Influence of oxygen concentration on ethylene removal efficiency

Ethylene gas is decomposed using dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor for long-period preservation of fruits and vegetables. Oxygen concentration in ambient gas is varied from 2% to 20% to simulate the fruit and vegetable transport container. The experimental result shows that the efficiency of ethylene gas decomposition is almost independent of oxygen concentration. The amount of the oxygen atoms that contribute to the ethylene removal increases with decreasing oxygen concentration because the reaction between oxygen radical and oxygen is suppressed with low oxygen concentration.