Plasma-assisted CO2 and N-2 conversion to plant nutrient

Colossal research on CO2 and N-2 conversion using non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology has been ongoing since many years. The primary focus is on CO and NH3 production through CO2 and N-2 conversion, respectively, with high conversion efficiency and low energy consumption with or without catalysts. Although in the present study, we propose that the NTP can assist in converting CO2 and N-2 to plant nutrients in the form of plasma-treated/activated water. We used a homemade streamer plasma device and produced plasma-activated water (PAW) using CO2 and N-2 feed gas, CO2-activated water (CAW) and N-2-activated water (NAW). Later, we used CAW and NAW to treat the radish seeds and evaluate the germination rate, germination percentage, and seeding growth. To understand the chemical changes in PAW after the NTP treatment, we performed a chemical analysis to detect NO2 over bar , NO3 over bar , NH4 (+), and H2O2 along with the PAW pH and temperature shift. Additionally, to understand the other species produced in the gas phase, we simulated chemical reactions using COMSOL Multiphysics((R)) software. Our results show that NOx and NHx species are less produced in CAW than in NAW, but CO2-generated PAW offers a significantly more substantial effect on enhancing the germination rate and seeding growth than NAW. Therefore, we suggested that CO and H2O2 formed during CAW production trigger early germination and growth enhancement. Furthermore, the total plasma reactor energy consumption, NO3 over bar and NH4 (+) selective production percentage, and N-2 conversion percentage were calculated. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that uses plasma-assisted CO2 conversion as a nutrient for plant growth.

Automated summary

Colossal research has been conducted on the conversion of CO2 and N-2 using non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology, with a focus on high conversion efficiency and low energy consumption. This study proposes the use of NTP to convert CO2 and N-2 into plant nutrients in the form of plasma-treated/activated water. Homemade streamer plasma devices were used to produce CO2-activated water (CAW) and N-2-activated water (NAW), which were then used to treat radish seeds and evaluate their germination and growth. Chemical analysis and simulations were performed to understand the effects of the plasma treatment. The results show that CO2-generated PAW has a significant effect on enhancing germination and growth, and CO and H2O2 formed during CAW production play a key role in these effects. This study is the first to use plasma-assisted CO2 conversion as a nutrient for plant growth.