Plasma electrolytic liquefaction of sawdust

As a renewable carbon resource, biomass can be converted into polyols, aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, and other products by traditional catalytic liquefaction method, which has been widely used in production and life. The efficient development and utilization of biomass energy will play a very positive role in solving the problems of energy and ecological environment. A way of combining the plasma electrolysis with traditional catalytic liquefaction realizes the efficient liquefaction of sawdust, which provides a new liquefaction way for traditional biomass conversion. In this experiment, the effects of solution composition, catalyst content and power supply on solution resistance and liquefaction rate are analyzed.It is found that solution composition and catalyst content have a great influence on solution resistance. The results show that the liquefaction rate is highest and the resistance is smallest when the solution resistance is 500 ?. The liquefaction rate is greatly affected by the solution temperature, and the solution temperature is determined by the output power between the two electrodes. The output power includes the heating power of the electric field and the discharge power of the plasma.We measure the electric potential field distribution in the solution and the plasma power. It is found that the output power between the two poles increases nonlinearly(from 0 to 270 W) with time. In two minutes, the electric field heating power increases from 0 to 105 W and then decreases to 70 W, while the plasma power increases from 0 to 200 W. It is well known that in the first 70 seconds of the experiment the electric field heating is dominant, and then the plasma heating turns into a main thermal source. In this paper, plasma electrolysis and traditional catalytic liquefaction are combined to achieve the efficient liquefaction of sawdust, which provides a new way for biomass liquefaction.

Impact of microsecond-pulsed plasma-activated water on papaya seed germination and seedling growth

The seed of Carica papaya consists of a hard shell-like testa with inhibitors in vivo causing slow,erratic and asynchronous germination.In this work,plasma-activated water prepared by microsecond-pulsed plasma jets(μPAW)was applied to treat papaya seeds.TheμPAW after plasma activation of 30 min was about 40℃.The reactive species such as NO_(2),NO_(3),and H_(2)O_(2)in theμPAW activated from deionized water were measured and correlated to the seed germination rate and the seedling growth performance.TheμPAW-treated papaya seed achieved a higher germination rate of 90%,which is 26%higher than the control group using deionized water.Comparing the results with a hot water(40℃)reference group showed that the reactive species inμPAW played primary roles in germination improvement,with little effect caused by the heat shock.TheμPAW also sterilized the treated seeds,reducing the germination stress.The morphological change in the seeds was observed by SEM,showing an effect of physical etching after treatment promoting seed imbibition.The biochemical mechanism of the seed germination was deduced with reference to the evolution of surface chemistry,functional groups,and ABA content.The accelerated seed metabolism observed was corresponded to the chemical modification pathway.Besides,early seedlings developed from treated seeds were observed to be healthy,grow more leaves,and have better root structures.The content of MDA in the treated papaya seedlings decreased along with increased SOD and higher ion concentration.TheμPAW that can be prepared at atmospheric pressure for bulk production offers a low-risk and cost-effective seed priming technology that may significantly increase the production of agricultural crops.