This workgroup focuses at:

• developing procedures for efficient decontamination of wastewater of agricultural origin and for treatment of growth media (solid/liquid) and manure;
• creating protocols for the production of PAW (plasma-activated water) that will be mainly defined by the type of application of PAW;
• fostering the development of plasma sources and water treatment technologies with attention to legislative, energy consumption, cost-effectiveness, safety, and quality aspects.

The work of the community is firmly cross-linked with the activities in all other workgroups.

Tasks

T4.1. Wastewater treatments and decontamination of water by atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma (LTP). Water treatment processes based on non-thermal plasma combined with classical treatments (e.g. biological) will be developed for the purification of wastewater contaminated with pollutants originated from agricultural practices or animal farms (pesticides, antibiotics, bacteria, etc.). PAW characterization of chemical and physical properties. Toxicity and ecotoxicity tests of the stable products that remain after plasma treatment. Developed procedures for plasma treatments will be compared to classical water treatment practices and if successful, classical procedures will be complemented by plasma treatment.

T4.2. Plasma treatment of water for the creation of PAW. Atmospheric pressure LTPs will be used for the treatment of unpolluted water in order to obtain PAW. Optimization procedures for treatments of water will be developed. Detailed chemical and physical characterization of PAW will be performed (HPLC, LC-MS, UV-Vis, etc.) with special care given to the tests for determining the possible toxicity of PAW. The aging effect on the PAW characteristics will be investigated and accordingly procedures for storing PAW will be determined and recommended for end-users. This task will be performed in close relation to the tasks T2.1, T2.3. and T3.1

T4.3. Plasma-assisted treatment of the plant growth media (soil, water) and manure/organic waste. LTP treatment of the plant growth media and manure for fertilization purposes. Chemical and physical characteristics with emphasis on bactericidal and fungicidal characteristics of the treated growth media will be determined; Possible toxic effects will be investigated.

T4.4. Modeling and development of plasma systems for treatments of growth media. Characterization of plasma systems specifically constructed for wastewater treatment, growth media treatment, and production of PAW with detailed diagnostics and modeling. Where possible well characterized (LCA included) laboratory systems that show the best potential in applications will be turned into prototypes ready to be used by common users.