Key Takeaways
- Cold Plasma in Indoor Agriculture: Cold plasma technology is emerging as a groundbreaking solution in indoor agriculture, particularly within controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Its applications extend beyond traditional uses, offering significant benefits in hydroponic systems by enhancing water treatment and plant health.
- Enhanced Dissolved Oxygen and Disinfection: Cold plasma technology effectively increases dissolved oxygen levels in hydroponic systems while simultaneously providing disinfection benefits through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are powerful natural disinfectants.
- Efficient Pathogen Control: The Ion Solutions system by Ingersoll Rand utilizes cold plasma to achieve a 99.999% reduction in harmful pathogens like Fusarium oxysporum and Pythium irregulare, making it a highly effective tool for pathogen control in CEA.
- Energy Efficiency and Sustainability: Cold plasma technology offers a low-energy, sustainable method for water treatment in hydroponic systems, reducing the reliance on synthetic chemicals and improving water quality.
- Smart Integration and Remote Control: The compact and easy-to-integrate Ion Solutions system features advanced IIoT remote control capabilities, providing a smart, cost-effective solution for improving irrigation water quality in indoor farming setups.
As controlled environment agriculture (CEA) continues to evolve, new innovations are constantly emerging. One recent advancement is cold plasma technology. While cold plasma’s benefits are well-documented in traditional agriculture—such as decontaminating food, purifying air and water, producing fertilizers, sterilizing seeds, and enhancing germination—its applications in hydroponic systems within CEA are just beginning to unfold.
What is Cold Plasma?
Plasma is one of the four states of matter, along with solid, liquid, and gas. It is produced when gas is ionized. Ionization occurs when one or more electrons in a gas are separated from a molecule, which generates positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons.
Plasma gas is traditionally formed by heat, and more recently by electromagnetically removing electrons from a gas (such as Oxygen) leaving positively ionized particles and free electrons referred to as plasma. Electromagnetic removal of electrons from an atom or molecule is referred to as cold plasma.
Cold plasma, or non-thermal plasma, is an ionized (or charged) gas that reacts to electric charges in the spaces around it. This ionized gas can be manipulated using charge and when adjacent to water that is negatively charged, the ionized gas rapidly enters the water creating plasma-activated water (PAW) with reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are highly reactive molecules and free radicals essential for many biological and chemical processes. In water disinfection, ROS acts as a natural disinfectant. Cold plasma technology is advantageous due to its low energy consumption, high efficiency in degradation, and rapid treatment times. It differs from thermal plasma in that it ionizes gas through electron acceleration rather than extreme heat.
The Role of Dissolved Oxygen
Plants need oxygen at their roots to thrive. While soil provides natural oxygen in traditional growing methods, hydroponic systems face challenges in delivering adequate oxygen to roots submerged in nutrient-rich water. To address this, hydroponic setups often use bubblers, diffusers, or air stones to boost dissolved oxygen levels.
Dissolved oxygen is crucial for plant health and nutrient absorption. Higher oxygen levels enhance growth, strengthen plant resilience, help mitigate diseases, and even improve nutritional content. More oxygen in irrigation water speeds up the reproduction of beneficial microbes, which in turn assists plants in absorbing essential nutrients like nitrogen.
However, many current dissolved oxygen solutions struggle to maintain consistently high levels, are energy inefficient, and offer limited additional benefits.
How Does Cold Plasma Help?
In summary, cold plasma enhances dissolved oxygen levels with low energy consumption over extended periods, while also providing additional disinfection benefits.
With Ingersoll Rand Ion Solutions, water is channeled into a specialized chamber where cold plasma is generated within an oxygen “cloud” using advanced hardware and software. This cold plasma produces positively charged ions that are attracted to an electrode beneath a water sheet, creating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the water. Controlled amounts of ROS result in a dual-mode process that combines radicals and dissolved oxygen for effective pathogen control.
Ingersoll Rand has launched Ion Solutions to streamline the integration of cold plasma technology in controlled environment agriculture. The system utilizes dual-mode disinfection and oxygenation for advanced treatment capabilities.
Disinfection and Plant Pathogen Mitigation
Ion Solutions can inject both dissolved oxygen and ROS into the water. ROS are highly effective, naturally occurring disinfectants, capable of eliminating the need for synthetic chemicals. They help combat pests, diseases, and biofilm accumulation in water.
In a laboratory study, Ion Solutions was shown to destroy Fusarium oxysporum and Pythium irregulare, two of the most prevalent and detrimental pathogens in CEA. Both pathogens saw a 5-log (99.999%) reduction within 20 seconds of exposure. Additionally, the system eradicated E.coli, resulting in a 5.57 log reduction in 30 seconds, proving highly effective disinfection capabilities.
Water treated with cold plasma, when released from a facility into the water supply, is of exceptionally high quality—often superior to its initial state—thanks to increased oxygen content.
Plasma-activated water delivers significant advantages for indoor growing, improving both efficiency and hygiene in hydroponic farms without the need for synthetic chemicals. The Ion Solutions system, with its compact design and easy integration into existing setups, offers a plug-and-play solution for enhancing irrigation water quality. Featuring advanced IIoT remote control capabilities, this system stands out as a smart and cost-effective investment for growers.
Those looking for more information about cold plasma use in CEA can download the complimentary eBook “Unlock the Potential of Cold Plasma for Oxygenating and Disinfecting Water.”
Ion Solutions is now available for purchase.
Contact Ingersoll Rand to learn more about their innovative Ion Solutions technology!
