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Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) has attracted increased interest in recent years for possible biomedical, environmental and agricultural applications. A wide range of cold plasma treatment effects is observed in agricultural applications, like effects on the seed germination and seedling growth, but more systematic investigations are needed. The aim of this study was to identify the most appropriate combinations of the plasma source and duration of treatment positively affecting seed germination. In addition, the effect of cold plasma on the seedling growth and osmotic stress tolerance was studied. The seeds of three Bulgarian durum wheat cultivars were treated with cold plasma in twelve variants. The results obtained were processed statistically via two-way ANOVA. The treatment of seeds with a plasma torch for 20 s and the treatment with underwater diaphragm discharge for 5 min when the seeds were placed in both cameras in two different positions (relative to the electrodes between which the plasma is supplied, "+" and "−") have the greatest positive effect on the all traits related to germination. The analysis of variance reveals that the variation in germination energy, shoot length and root length after the cold plasma treatment of seeds is mainly due to the interaction between the genotype and treatment variant and to a small degree due to the genotype. The treatment of seeds with cold plasma improves the osmoregulation ability of cells and therefore increases the drought resistance of genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work provides a study of the effects of an external uniform magnetic field on the underwater pulsed discharge burning process. The presence of a magnetic field affects the waveforms of current and voltage, resulting in a decrease in amplitude values and frequency of discharge pulses. The presence of an external magnetic field was found to affect processes of the synthesis of iron oxide powders. Different polymorphic modifications of Fe2O3 were obtained depending on the orientation of the magnetic field. The formation of larger iron oxide nanoparticles is facilitated by the magnetic field. The release of desublimation energy, accompanied by heating, encourages the increasing the degree of crystallinity of samples in the presence of a magnetic field. Shown, that the presence of an external magnetic field has significant effects on the underwater pulsed discharge process, altering the electrical properties of the discharge and influencing the synthesis of oxide nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The analysis of underwater discharge signals is of great significance for its application. Wavelet-based de-noising and analysis technology is an effective means to study underwater discharge signals. The selection of wavelets is the key to the accuracy of wavelet analysis. A scheme of wavelet selection is provided in this paper. Based on the signal characteristics and actual noise, the reference target signal and noisy signal are constructed to ensure the accuracy of wavelet performance evaluation. Cross-correlation coefficient, root mean square error, signal-to-noise ratio, and smoothness are chosen as evaluation indexes and fused by the coefficient of variation method. The selected optimal wavelet is used to process the underwater wire-guided discharge signals. The results show that the scheme is feasible and practical.

This study investigates the control of input energy and plasma parameters during the electric discharge erosive process for nanoparticle generation. The total energy supplied to the discharge chamber was controlled by varying the switching phase of the thyristor. Electrical parameters, including current and voltage waveforms, were analyzed to estimate the total input energy delivered to the reactor with zinc granules immersed in water. Additionally, the correlation between electrical parameters and plasma characteristics in the underwater discharge plasma with zinc vapors was examined. It was found that decreasing the switching phase increased the total input energy and influenced the electron density and emission intensity of the plasma. A decrease in switching phase within the range of 145–135 degrees resulted in better erosion of zinc material and more efficient generation of nanoparticles in the plasma. These findings contribute to the optimization of nanoparticle synthesis processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of underwater discharge signals is of great significance for its application. Wavelet-based de-noising and analysis technology is an effective means to study underwater discharge signals. The selection of wavelets is the key to the accuracy of wavelet analysis. A scheme of wavelet selection is provided in this paper. Based on the signal characteristics and actual noise, the reference target signal and noisy signal are constructed to ensure the accuracy of wavelet performance evaluation. Cross-correlation coefficient, root mean square error, signal-to-noise ratio, and smoothness are chosen as evaluation indexes and fused by the coefficient of variation method. The selected optimal wavelet is used to process the underwater wire-guided discharge signals. The results show that the scheme is feasible and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposed a novel approach, in which an impulse underwater discharge was used to produce graphene–graphene oxide material in distilled water. The characteristics of this discharge were presented, including electrical parameters, plasma composition, and electron concentration. Graphene-based material produced using this approach can be evenly dispersed in water without the use of a surfactant or stabilizer, and is suitable for storage at room temperature. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy was employed to analyze the optical properties of the graphene-based structures. Scanning electron microscopy was adopted to explore the morphology and size of the particles. The FTIR spectroscopy confirms the formation of graphene oxide. The Raman spectroscopy demonstrates the formation of a graphene-containing multilayer material. The results of this study confirmed that graphene-based material production by impulse underwater discharge is a low-cost, fast, and effective manufacturing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulosic bioethanol produced from wood is a candidate for alternative fuel to fossil fuels. In the cellulosic ethanol production process, pretreatment before enzymatic saccharification should be introduced for acceleration of the process. We proposed a new pretreatment technique for the cleavage of inter-cellulose hydrogen bonds by underwater discharge shock waves. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the relationship among discharge conditions, shock wave properties, and treatment efficiency to estimate the optimal treatment conditions. The shock wave pressure was measured at several MPa, and optical microscopy results suggested wood flour fragmentation. The relationship between the discharge characteristics and the treatment effect was investigated by measuring the water retention value as an indicator of hydrogen bond cleavage and the amount of glucose as bioethanol intermediate products. The discharge energy of 0.85–1.16 J/pulse did not affect the treatment effect, while an increased discharge frequency in the range of 3.3–7.3 Hz did. The independence of treatment effect on the discharge energy was investigated to arise from the saturation in the discharge-current rising rate and shock-wave pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is devoted to the plasma diagnostics of an underwater electric spark discharge, specially developed for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles by electro erosion of metal granules immersed into water. To improve the process of metal nanoparticle generation, the main plasma parameters for different modes of discharges between molybdenum and, separately, iron granules were investigated. The optical emission spectroscopy as a non-perturbing method was used. Namely, the Boltzmann plots on the basis of metal atomic lines' (in particular Fe I and Mo I) intensities are used to determine the electron temperatures in plasma. Profile of Hα spectral line, exposed to the Stark mechanism of spectral lines' broadening, is used to determine the electron density in such plasma. The black-body radiation is found in the spectrum of the discharge between molybdenum granules. It was found that the background emission in the spectral regions with densely spaced spectral lines can be caused by the overlapping of spectral lines' contours for the underwater discharge between metal granules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decomposition of phenol and 4-chlorophenol by underwater pulsed discharge has been examined. The addition of hydrogen peroxide improved the decomposition rate of phenol by about 2.5 times and that of 4-chlorophenol by about 1.5 times. Analysis using a fluorescent probe suggested that the addition of hydrogen peroxide enhanced the production of hydroxyl radicals by about 3 times. We have also examined the effect of using microbubbles on the decomposition of phenol. The use of only microbubbles resulted in a slight increase of the decomposition rate, while the use of both microbubbles and hydrogen peroxide led to a remarkable enhancement of the decomposition rate by about 3.5 times with the conversion of phenol reaching 70% at discharge time of 3 h, which corresponded to the energy yield of 4.39 × 10â€"9 mol Jâˆ'1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is devoted to optical emission spectroscopy of plasma of underwater electric discharge, which is used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The main aim of this work is to investigate the possibility and validity of using plasma optical emission spectroscopy to determine its main physical characteristics, such as excitation temperature, electron density, the degree of ionization, etc. The specially developed pulse power source was used to initiate a discharge between silver granules immersed into the deionized water. Typical values of voltage vary from 40 to 200 V, the current is up to 150 A, and pulse frequency is in the range of 0.2–2 kHz. Applied to electrodes, the voltage caused a current flow along the chain of closely arranged granules in the stochastic switching mode. Special attention is paid to methods of spectrum treatment of underwater discharge plasma between silver granules. The method of Boltzmann plots and the method of relative intensities on the basis of both atomic and ionic silver spectral lines are used in order to determine the excitation temperature. The spectral lines, which were investigated and treated in detail, were used. Exposed to the Stark mechanism of spectral line broadening, the spectral profile of Hα spectral line is used to determine the electron density. The degree of ionization of the studied plasma was calculated using the obtained values of the electron density and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous reports have elucidated different methods for treating dyeing wastewater using UV irradiation, ozonation, and chlorination. However, the high operational costs of these methods have necessitated the use of plasma. In this study, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was used to purify dyeing wastewater, generating ozone as a byproduct. An underwater DBD plasma system was designed to directly interact with water, thereby producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and functioning as a powerful oxidizer. Additionally, UV, O3, and H2O2 are generated by the developed plasma system without using any other additives to produce OH radicals for purifying organic pollutants; therefore, this system circumvents the use of complex and advanced oxidation processes. A simulation test was performed, which revealed that methylene blue and rhodamine B were completely removed within 7 and 3 min, respectively. Therefore, the developed plasma system can be successfully applied for the purification of dyeing wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An underwater impulse discharge was used for synthesis tungsten trioxide nanoparticles. The chemical composition and morphology of obtained particles were studied by using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The dynamic light scattering was used to measure the average particle diameter and zeta-potential. It was found that a monoclinic modification of tungsten trioxide was formed with an average particle diameter of about 60 nm. The photocatalytic performance of WO3 was estimated through the degradation of Rhodamine B under dark and UV irradiation conditions. The powder of WO3 exhibited great photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of Rhodamine B of 100% under UV irradiation for 50 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical time-varying resistance model of the plasma channel $R_{\mathrm {pl}}(t) = \beta l^{2}/W_{\mathrm {in}}(t)$ in underwater discharge has been widely used, but the internal energy of the plasma channel $W_{\mathrm {in}}(t)$ is difficult to obtain and the discharge coefficient $\beta $ varies widely under different experimental conditions. This article introduces an improved empirical plasma channel resistance model $R_{\mathrm {pl}}(t) = \beta l^{2}/E_{\mathrm {pl}}(t)$ as well as a method for determining the discharge coefficient $\beta $. The effectiveness and the feasibility of the method are verified by comparing the simulation results and test results. The improved plasma channel resistance model and the method to determine the discharge coefficient can help guide the application of electrohydraulic shockwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an innovative method for synthesizing copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) using underwater plasma. The proposed method using underwater plasma has advantages such as one-pot synthesis, fast reaction time, and high throughput. We obtained yields as high as 15 g of Cu-NPs powder from 25 g of copper hydroxide, for 10-min a reaction time. In addition, we confirmed that the Cu-NPs produced are spherical and range in size between 40 and 80 nm. We also verified that the synthesized Cu-NPs are almost pure Cu powder, close to 100 %, through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the generation of radical droplets activated by an underwater electrical discharge and the sterilization of bacteria cells by spraying the radical droplets to open air. The plasma formed by electrical discharge in a narrow dielectric capillary tube produces atomic oxygen, atomic hydrogen, and hydroxyl radicals from the dissociation of water vapor, which is achieved through Joule heating in the narrow capillary tube. The capillary discharge electrode is placed in a water flow line, and the plasma-activated water is sprayed as fine droplets through a nozzle at 0.08 L/min. In a bactericidal test, the droplets show a sterilization effect of more than 99.99% after an exposure time of 3 h. The proposed radical droplet generator may also be useful for the elimination of airborne microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the mass production, characteristics and application of a hydrogenated TiO 2 photocatalyst (H-TiO 2 ) with high reactivity under solar light irradiation. The H-TiO 2 photocatalyst has been prepared by simple sol-gel method/underwater discharge plasma treatment at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The optical absorption spectrum of TiO 2 can be extended from the ultraviolet (UV) into the visible range by changing the surface properties. The crystallinity, hydrogenation and porosity of TiO 2 can be greatly enhanced within 90 s through underwater discharge plasma, using amorphous TiO 2 (as-synthesized TiO 2 , a-TiO 2 ) as the precursor. The resultant H-TiO 2 showed high bicrystalline (anatase/brookite phases) and a large surface area (267.5 m 2 /g), thus improving photocatalytic activity. We have demonstrated that H-TiO 2 showed significant photocatalytic efficiencies for degradation of reactive black 5, rhodamine B, and phenol under solar light irradiation, up to 10 times higher than those of commercial TiO 2 and a-TiO 2 , leading to complete water purification. Interestingly, the H-TiO 2 photocatalyst also exhibited strong antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus under solar light irradiation, up to 5-times greater than those of commercial TiO 2 and a-TiO 2 . Given that H-TiO 2 can be mass produced and easily processed by underwater discharge plasma, we expect this plasma technology may find important environmental and medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new method of generation of an electrical discharge in water using plate electrodes is proposed. The electrical discharge in plate-to-plate configuration cannot be easily generated because of a low uniform electrical field. A nitrogen bubble is injected into one of the electrodes to create a favorable condition for electrical breakdown. The generated electrical discharge is studied using a high-speed framing camera. Two interesting effects have been observed. First, the discharge is preferentially initiated on the cathode. Second, the positive streamer reveals nontypical morphology. The physical mechanisms of discharge initiation and positive streamer propagation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this work, several materials were studied as electrodes in a pinhole configuration of a DC plasma discharge to estimate their effect on the efficiency of the discharge, indicated by hydrogen peroxide production. Detection was carried out using a specific titanium reagent. This was combined with ICP-OES analysis of the final solutions to determine the difference between the amount of electrode material released during the discharge operation and electrolysis experiment carried out under the same conditions. It was found that from seven studied electrode materials, graphite gives the best results, while lower cost aluminum and titanium-zinc still work well. The most unsuitable materials were copper and brass; in these cases, no hydrogen peroxide was detected in the cathode part of the reactor. Results obtained by ICP analysis indicate that even in the case of brass, the absence of hydrogen peroxide is due to the presence of copper in the material. It probably affects both directly the phase of discharge creation and propagation and the decomposition reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on analysis of two different types successive underwater shock waves generated by a device incorporating a compact shock-wave generator with a magnetic pulsed compression circuit. To generate shock waves, underwater pulsed electric discharges in high-impedance saline water were used. The saline water made possible underwater shock waves propagation in tissue with low reflection between the solution and tissue boundary, owing to their similar acoustic impedances. A cylindrical electrode holder and a semiellipsoidal shock-wave focusing reflector/generator were used in this paper. The diameter of the compact shock-wave reflector was 20 mm. Two kinds of successive underwater shock waves, one generated by electric discharge plasma expansion and the other by bubble collapse, were observed. The shock waves were studied by time-resolve high-speed visualization and direct pressure measurement using a fiber optic probe hydrophone pressure transducer. The former method elucidated propagation of underwater shock waves and behavior and collapse of the bubble near the electrodes, while the later measured two kinds of underwater shock waves pressures at different voltage amplitudes using the cylindrical electrode holder and the shock focusing generator. This paper clearly shows the importance of the secondary shock waves, their control, and damping, for effective and safe medical application of shock waves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Pulsed power, used to produce underwater discharges, has been the subject of numerous studies to elucidate its mechanisms and applications. This paper reports on observation by a high-speed camera of the production and progress of streamer discharges created using a magnetic pulse compression pulsed power generator with maximum output energy of 40 Joules per shot in the medium of both tap and distilled water. Bubble production along streamers, bubble collapse, generation of shock waves, and extinction of bubbles was also observed by a high-speed camera. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We are developing the rice powder manufacturing system using an underwater shock wave. The purpose of this study is to research a mechanism of the shock wave generation and energy efficiency by underwater discharge in order to increase energy of the underwater shock wave. We observed the shock wave generation using the visualization device with a high speed camera, and measured voltage current characteristics at the same time. As a result, it was clarified that countless underwater shock waves were generated at the time of water plasma expansion by discharge. But, the shock wave was not confirmed at the time of after a second peak of the damping oscillation. It was clarified that one part of charging energy was used to generation of the shock wave. Therefore, it was clarified that to release energy by the critical oscillation is desirable for efficient generation of the shock wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dc underwater discharge generated in gas bubbles (air, Ar, He, and \N2) in a \NaH2\PO4 \bullet 2 \H2\O solution is studied. It is shown that the maximal concentration of hydrogen peroxide produced in the discharge does not depend on gas composition. The energy efficiency of \H2\O2 production is, however, gas dependent, and the highest value of 2.95 g/kWh is obtained for air. The decomposition efficiency of the Direct Blue 106 dye, which is used as a model organic pollutant at an initial concentration of 20 mg/L, increases linearly with current in the investigated range (10–30 mA). A maximal dye decoloration of 65% is observed in a \N2 discharge after 20 min of treatment at a current of 30 mA. Different mechanisms of dye decoloration by plasma are proposed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Food processing utilizing underwater shock wave softens the food by breaking cells, and prevents loss of nutrients since there is little influence of heat. Moreover, it is also possible to extract a nutrient easily and reduce processing time. A device to generate a high intensity shock wave is required in order to process various kinds of food. The purposes of this research are to investigate the best condition to generate high intensity shock waves and to understand the behavior of converged shock wave.The capacitor electric discharge circuit was used as an underwater shock wave generating device. The waveform of discharge voltage and current were measured in order to search for the best condition of underwater discharge. It was confirmed that the larger charge voltage of capacitors become, the larger optimum electrodes interval become. Propagation and convergence of underwater shock wave was observed by numerical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrotransposons are mobile genetic elements which transpose via an RNA intermediate. Because the transposition of retrotransposons causes insertional mutagenesis in a genome, the activation of retrotransposons has been used for basic and applied genome studies in plant biology. Some retrotransposons were shown to be transcriptionally activated by biotic and abiotic stress factors, such as UV light, ozone, pathogens, wounding, and drought. A pulsed streamerlike discharge in water is known to generate physical phenomena, such as high electric fields, UV, ozone, other chemically active species, and shock waves. In this paper, an underwater pulsed discharge treatment was used as a new tool for the activation of retrotransposons in a Porphyra yezoensis genome. The results of reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction for the discharge treatment of P. yezoensis showed that a copia-Iike retrotransposon, called PyRE1G1, was transcriptionally activated by the underwater pulsed discharge without cell damage. The effects of pulse parameters on the mRNA accumulation of PyRE1G1 showed that a certain charging voltage and larger applied pulse numbers gave sufficient results for the transcriptional activation of PyRE1G1. The maximum activation of the PyRE1G1 expression was induced 1 h after the discharge treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pulsed discharge produced underwater has been an attractive method to treat waste water. For the optimization and realization of the water treatment system utilizing underwater pulsed discharge, modeling analysis could be one of the essential works. However, there is still no simulation work about the underwater pulsed discharge due to the lack of knowledge about its characteristic parameters such as electron temperature, electron density, and so on. In this paper, the temperature and the electron density in a pulsed discharge plasma produced underwater are measured and presented. A magnetic pulse compressor (MPC) was developed and used to create the electrical discharge in water. The developed MPC is all-solid state and is, therefore, a maintenance-free generator. To define the temperature and the electron density in an underwater pulsed discharge plasma, two kinds of spectroscopic measurements, called the line-pair method and Stark broadening, were carried out. According to the experimental results, the temperature and the electron density in the pulsed discharge plasma between point-plane electrodes immersed in water are determined to be 15 000 K and 1018/cm³, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In extracorporeal lithotripsy, the electro-acoustic efficiency of electrohydraulic generators is limited by the inductance of the electrical discharge circuit. A new shock-wave generator is described that uses a coaxial discharge line enabling electro-acoustic efficiency to be greatly increased. The line is built using a para-electric ceramic with a relative dielectric constant of 1700, manufactured for use in high-voltage impulse mode. A coaxial spark gap, with minimal inductance, has been developed to obtain the triggered breakdown of the discharge line. Shock waves are created with a coaxial electrode plugged directly into the spark gap and immersed in an electrolyte of degassed saline. Electrode gap and electrolyte resistivity are adjusted to match the resistivity of the electrolyte volume between the underwater electrodes to the characteristic impedance of the line. The discharge line generates in the medium a rectangular current pulse with an amplitude of about 6000 A and a rise time of 50 ns. Compared with conventional generators, measurements of the expansive peak pressure pulse show an increase of 105% at 10 kV, 86.5% at 12 kV and 34.5% at 14 kV charging voltage. Electro-acoustic efficiency is found to be 11% instead of 5.5% for a conventional discharge circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Acidity of wastewater is increasing with increasing plasma treatment duration. • The decreasing concentrations of O 3 , H 2 O 2 and N O 3 - suggest that they participate in the dissociation processes of textile dyes. • UV–vis spectra indicate the increase in decolorization efficiencies with increasing treatment durations. • Amines and alkynes are likely to be produced through oxidative processes of azo-bonds and nitrogen containing functional groups with the interactions of O 3 and O H radical. • FTIR spectra reveal the presence of functional groups that are likely to be produced due to dissociation by plasma treatments. • A fraction of organic nitrogen can be converted to nitrites through oxidation process. Textile wastewaters (WW) as released from textile industries damage aquatic environment and thereby create threat to plants and animals. To overcome the problems associated with wastewaters, the plasma technology can be an alternative approach for the reduction of effluents dissolved in textile WWs. In this present study, the degradation of textile dye model WWs is carried out using underwater parallel-multi-tube atmospheric pressure air discharge plasma jet. The investigation reveals that: p H is decreased, while electrical conductivity (E C) is increased in the deionized (DI) waters and model WWs with increasing plasma treatment duration. The Concentrations of O 3 , H 2 O 2 and N O 3 - in model WWs are decreased compared to that of DI water with treatment duration, but N O 2 - is increased. The decrease in O 3 , H 2 O 2 and N O 3 - suggest that they participate in the dissociation processes of textile dyes. UV–vis spectroscopic measurements show that almost 70 % of dyes were degraded within 10 min of treatments but the remaining 30 % was taken a longer time. FTIR spectroscopic measurements reveal that the amines and alkynes are likely to be produced through oxidative processes of azo-bonds and nitrogen containing functional groups with the interactions of O 3 and O H radical. A fraction of organic nitrogen can be converted to nitrites through oxidation for which the concentration of nitrite is increasing with treatment duration. The proposed environment friendly plasma technology can alternatively be adapted to the reduction of effluents as dissolve in textile WW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on providing a facile method for the production of underwater plasma by a capillary discharge in water. The underwater plasma is formed from a tungsten electrode inserted in a narrow dielectric capillary, showing the breakdown of water vapor in the capillary. This mainly produces atomic oxygen, atomic hydrogen, and hydroxyl radicals from the dissociation of water vapor, revealing different plasma species when the capillary electrode serves as the anode or the cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of images of a generation process of an underwater secondary streamer from a developed primary streamer was visualized by an ultrahigh-speed camera with a microscope lens. The secondary streamer with a filamentary structure propagated with an average velocity of 30 km/s from one of the channel tips of the semispherical primary streamer with an average propagation velocity of 1.8 km/s. The synchronized current waveform showed that pulsed currents of about 100 mA were changed into a continuous current of about 300 mA when the secondary streamer started to propagate. This experiment was carried out by the application of a single-shot pulsed positive voltage to a needle-to-wire electrode system with a gap length of 6 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: This paper presents the enhancement of membrane penetrability by means of a discharge in water. The system is composed of an underwater capillary discharge to produce the various plasma species containing OH, O, H, Na+, Cl−, ClO−, Cl2, etc., and a membrane for water filtration. We investigate the capillary discharge membrane system to treat the microorganisms and particles in seawater simultaneously. We also report the effects of the underwater capillary discharge on the membrane flux. The plasma by-products also depend on the discharge polarity significantly. Eventually, we expect that the hybrid system may be promising tool for sterilization of microorganisms and removal of particles in water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]