008

Title:

Generation of Nanobubbles and their Agricultural and Environmental Applications

Discipline: Environmental Engineering

Presenter:

Xiaonan Shi

Abstract:

Nanobubbles (NBs) hold promise in green and sustainable engineering applications in diverse fields (e.g., water/wastewater treatment, food processing, medical applications, and agriculture). This study investigated the effects of four types of NBs on seed germination and plant growth. Air, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide NBs were generated and dispersed in tap water. Different plants including lettuce, carrot, fava bean, and tomato were used in germination and growth tests. The seeds in water containing NBs exhibited 6-25% higher germination rates. Especially, nitrogen NBs exhibited considerable effects in the seed germination, whereas air and carbon dioxide NBs did not significantly promote germination. The growth of stem length and diameter, leave numbers, and leave width were improved by NBs (except air). Furthermore, the promotion effect was primarily ascribed to the generation of exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) by NBs and higher efficiency of nutrient fixation or utilization. Furthermore, reactive NBs are also developed and implemented in water treatment to mitigate harmful algae bloom and degrade cyanotoxins. A contaminated lake became clear after 19 days treated by micro- and nanobubbles.

Author(s):

Xiaonan Shi, Ahmed K. A. Ahmed, Taha Marhaba, Wen Zhang*

Funding Acknowledgements:

Thank the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), United States Department of Agriculture, Undergraduate Research and Innovation program (URI) Phase-1 & Phase-2 in New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Otto H. York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science for their financial and instrumental supports.