proved safe and effective, expediting the wound healing process and eliminating clinical risks post-surgery. Significantly, NTP facilitated a healing rate within twenty-four hours, equivalent to seven days for suture-treated wounds, significantly reducing the hospitalization time to a single day. These findings highlight the potential of NTP to be a transformative approach for promoting postoperative recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility to stimulate the production of some nutraceutical properties of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) sprouts by non-thermal plasma (NTP) processing of the seeds in different conditions was studied. The non-thermal plasma used in this work was a surface dielectric barrier discharge. Two types of processing were performed: direct NTP treatment and NTP with a cover treatment, to simulate the processing of packaged seeds. For all treatments, the effect of pre-soaking of the seeds was studied as well. The analyses of the seeds after processing indicated an increase of the hydrophilicity of their surface for NTP direct treatment as resulted from the water contact angle measurements, which could be due to the strong etching evidenced by scanning electron microscopy imaging. A significant (p < 0.05) increase of the seedling growth, by up to 50%, was found especially for the pre-soaked seeds. These results were correlated with the increase of chlorophyll pigments concentrations, with higher concentrations in the case of NTP direct treatment than for the NTP with cover treatments. Direct NTP treatment for 30 s of dry seeds led to the highest increase of the flavonoid concentration of about three times compared to that obtained for untreated seeds. For the polyphenols and antioxidant activity, NTP with cover treatments proved to be better, with a significant increase, especially for 90 s treatment of the pre-soaked seeds. All the results indicate the possibility of tuning the nutraceutical properties of fenugreek sprouts by NTP treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of microfluidic devices in the field of plasma-liquid interaction can unlock unique possibilities to investigate the effects of plasma-generated reactive species for environmental and biomedical applications. So far, very little simulation work has been performed on microfluidic devices in contact with a plasma source. We report on the modelling and computational simulation of physical and chemical processes taking place in a novel plasma-microfluidic platform. The main production and transport pathways of reactive species both in plasma and liquid are modelled by a novel modelling approach that combines 0D chemical kinetics and 2D transport mechanisms. This combined approach, applicable to systems where the transport of chemical species occurs in unidirectional flows at high Péclet numbers, decreases calculation times considerably compared to regular 2D simulations. It takes advantage of the low computational time of the 0D reaction models while providing spatial information through multiple plug-flow simulations to yield a quasi-2D model. The gas and liquid flow profiles are simulated entirely in 2D, together with the chemical reactions and transport of key chemical species. The model correctly predicts increased transport of hydrogen peroxide into the liquid when the microfluidic opening is placed inside the plasma effluent region, as opposed to inside the plasma region itself. Furthermore, the modelled hydrogen peroxide production and transport in the microfluidic liquid differs by less than 50% compared with experimental results. To explain this discrepancy, the limits of the 0D–2D combined approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolite-based materials are widely used as adsorbents and catalysts for purifying air pollutants like NOx and VOCs due to abundant pore structure, regular pore distribution, and numerous ion exchange sites. Thermal treatment is a necessary procedure for both removing impurities in pores and promoting the metal active dispersed evenly before the zeolite-based adsorbents/catalysts were applied for purifying the NOx/VOCs. Nevertheless, the conventional thermal field treatment (i.e., high-temperature calcination, high-temperature purging, etc.) takes large energy consumption. In contrast, unconventional external-field treatments such as non-thermal plasma and microwave show significant advantages of high efficiency, low energy consumption as well and low pollution, which were used to substitute the traditional thermal treatment in many fields. In this paper, the roles of non-thermal plasma or microwave in the adsorption/catalysis of the NOx/VOCs are reviewed from three aspects assisting activation of materials, cooperative catalysis process, and assisting zeolites synthesis. The reasons for unconventional treatments in improving textural properties, active sites, performance, etc. of zeolite-based materials were illuminated in detail. Moreover, the influences of various parameters (i.e., power, time, temperature, etc.) on the above aspects are elaborated. It is hoped that this review could provide some advanced guidance for the researchers to develop highly efficient materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides have been an integral part of modern agriculture as their use ensures good harvests. However, excessive use of pesticides in the last few decades has caused significant environmental degradation. Moreover, excessive use of pesticides causes stress on crops and non-target plants and exhibits toxicity to other organisms including mammals, microbes, and insects. Plants employ various morphological, physiological, and biochemical mechanisms to reduce pesticides toxicity. One such mechanism is production of secondary metabolites that improves stress tolerance of plants. In addition, recent studies have also highlighted a potential role of plasma technology in mitigating various abiotic and biotic environmental stresses. Besides, plasma treatment improves seed germination, physiological processes, and seedling establishment during the early growth stages of a plant under adverse and non-adverse conditions and thus can be used an alternate to the pesticide treatment. This review article summarizes recent advancements in understanding the synthesis, accumulation, and transportation of secondary metabolites which have significant relevance to crop improvement programs. We also present an overview of the effects of plasma treatment on phytopathogenic bacterial cell suspensions and plant responses to metabolic activity. In the future, researchers need to develop innovative ideas to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in farming practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) supported Rh, Fe, and Rh-Fe catalysts were prepared by impregnation, and the synergy effects between the catalyst and NTP (non-thermal plasma) on N2O catalytic decomposition were also investigated. CO2-TPD results show that HAP synthesized at high pH have a greater number of surface alkaline sites and promoted the adsorption of N2O. RhFe/HAP-11 catalyst exhibited 95.9% activity for the direct catalytic decomposition of N2O at 350 °C. Combining NTP with the RhFe/HAP-11 catalyst can significantly enhance the catalytic decomposition of N2O and greatly reduce the reaction temperature. The one-stage combination method enables the radicals generated by the plasma to participate in the reaction immediately on the catalyst surface, so it is more conducive to the N2O catalytic decomposition in the range of 150–200 °C. When NTP is applied, N2O conversion on RhFe/HAP-11 at 200 °C increases a lot from 7.1 to 90.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold plasma is gaining increasing attention as a novel tool to activate energy demanding chemical processes, including advanced reduction/oxidation processes (AROPs) of organic pollutants in water. The very complex milieu generated by discharges at the water/plasma interface comprises photons, strong oxidants and strong reductants which can be exploited for achieving the degradation of most any kind of pollutants. Despite the complexity of these systems, the powerful arsenal of mechanistic tools and chemical probes of physical organic chemists can be usefully applied to understand and develop plasma chemistry. Specifically, the added value of air plasma generated by in situ discharge with respect to ozonation (ex situ discharge) is demonstrated using phenol and various phenol derivatives and mechanistic evidence for the prevailing role of hydroxyl radicals in the initial attack is presented. On the reduction front, the impressive performance of cold plasma in inducing the degradation of recalcitrant perfluoroalkyl substances, which do not react with OH radicals but are attacked by electrons, is reported and discussed. The widely different reactivities of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and of perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) underline the crucial role played in these processes by the interface between plasma and solution and the surfactant properties of the treated pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs), known as cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs), hold great potential for diverse medical applications, including dentistry. However, traditional linear and rigid dielectric barrier discharge reactors used for NTP generation encounter limitations in accessing oral cavities and root canals. To address this issue, we have developed an innovative NTP reactor featuring an angled end for improved accessibility. The central copper electrode, with a 0.59 mm diameter and adjustable length for desired angulation, is coated with zircon powder (ZrSiO4) to ensure stable NTP generation. This central electrode is housed within a stainless steel tube (3 mm internal diameter, 8 mm external diameter, and 100 mm length) with a 27° angle at one end, making it ergonomically suitable for oral applications. NTP generation involves polarizing the reactor electrodes with 13.56 MHz radio frequency signals, using helium gas as a working medium. We introduce plasma-treated water (PTW) as an adjunctive therapy to enhance biofilm eradication within root canals. A synergistic approach combining NTP and PTW is employed and compared to the gold standard (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl), effectively neutralizing Enterococcus faecalis bacteria, even in scenarios involving biofilms. Moreover, applying NTP in both gaseous and liquid environments successfully achieves bacterial inactivation at varying treatment durations, demonstrating the device's suitability for medical use in treating root canal biofilms. The proposed NTP reactor, characterized by its innovative design, offers a practical and specific approach to plasma treatment in dental applications. It holds promise in combatting bacterial infections in root canals and oral cavities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-invasive physical plasma (NIPP), an electrically conductive gas, is playing an increasingly important role in medicine due to its antimicrobial and regenerative properties. However, NIPP is not yet well established in dentistry, although it has promising potential, especially for periodontological applications. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of NIPP on a commercially available human gingival fibroblast (HGF) cell line and primary HGFs in the presence of periodontitis-associated bacteria. First, primary HGFs from eight patients were characterised by immunofluorescence, and cell numbers were examined by an automatic cell counter over 5 days. Then, HGFs that were preincubated with Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n.) were treated with NIPP. Afterwards, the IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the cell supernatants were determined by ELISA. In HGFs, F.n. caused a significant increase in IL-6 and IL-8, and this F.n.-induced upregulation of both cytokines was counteracted by NIPP, suggesting a beneficial effect of physical plasma on periodontal cells in a microbial environment. The application of NIPP in periodontal therapy could therefore represent a novel and promising strategy and deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased detection of chloroform in wastewater and surface water bodies has become an environmental concern. However, conventional treatment methods such as biodegradation, incineration, and photocatalysis are challenging to scale up, inducing high operation costs and generating toxic byproducts. Hence, this study employs the Response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize chloroform degradation using a spray dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor for the first time. The independent and interactive influence of the DBD parameters (power: 100–200 W, treatment time: 5–20 minutes, recirculating flow rate: 50–200 mL/M) and responses (chloroform degradation ratio (R), total organic carbon removal ratio (TOC)) were optimized using the Rotatable central composite design (RCCD), and a second-order polynomial equation was proposed to predict process efficiency. Results showed significantly predicted values (p < 0.05) and coefficient of determination of 0.96, and 0.93 for TOC and R, respectively, with treatment time and power having significant independent and interactive effects on the responses (TOC: p < 0.0001, R: p < 0.0001) concerning the variance analysis. Accordingly, the model yielded optimum recirculating flow rate, discharge power, and treatment time of 50 mL/min, 200 W, and 20 mins, respectively, which amounted to complete dechlorination of 300 mg/L chloroform, a 43% TOC removal ratio and an energy yield of 4.6 g/kW·h. In addition, the TOC removal ratio was enhanced with the increase in pH and conductivity of the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is an ionized gas composed of neutral and charged reactive species, electric fields, and ultraviolet radiation. NTP presents a relatively low discharge temperature because it is characterized by the fact that the temperature values of ions and neutral particles are much lower than that of electrons. Reactive species (atoms, radicals, ions, electrons) are produced in NTP and delivered to biological objects induce a set of biochemical processes in cells or tissues. NTP can mediate reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in an intensity- and time-dependent manner. ROS homeostasis plays an important role in animal health. Relatively low or physiological levels of ROS mediated by NTP promote cell proliferation and differentiation, while high or excessive levels of ROS mediated by NTP cause oxidative stress damage and even cell death. NTP treatment under appropriate conditions not only produces moderate levels of exogenous ROS directly and stimulates intracellular ROS generation, but also can regulate intracellular ROS levels indirectly, which affect the redox state in different cells and tissues of animals. However, the treatment condition of NTP need to be optimized and the potential mechanism of NTP-mediated ROS in different biological targets is still unclear. Over the past ten decades, interest in the application of NTP technology in biology and medical sciences has been rapidly growing. There is significant optimism that NTP can be developed for a wide range of applications such as wound healing, oral treatment, cancer therapy, and biomedical materials because of its safety, non-toxicity, and high efficiency. Moreover, the combined application of NTP with other methods is currently a hot research topic because of more effective effects on sterilization and anti-cancer abilities. Interestingly, NTP technology has presented great application potential in the animal husbandry field in recent years. However, the wide applications of NTP are related to different and complicated mechanisms, and whether NTP-mediated ROS play a critical role in its application need to be clarified. Therefore, this review mainly summarizes the effects of ROS on animal health, the mechanisms of NTP-mediated ROS levels through antioxidant clearance and ROS generation, and the potential applications of NTP-mediated ROS in animal growth and breeding, animal health, animal-derived food safety, and biomedical fields including would healing, oral treatment, cancer therapy, and biomaterials. This will provide a theoretical basis for promoting the healthy development of animal husbandry and the prevention and treatment of diseases in both animals and human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-resorbable dental barrier membranes entail the risk of dehiscence due to their smooth and functionally inert surfaces. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment has been shown to increase the hydrophilicity of a biomaterials and could thereby enhance cellular adhesion. This study aimed to elucidate the role of allyl alcohol NTP treatment of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) in its cellular adhesion. The materials (non-treated PTFE membranes (NTMem) and NTP-treated PTFE membranes (PTMem)) were subjected to characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). Cells were seeded upon the different membranes, and cellular adhesion was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using fluorescence labeling and a hemocytometer, respectively. PTMem exhibited higher surface energies and the incorporation of reactive functional groups. NTP altered the surface topography and chemistry of PTFE membranes, as seen through SEM, XPS and ESCA, with partial defluorination and polymer chain breakage. Fluorescence labeling indicated significantly higher cell populations on PTMem relative to its untreated counterparts (NTMem). The results of this study support the potential applicability of allyl alcohol NTP treatment for polymeric biomaterials such as PTFE—to increase cellular adhesion for use as dental barrier membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical-induced hemostasis is a critical step in the closure of incisions, which is frequently achieved via electrocauterization and subsequent tissue necrotization. The latter is associated with postoperative complications. Recent in vivo work suggested reactive species-producing gas plasma technology as a pro-homeostatic agent acting via platelet activation. However, it remained elusive how platelet activation is linked to lipid and protein oxidation and the reactive species compositions. A direct relation between the reactive species composition and platelet activation was revealed by assessing the production of several reactive species and by using antioxidants. In addition, platelet lipidome and proteome analysis identified significantly regulated key lipids in the platelet activation pathway, such as diacylglycerols and phosphatidylinositol as well as oxylipins like thromboxanes. Lipid oxidation products mainly derived from phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine species were observed at modest levels. In addition, oxidative post-translational modifications were identified on key proteins of the hemostasis machinery. This study provides new insights into oxidation-induced platelet activation in general and suggests a potential role of those processes in gas plasma-mediated hemostasis in particular. [Display omitted] • Direct relation of gas plasma-derived reactive species and human platelet activation found. • Lipidomics and proteomics revealed key lipids and proteins regulated in gas plasma-activated platelets. • Lipid oxidation products and oxidative post-translational modifications identified via high-resolution mass spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid hydrogen carriers will soon play a significant role in transporting energy. The key factors that are considered when assessing the applicability of ammonia cracking in large-scale projects are as follows: high energy density, easy storage and distribution, the simplicity of the overall process, and a low or zero-carbon footprint. Thermal systems used for recovering H2 from ammonia require a reaction unit and catalyst that operates at a high temperature (550–800 °C) for the complete conversion of ammonia, which has a negative effect on the economics of the process. A non-thermal plasma (NTP) solution is the answer to this problem. Ammonia becomes a reliable hydrogen carrier and, in combination with NTP, offers the high conversion of the dehydrogenation process at a relatively low temperature so that zero-carbon pure hydrogen can be transported over long distances. This paper provides a critical overview of ammonia decomposition systems that focus on non-thermal methods, especially under plasma conditions. The review shows that the process has various positive aspects and is an innovative process that has only been reported to a limited extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) application in medicine is a dynamically developing interdisciplinary field. Despite the fact that basics of the plasma phenomenon have been known since the 19th century, growing scientific attention has been paid in recent years to the use of plasma in medicine. Three most important plasma-based effects are pivotal for medical applications: (i) inactivation of a broad spectrum of microorganisms, (ii) stimulation of cell proliferation and angiogenesis with lower plasma treatment intensity, and (iii) inactivation of cells by initialization of cell death with higher plasma intensity. In this review, we explain the underlying chemical processes and reactive species involvement during NTP in human (or animal) tissues, as well as in bacteria inactivation, which leads to sterilization and indirectly supports wound healing. In addition, plasma-mediated modifications of medical surfaces, such as surgical instruments or implants, are described. This review focuses on the existing knowledge on NTP-based in vitro and in vivo studies and highlights potential opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic methods. A full understanding of the NTP mechanisms of action is urgently needed for the further development of modern plasma-based medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the influence mechanism of O2/H2O/CO2 on the removal of CH4 and NOx by non-thermal plasma (NTP) combined with selective catalytic reduction of NOx by CH4 (NTP-CH4-SCR) was investigated. The results show that the increase of NTP energy density (0 J/L-491 J/L) promoted the CH4 removal but inhibited the NOx removal in NTP-CH4-SCR. In CH4-SCR, H2O could significantly reduce catalyst activity; adding 0.5% H2O decreased the removal efficiency of CH4 and NOx from 30 to 2.9% and 58.4 to 1.8%, respectively. In NTP-CH4-SCR, the increase of H2O content (0.5–10.4%) contributed to formation of oxidizing free radicals such as OH and HO2; thus, the CH4 removal efficiency increased from 24.1 to 37.4%. The increase of O2 content (0–10%) promoted the adsorption of NO and the reaction of adsorption products with CH4 oxidation products, causing the CH4 removal efficiency increased from 1.3 to 32.3% and NOx removal efficiency increased from 1.5 to 61.6% in CH4-SCR. Increasing O2 (0–10%) produced more O and HO2 radicals in NTP-CH4-SCR, resulting in the increase of CH4 removal efficiency from 18.6 to 44.9%. However, these O and HO2 radicals would react with N radicals to form NO2, NO3, etc., thus decreasing NOx removal efficiency from 68% to 40.8%. The change of CO2 concentration has little effect on CH4 and NOx removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dielectric barrier discharge with falling liquid film was used to degrade the antibiotics amoxicillin and sulfamethoxazole in water. The antibiotic concentrations decrease exponentially during plasma treatment and have similar half‐life time, in the range 4–9 min. By increasing the discharge power (9.1–20.2 W), faster removal of the contaminants is obtained, but the energy efficiency remains almost the same, 3–4 g/kWh at 50%. Oxygen considerably improves the energy yield by a factor of two as compared with air, due to more effective formation of reactive oxygen species. It was found that the degradation of antibiotics in mixture essentially depends on the overall initial concentration, this behavior being attributed to the similar reactivity of the two investigated compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam methane reforming reaction was carried out in a dielectric barrier plasma reactor. A systematic study is conducted to understand the influence of input power, flow rate, and water for the conversion, yield, and selectivity of the reaction over strategically designed catalysts. In particular, the production rate and selectivity of the products (H 2 , CO and C 2 hydrocarbons) are monitored. CeO 2 was used as packing material, mixed with oxides of manganese or copper and their combination. The optimum Cu/CeO 2 catalyst illustrated the production rate of 248.7 μmolg−1h−1 and 11.25 μmolg−1h−1 for H 2 , and CO, respectively at specific energy input of 19.8 JL-1. DFT calculations exhibit apparent change in electronic structure of the CeO 2 after inclusion of oxides of manganese and copper that enhance interaction with methane. Based on these findings, a plausible mechanism is elucidated which can help to design catalyst for other applications in non-thermal plasma atmosphere. [Display omitted] • Steam methane reforming reaction is investigated in a non-thermal plasma reactor. • H 2 , CO, C 2 hydrocarbons are obtained as products. • Oxides of Co and Mn are supported on ceria and tested as catalysts. • Among tested catalysts, Cu/Ce exhibited maximum production rate of H 2 and CO. • DFT suggests increase in electronic interaction with methane for Mn/Ce, and Cu/Ce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live-cell imaging with fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool, especially in cancer research, widely-used for capturing dynamic cellular processes over time. However, light-induced toxicity (phototoxicity) can be incurred from this method, via disruption of intracellular redox balance and an overload of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This can introduce confounding effects in an experiment, especially in the context of evaluating and screening novel therapies. Here, we aimed to unravel whether phototoxicity can impact cellular homeostasis and response to non-thermal plasma (NTP), a therapeutic strategy which specifically targets the intracellular redox balance. We demonstrate that cells incorporated with a fluorescent reporter for live-cell imaging have increased sensitivity to NTP, when exposed to ambient light or fluorescence excitation, likely through altered proliferation rates and baseline intracellular ROS levels. These changes became even more pronounced the longer the cells stayed in culture. Therefore, our results have important implications for research implementing this analysis technique and are particularly important for designing experiments and evaluating redox-based therapies like NTP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia is crucial for human life as an important ingredient for fertilizer, industrial and household chemicals, and is considered as a future fuel alternative and hydrogen storage molecule. There remain no viable alternatives to the energy‐and capital‐intensive Haber–Bosch (H−B) process. Efforts in the development of novel catalytic processes operated at milder conditions (low temperatures and ambient pressure), prominently electrochemistry and non‐thermal plasma (NTP), and utilization of lower‐cost H sources for ammonia formation than the ultrapure H2 have been witnessed in the last few years. Yet, limited progress from these routes has been made to date given unresolved low ammonia yield and technical challenges. Several rare works attempted to activate methane (CH4) and nitrogen (N2) by non‐thermal plasma to produce ammonia and valued‐added hydrocarbons have proven to be a promising research direction, rivalling the reaction between N2 and ultrapure H2 or water. The direct conversion of CH4 and N2 to ammonia is still at the beginning level, and it remains unclear that what extent these technologies must be improved to develop a commercial process. Toward this goal, this Perspective critiques current steps and miss‐steps of sustainable plasma catalytic ammonia production from CH4 and N2 in terms of technology, plasma‐catalyst synergy, mechanistic insights, and experimental protocols. We discuss mechanistic understandings of catalyst‐promoted ammonia production and translate such discussions as well as key metrics achieved in the field into recommendations of feasible processes for ammonia and value‐added hydrocarbons formation from CH4 and N2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated a non-thermal, dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-based approach to prepare poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) from acrylic acid in its liquid state at atmospheric temperature and pressure. Neither additives nor solvents were needed, and the polymerization was accomplished both as a film and inside a sheet of mesoporous paper. All prepared samples were characterized and the DBD plasma-initiated kinetics were analyzed for the polymerization of acrylic acid. Using FTIR semi-quantitative analysis, the degree of polymerization was monitored, and the reaction followed an overall second-order kinetic model with respect to the DBD-initiated polymerization. Additionally, the application of a PAA-modified paper as a water retention cloth or 'wet wipe' was investigated. The results showed that the PAA-modified paper substrates using DBD plasma increased water retention as a function of plasma treatment time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the effect of electrode material on the parameters of the produced DBD plasma was investigated. First, a non-thermal plasma was created by applying a 15 kV AC voltage between two electrodes and using a glass plate as a dielectric barrier in the design Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma system. The obtained plasma spectrum was analyzed using optical emission spectroscopy to calculate plasma parameters by the Boltzmann plot method. Electrodes made of copper, aluminium, and stainless steel were employed in this research. Electron temperature (Te) for copper, aluminium, and stainless steel was found to be (1.398 eV), (1.093 eV) and (1.009 eV), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of blood plasma powder (2.5, 5, and 7.5% w/w in water) activated using non-thermal atmospheric plasma (T1, T2, and T3, respectively) was investigated as a nitrite source in the production of restructured beef jerky. A group without a nitrite source (NC) and a group cured with 100 ppm of sodium nitrite (PC) were used as negative control and positive control groups, respectively. The nitrite content of the plasma-activated solutions was adjusted to match that of the positive control by calculating the required plasma treatment time, based on previous studies. The obtained results showed that addition of treated solutions with nonthermal plasma for a 70 min, at a level of 20% in relation to the meat, can have beneficial effects on nitrosylhemochrome content, redness, and TBARS values of restructured jerky. These effects were statistically comparable (p≥0.05) to sodium nitrite-cured samples. Furthermore, compared to the PC group, the T1, T2, and T3 treatments exhibited significantly lower water activity and higher protein content (p<0.05). The T2 and T3 treatments also showed increased lightness and shear force values (p<0.05) compared to the control groups (NC and PC). It should be noted that the T3 group had the highest (p<0.05) residual nitrite content among all the samples. However, a sensory analysis is necessary to assess consumer acceptance with regard to differences in the odor profile of the treatments, according to the Principal Components Analysis (PCA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Releasing unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH) in ambient medium is an escalating environment crisis that catches aggrandizing public concerns. Herein, a non-thermal plasma activating persulfate maneuver was introduced and its application mechanism in UDMH degradation was explored. Oxidizing kinetic experiments show that 93.8% UDMH were eliminated along with 12.5 kV, pH = 8, 50 mM NaCl, Na2S2O8/UDMH (mol/mol) = 2, and 140 mL/min. The Visual MINTEQ simulated species distribution of UDMH well predicted the oxidation behaviors of UDMH in the variation of pH. Radical scavenging test integrated with UV-vis spectroscopy were introduced to identify the predominating reactive oxygen species during UDMH decomposition. The ·OH and ·SO4 - played a synergistic role in the UDMH oxidization. Overall, this study may shed new lights on the degradation of UDMH industry wastewater using hybrid technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi are the leading cause of plant diseases worldwide and are responsible for enormous agricultural and industrial losses on a global scale. Cold plasma (CP) is a potential tool for eliminating or inactivating fungal contaminants from biological material such as seeds and grains. This study used a low-pressure radiofrequency CP system with oxygen as the feed gas to test the decontamination efficacy of different genera and species commonly colonising buckwheat grains. Two widely accepted methods for evaluating fungal decontamination after CP treatment of seeds were compared: direct cultivation technique or contamination rate method (%) and indirect cultivation or colony-forming units (CFU) method. For most of the tested fungal taxa, an efficient decrease in contamination levels with increasing CP treatment time was observed. Fusarium graminearum was the most susceptible to CP treatment, while Fusarium fujikuroi seems to be the most resistant. The observed doses of oxygen atoms needed for 1-log reduction range from 1024–1025 m−2. Although there was some minor discrepancy between the results obtained from both tested methods (especially in the case of Fusarium spp.), the trends were similar. The results indicate that the main factors affecting decontamination efficiency are spore shape, size, and colouration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]