Effects of dielectric barrier discharge on ethylene degradation in fruit and vegetable storage

The ethylene elimination is vital for the storage of fruit and vegetable . In this paper, a rod type dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was utilized to degrade ethylene. The parameters were investigated to evaluate the degradation effect, which included power consumption, flow rate, gap width, initial concentration and ozone content. Experimental results indicated that the highest ethylene removal efficiency could be achieved under the condition with the power of 15 W, the gas flow rate of 1.5 L/min and the gap width of 1 mm. The ozone generated in discharge could accelerate the ethylene degradation. But the ozone content could have a sharply increase when the power was higher than 20 W. The prospect of the application of non-thermal plasma is very bright in long-term storage of horticultural products.