Students

PhD. level: 2017 - 2022
Supervisor: Zdenko Machala
Title (en):
New possibilities of the use of cold plasma in food processing and agriculture
Title (sk):
Nové možnosti využitia studenej plazmy pri spracovaní potravín a v poľnohospodárstve
Abstract (en):  hide
Low temperature (non-thermal, cold) atmospheric plasmas generated by electrical discharges at atmospheric pressure produce strong oxidation and antimicrobial effects and induce other interesting effects in cells and tissues that can be targeted in medicine. These plasmas are efficient sources of radicals and reactive species, often coupled with the effects of electric fields and radiation, and open up many new application opportunities, especially in biomedicine and agriculture. As a result, multiple practical applications based on cold plasma discharges are now being developed, such as water treatment, bio-decontamination and disinfection, surface cleaning and decontamination with impact in dentistry, wound healing and sterilisation, potential cancer therapies, and stimulation of germination and plant growth. Based on the progress in the plasma technology new research fields have been established in recent years: plasma for environmental applications, plasma medicine, and plasma agriculture. However, the exact mechanisms of the biological and chemical effects induced by cold atmospheric plasma discharges are still not fully understood. The plasma effects to cells and tissues are often indirectly mediated through liquids, so called plasma activated water or other media. Interaction of plasmas with liquids is a novel avenue of research, which greatly contributes to more complex understanding of the interaction of cold plasmas with complex biological systems. Objectives: • investigations of cold plasma pasteurization of fruit juices – microbial inactivation, examining chemical and nutrition properties • seed germination and plant growth stimulation by plasma activated water • scale-up of plasma systems to pilot scale industrial tests • exploring possibilities of the use of plasmas and plasma activated water as a surrogate for pesticides or synthetic fertilizers