Electrical Characteristics of Pulsed Corona Discharge Plasmas in Chitosan Solution

Pulsed discharge plasma has exhibited active potential to prepare low molecular weight chitosan. In the present study, the viscosity of ehitosan solution was decreased noticeably after treated with pulsed corona discharge plasma. An experimental investigation on electrical characteristics of pulsed corona discharge plasma in chitosan solution was conducted with a view toward getting insight into discharge process. Factors affecting I-V curve, single pulse injec- tion energy and pulse width were studied. Experimental results showed positive effect of pulsed peak voltage on discharge plasma in chitosan solution. Pulse-forming capacitor greatly influenced the discharge form, and 4 nF was observed as a suitable value for efficiently generating stable discharge plasmas. As the electrode distance was larger than 10 ram, it had slight impact on dis- charge plasma due to the excellent conductive-property of chitosan solution. The injection energy significantly increased with air flow rate, while the pulse width hardly changed as the air flow rate increased from 0.5 m^3/h to 1.0 m^3/h. This study is expected to provide reference for promoting the application of pulsed corona discharge plasma to ehitosan solution treatment.

Preparation of slow-release regulated Rs-198 bilayer microcapsules and application of its lyophilized bacterial inoculant on Capsicum annuum L.under salt stress

The survival adaptation of bacteria in saline soil is poor.The bilayer microcapsules were prepared by secondary embedding of monolayer sodium alginate(NaAlg)-bentonite(Bent)-sodium carboxy-methylcellulose(CMC)microcapsules wrapped with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR)Pseudomonas putida Rs-198 by chitosan solution to promote the synergistic effect of bilayer microen-capsulation and PGPR.The characterization of the Rs-198 bilayer microcapsules showed that the amino and carboxyl groups were cross-linked and a thin layer of chitosan was formed on the outside of the microcapsule.The bilayer microcapsule(Ch-d)with a chitosan concentration of 0.8 wt%and pH 6 showed a slow release of bacteria with a maximum release of 6.06 × 10^(9) cfu/g on the 7th day.The viable bacteria of Ch-d increased by 4.42%after 60 days of storage compared with monolayer microcapsules.The 0.9 wt%L-cysteine,10 wt%glycerinum,10 wt%trehalose and 12 wt%soluble starch were added as bacterial protective agents during the process of preparing the Ch-d lyophilized bacterial inoculant(Ch-d LBI).Pot experiments showed that Ch-d LBI exhibited better growth promotion of Capsicum annuum L.under salt stress.Therefore,the bilayer microcapsule as slow-release bacterial inoculant is a potential alternative for sustainable agriculture.