PPPS-2013: Pulsed electric field assisted treatment of microorganisms for lysis

High voltage impulses and plasma impulses, with durations in the range of a few tens of nanoseconds to a few hundred microseconds, can be used to generate electromechanical stresses in biological membranes, in order to facilitate cell lysis. Modelling and analytical evaluations of the PEF treatment process are introduced in this paper. Simulation of the transient electrical processes in a cell, located in liquid between parallel-plane electrodes, is conducted, based on the theory developed in [1]. The effect of the electrical parameters of the external medium are investigated and discussed. The static electric field is analyzed using QuickField electrostatic software for the same model. Two test cells, one with parallelplane electrodes and one with parallel-plane dielectric electrodes, are designed and built. PEF treatment of microalgae is conducted using both test cells, and the results are presented and discussed. The paper also discusses the effects which should be considered when optimising the pulsed electric field treatment parameters, including the pulse waveforms (duration and magnitude), and the topology of the treatment cell.