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A novel method based on the combination of simultaneous cold plasma treatment with Mg nanoparticles deposition, applied to Mung bean seeds by improving their quality, is presented. The SRIM simulation reveals that only the very top layer of the seeds surface can be altered by the plasma. The experimental analysis indicates surface composition changes with a polar groups formation. These groups initiate the shift of surface characteristics from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. The chemical bond analysis shows the formation of MgO and Mg(OH)2 compounds, which acts as a positive factor for seeds germination and growth. The germination experiments showed a 70% outcome with an average of 73.9 mm sprouts length after 30 min of plasma treatment compared to the initial seeds (40% outcome and 71.3 mm sprouts length).

One of the main challenges related to hydrogen energy technologies is hydrogen storage in a safe and economically reasonable way. A promising solution could be related to the use of aluminum or its alloys to reduce water to form hydrogen when needed. The aluminum–water reaction is thermodynamically favorable, but does not proceed due to the passivation of the aluminum surface by the protective aluminum oxide layer, which prevents water molecules from coming into direct contact with metal particles. Herein, the surface of aluminum particles was modified by using a low‐temperature plasma‐activation approach. Such a modification induces a hydrophilicity effect and the modified aluminum powder sinks instantly in water, whereas unmodified powder floats on the top of the water. The plasma‐based activation technology is also discussed in detail. The structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by using SEM, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and XRD. BET surface area analyses were also performed. The elemental composition on the nanoscale level and formation of polar groups were experimentally investigated by using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Amounts of oxygen/hydrogen were measured by using the inert‐gas fusion method. Tests show that hydrogen production starts after 1 min of aluminum powder immersion into slightly alkaline water and continues for up to 20 min. The reaction by‐product is environmentally friendly and could be used for the production of aluminum oxide.

The growing level of wastewater as well as pollution of freshwater by various bacteria are essential worldwide issues which have to be solved. In this contribution, nanocrystalline anatase TiO2 films deposited by magnetron sputtering on high-density polystyrene (HDPE) beads were applied as floating photocatalysts for Salmonella Typhimurium bacterial inactivation in water for the first time. Additionally, the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of HDPE beads with TiO2 film under UV-B irradiation was investigated. The suitability to adopt such floating photocatalyst structures for practical applications was tested in cycling experiments. The detailed surface morphology, crystal structure, elemental mapping, surface chemical composition and bond analysis of deposited TiO2 films were investigated by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope techniques. The bacterial viability as well as MB decomposition experiments showed promising results by demonstrating that 6% of bacterial colonies were formed after the first run and only about 1% after the next four runs, which is an appropriate outcome for practical applications. NPN uptake results showed that the permeability of the outer membrane was significantly increased as well.

Water contamination by various bacteria, viruses and other pathogens is a great threat to human health. Amongst other Advanced Oxidation Processes TiO2 photocatalysis is considered as one of the most efficient treatment for the polluted wastewater disinfection. Usually, the wastewater produced by higher risk objects, such as hospitals, implicates diverse contaminants, but efficiency of most of the Advanced Oxidation Processes is tested by using only single pathogens and information on inactivation of bacteria mixtures is still limited. In this study, photocatalytical inactivation of three commonly found bacterial pathogens (gram-positive (Micrococcus luteus) and gram-negative (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli)) was investigated. Efficiency of traditional photocatalytic disinfection process using single bacterial pathogens was compared to the one observed for their mixtures. The impact of photocatalytical process parameters and treatment time on bacteria disinfection efficiency was studied. Photocatalytic disinfection efficiency testing with bacteria mixtures revealed, that in the presence of TiO2 photocatalyst and UV irradiation tested gram-positive cells were inactivated slower than gram-negative cells. Another important finding was that an overall photocatalytic disinfection efficiency of bacteria mixtures is not a straight forward sum of inactivation rates of individually tested pathogens but has a strong relationship to the properties of their competitive growth.

Photocatalysis application is considered as one of the most highly promising techniques for the reduction in wastewater pollution. However, the majority of highly efficient photocatalyst materials are obtained as fine powders, and this causes a lot of photocatalyst handling and reusability issues. The concept of the floating catalyst proposes the immobilization of a photocatalytic (nano)material on relatively large floating substrates and is considered as an encouraging way to overcome some of the most challenging photocatalysis issues. The purpose of this study is to examine floating photocatalyst application for Salmonella typhimurium bacteria inactivation in polluted water. More specifically, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) beads were used as a photocatalyst support for the immobilization of carbon-doped TiO2 films forming floating photocatalyst structures. Carbon-doped TiO2 films in both amorphous and anatase forms were deposited on HDPE beads using the low-temperature magnetron sputtering technique. Bacteria inactivation, together with cycling experiments, revealed promising results by decomposing more than 95% of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in five consecutive treatment cycles. Additionally, a thorough analysis of the deposited carbon-doped TiO2 film was performed including morphology, elemental composition and mapping, structure, and depth profiling. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is a suitable technique for the formation of high-quality photocatalytic active films on thermal-sensitive substrates.

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