Background

Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal disinfection and surface modification technology which is chemical free, and eco-friendly. Plasma treatment of water, termed as plasma activated water (PAW), creates an acidic environment which results in changes of the redox potential, conductivity and in the formation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS). As a result, PAW has different chemical composition than water and can serve as an alternative method for microbial disinfection.

Scope and approach

This paper reviews the different plasma sources employed for PAW generation, its physico-chemical properties and potential areas of PAW applications. More specifically, the physical and chemical properties of PAW are outlined in relation to the acidity, conductivity, redox potential, and concentration of ROS, RNS in the treated water. All these effects are in microbial nature, so the applications of PAW for microbial disinfection are also summarized in this review. Finally, the role of PAW in improving the agricultural practices, for example, promoting seed germination and plant growth, is also presented.

Key findings and conclusions

PAW appears to have a synergistic effect on the disinfection of food while it can also promote seedling growth of seeds. The increase in the nitrate and nitrite ions in the PAW could be the main reason for the increase in plant growth. Soaking seeds in PAW not only serves as an anti-bacterial but also enhances the seed germination and plant growth. PAW could potentially be used to increase crop yield and to fight against the drought stress environmental conditions.

中文翻译：

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血浆活化水（PAW）：化学，理化性质，在食品和农业中的应用

背景

冷等离子体是一种新兴的非热力消毒和表面改性技术，它不含化学物质，并且环保。对水进行等离子体处理（称为等离子体活化水（PAW））会产生酸性环境，从而导致氧化还原电位，电导率发生变化，并形成活性氧（ROS）和氮物种（RNS）。结果，PAW的化学成分与水不同，可以用作微生物消毒的替代方法。

范围和方法

本文回顾了用于PAW产生的不同等离子体源，其理化性质以及PAW应用的潜在领域。更具体地说，概述了PAW的物理和化学性质，涉及酸度，电导率，氧化还原电势以及处理后水中ROS，RNS的浓度。所有这些作用都是微生物性质的，因此本综述还概述了PAW在微生物消毒中的应用。最后，还介绍了PAW在改善农业实践中的作用，例如，促进种子发芽和植物生长。

主要发现和结论

PAW似乎对食品消毒具有协同作用，同时还可以促进种子的幼苗生长。PAW中硝酸根和亚硝酸根离子的增加可能是植物生长增加的主要原因。在PAW中浸泡种子不仅可以起到抗菌作用，而且还可以增强种子发芽和植物生长。PAW可以潜在地用于增加农作物的产量并与干旱胁迫环境条件作斗争。