Plasma Activated Water: A Technology for Acid Generation and Space Crop ProductionAs humanity returns to the moon and onward to Mars, sustainable space travel becomes essential for cost and independence from Earth. Astronaut activities in low Earth orbit resupply consumable materials and can require alternative technologies if transportation of chemicals is deemed hazardous. Plasma technology and applications are able to generate commodities that assist in achieving Earth independence. Plasma interaction with water generates acid in-situ using on-board resources of electricity and breathable air without the need for large infrastructure. At Kennedy Space Center, researchers have shown that plasma is able to produce nitric acid, and therefore nitrates, in a plant-usable form in water. In this report, the team presents results on acid generation in g/kW-hr as well as provides results on plasma activated water for plant growth assistance. Plasma was generated utilizing DC, AC, and pulsed power supplies in order to determine optimizing parameters for generation of this useful commodity.
Document ID
20230008819
Acquisition Source
Kennedy Space Center
Document Type
Presentation
Authors
Ryan Gott (Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Maryland, United States)
Kenneth Engeling (Kennedy Space Center Merritt Island, Florida, United States)
Misle Tessema (Kennedy Space Center Merritt Island, Florida, United States)
Christina Johnson (Wyle (United States) El Segundo, California, United States)
Joel Olson (Southeastern Universities Research Association Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)
Bruce Link (Universities Space Research Association Columbia, Maryland, United States)
Carolina Franco (Aecom (United States) Los Angeles, California, United States)
Jason Fischer (Aecom (United States) Los Angeles, California, United States)
Date Acquired
June 9, 2023
Subject Category
Space ProcessingPlasma Physics
Meeting Information
Meeting: 52nd International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES)