Assessment of tribotechnical properties and resistance to wear of plasma coatings

In order to determine the operating conditions of parts for which restoration of worn surfaces is acceptable by the method of plasma spraying of various powder alloys, contact fatigue tests were carried out under cyclic contact impulse loading. In addition, tribotechnical tests were carried out with various wear-resistant coatings under conditions of liquid sliding friction. Bench and operational tests showed the use of coatings obtained using modern plasma technologies, the feasibility of protecting parts operating in conditions of corrosion, waterjet and cavitation wear, as well as in sliding friction. The coating sprayed with Ni-Al intermetallic alloy powder provides the most reliable protection against shock cyclic impact and abrasion during liquid friction than other materials studied. Coating with wear-resistant self-fluxing powder Ni-Cr-B-Si-C alloy, hardened by solid carboboride phases, without its additional heat treatment for restoration of surfaces working in sliding friction pairs, is not recommended.

On the Program of Russian Research in the Field of Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion and Plasma Technologies

The main scientific problems solved within the “Development of controlled fusion technologies and innovative plasma technologies” federal project, part of the comprehensive program “Development of equipment, technologies, and scientific research in the field of atomic energy use in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024” are described. A brief history of development of the project is given, and the description of its main components, participants, anticipated results, and possibilities for the future is p-resented. This paper is a foreword to the materials of the journal issue entirely devoted to the Tokamak with Reactor Technologies (TRT) project, which is to be developed within the federal project.

The use of cold plasma technology in the surface disinfection system

The work is devoted to the presentation of the system analysis results of hierarchical processes of the viral pandemic and development, based on the use of cold plasma, of technical means to counteract viral threats. The main place is occupied by the description of the application of cold plasma technologies for the purpose of viral disinfection and countering the spread of viruses in various environments. The results of practical field experiments are presented

Potential Routes and Innovative Technologies for Valorisation of Cassava Peels

The large-scale processing of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz.) generates significant quantities of solid wastes annually. Cassava peels (CP) account for 5 wt.% - 30 wt.% of wastes from the processing of cassava tubers. The poor disposal and management of CP pose risks to human health, safety and the environment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify and examine low cost, socially acceptable and environmentally friendly strategies to mitigate the immediate and long terms disposal and management challenges. Lack of such measures results in the accumulation of CP wastes, which are currently buried, combusted, or dumped in open fields. Therefore, this paper reviewed the potential routes for the biochemical, thermochemical, and plasma valorisation of CP. The literature reviewed revealed that biochemical technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD) and fermentation are the most widely utilised approaches currently adopted for CP valorisation. AD produces biogas (methane 50-72 vol. % and carbon dioxide 25-45 vol. %), whereas fermentation yields bioethanol. However, the numerous challenges such as substrate-induced inhibition, associated with the biochemical processes hamper microbial degradation, methane formation, and process efficiency. Furthermore, the processes generate secondary wastes or digestate/sludge, which requires additional processing before disposal. Therefore, innovative thermal, thermochemical, and plasma technologies were proposed to valorise CP into syngas, biofuels, bioenergy, biochemicals, and fertilizers, among others. However, the waste products of fermentation cannot be effectively utilised as bio-fertilizers, whereas bioethanol causes corrosion in engines. Overall, the biochemical, thermal, thermochemical and plasma technologies can effectively valorise CP for effective net energy generation.

Application of High Voltage Electrical Discharge Treatment to Improve Wheat Germination and Early Growth under Drought and Salinity Conditions

The environmentally friendly, physical method of high voltage electrical discharge (HVED) was developed to improve the drought and salinity tolerance of two wheat genotypes. Unlike other plasma technologies, HVED treatment involves the discharge of electricity in water. In this study, the effect of HVED pretreatment on wheat germination and early vegetative growth under drought (0%, 15%, 20% and 30% PEG) and salinity (0, 90, 160 and 230 mM NaCl) stress conditions was investigated. HVED-exposed seeds showed altered seed surfaces and became more permeable to water uptake, resulting in higher germination percentages, germination index values, and shoot and root growth under the control and all drought and salinity concentrations. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of the water medium increased significantly, indicating HVED-induced reactions of ionization and dissociations of water molecules occurred. In addition, HVED pretreatment in the salt experiment improved the tolerance index values of the shoots and roots. The most pronounced genotypic variations occurred under the highest stress levels (30% PEG or 230 mM NaCl) and varied with the stress intensity and growth stage. The study results indicate that HVED pretreatment has the potential to improve drought and salt tolerance in wheat.

Development of Cold Plasma Technologies for Surface Decontamination of Seed Fungal Pathogens: Present Status and Perspectives

In view of the ever-growing human population and global environmental crisis, new technologies are emerging in all fields of our life. In the last two decades, the development of cold plasma (CP) technology has offered a promising and environmentally friendly solution for addressing global food security problems. Besides many positive effects, such as promoting seed germination, plant growth, and development, CP can also serve as a surface sterilizing agent. It can be considered a method for decontamination of microorganisms on the seed surface alternative to the traditional use of fungicides. This review covers basics of CP technology and its application in seed decontamination. As this is a relatively young field of research, the data are scarce and hard to compare due to various plasma setups and parameters. On the other hand, the rapidly growing research field offers opportunities for novel findings and applications.