Significance of a Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment on LDPE Biodegradation with Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

Abstract

The use of plastics has spanned across almost all aspects of day to day life. Although their uses are invaluable, they contribute to the generation of a lot of waste products that end up in the environment and end up polluting natural habitats such as forests and the ocean. By treating low-density polyethylene (LDPE) samples with non-thermal plasma in ambient air and with an addition of ≈4% CO2, the biodegradation of the samples can be increased due to an increase in oxidative species causing better cell adhesion and acceptance on the polymer sample surface. It was, however, found that the use of this slight addition of CO2 aided in the biodegradation of the LDPE samples more than with solely ambient air as the carbon bonds measured from Raman spectroscopy were seen to decrease even more with this change in gas composition and chemistry. The results show that the largest increase of polymer degradation occurs when a voltage of 32 kV is applied over 300 s and with a mixture of ambient air and CO2 in the ratio 25:1.

Diagnostics of a large volume pin‐to‐plate atmospheric plasma source for the study of plasma species interactions with cancer cell cultures

“…during and after plasma discharge and σ ( λ ) is the wavelength‐dependent absorption cross‐section for the species of interest. For O 3 , the wavelength of optimal absorption is taken as 253.7 nm, which gives an absorption cross‐section value of 1.154 × 10 −17 cm 2 [ 8 ] : …”

“…For example, addition of a small percentage of CO 2 into a system that is running predominantly on ambient air can lead to higher levels of O 3 formation, which can be further optimised with the introduction of other secondary gases such as Ar. [ 7–9 ] Introduction of inert gases such as Ar and He gives rise to the production of inert excited species that can bombard and interact with sample surfaces, giving rise to more binding sites, or can aid in the formation of other reactive species, such as OH and N 2 *, through synergistic energy transfers. [ 10 ]…”

Microbial decontamination of chicken using atmospheric plasma bubbles

“…The plasma was generated under atmospheric conditions via electrical discharges supplied by a Leap100 high‐voltage power supply (PlasmaLeap Technologies, Sydney, Australia) capable of supplying voltages up to 80 kV (p–p) at discharge frequencies up to 3,000 Hz. It has been previously described by Scally et al [ 21 ]…”

“…The plasma was generated under atmospheric conditions via electrical discharges supplied by a Leap100 high-voltage power supply (PlasmaLeap Technologies, Sydney, Australia) capable of supplying voltages up to 80 kV (p-p) at discharge frequencies up to 3,000 Hz. It has been previously described by Scally et al [21] The acrylic tube of the plasma generator was perforated with a single 2-mm hole, ∼8 mm from the base of the tube that was submerged under the water. A rotameter provided compressed air at a flow rate of 1 L/min into the plasma reactor via connective tubing located near the opposing end of the acrylic tube.…”

Impact of cold plasma processing on major peanut allergens

“…For this study, a novel large gap pin-to-plate plasma reactor was employed (Leap100, Plasma Leap Technologies, Sydney, Australia). A detailed description of the working principle of this power source and pin reactor has been provided previously 24 . The reactor uses two steel plates as electrodes with a high voltage electrode composed of a pin array (11 × 8) and a flat plate ground electrode.…”