Novel electrostatic devices for managing biotic and abiotic nuisances in environments

摘要

Background: Principlesof basic electrostatics have been used to develop new novel apparatuses formanaging biotic and abiotic invasive nuisances in different environments.Biotic targets were air-borne spores of plant pathogenic fungi and pollengrains causing pollinosis and insect pests transmitting pathogens of cropplants, livestock and humans, and as an abiotic target smoke fine particlecausing various human diseases. To control these environmental nuisances,unique phenomena generated in the electric field were applied to theapparatuses to capture or repel the targets. The discharge-free electric field,which was generated between the opposite charges of the earthed non-insulatedconductor and the insulated conductor charged, was highly effective to createan electrostatic attractive force to trap biotic targets. The discharge-generatingelectric field was an alternative method to create the attractive force bynegatively ionizing smoke fine particles in the electric field, to killpathogenic microbials by exposing streamer discharge-based ozone or coronadischarge-based plasma stream to them, and to electrocute insect pests byshooting high-energy free electrons to them. These theoretical and technicalprogresses enable not only to create spore-free and pest-free space inagricultural and horticultural environments for crop production andpreservation, but to purify indoor air in human domestic environments.