In the last few years, new emerging technologies to develop novel winemaking methods were reported. Most of them pointed out the need to assess the barrel aging on the wine product, fermentation process, green technologies for wine treatment for long term storage. Among these, plasma technologies at atmospheric pressure are on the way of replacing old and expensive methods for must, wine and yeast treatment, the goal being the long-term storage, aging and even decontamination of such products, and seems to meet the requirements of the winemakers. Using the principles of dielectric barrier discharge, we power up an atmospheric pressure plasma jet in helium. This plasma is used for treatment of fresh must obtained from white grapes. Our research manuscript is focused on the correlation of plasma parameters (applied voltage, plasma power, reactive species, gas temperature) with the physico-chemical properties of white must and wine (1 and 2 years old), via ultraviolet–visible and infrared spectroscopy, and colorimetry. Two types of white must were plasma treated and studied over time. The 10 W plasma source did not exceed 40 °C during treatment, the must did not suffer during thermal treatment. A higher quantity of RONS was observed during plasma-must exposure, supporting further oxidation processes. The UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy revealed the presence of phenols, flavones and sugar in the wine samples. Simultaneous visualization of CIE L*a*b* and RGB in color space charts allows easier understanding of wine changing in color parameters. These experimental results supporting the possible usability of atmospheric pressure plasma for winemaking.

In the Mănăila alpine area, the soil layer developed in situ on top of the sericite-schists, which belong to the Tulghes 3 metamorphic unit. The aim of the present work was to determine the degree of soil formation using both mineralogical and geochemical exploration methods. XRD, FTIR and SEM-EDS results showed that the soil constituents were dioctahedral 2:1 minerals, quartz, chlorite, Na-feldspar, rutire and ilmenite. Mainly illite and secondarily mixed-layer minerals were considered to be the most likely minerals resulting from the transformation of sericite and chlorite under acidic alpine conditions. Geochemical modeling inferred the dominance of illite and the presence of smectite as a chlorite alteration product. The weathering indices supported the moderate stage of the soil development agreeing with mineralogical observations. Because of the abundance of sericite and quartz in the parent material, the soil formation was retarded, and its present composition is still related to the bedrocks.

Polymers are essential in several sectors, yet some applications necessitate surface modification. One practical and eco-friendly option is non-thermal plasma exposure. The present research endeavors to examine the impacts of dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric pressure plasma on the chemical composition and wettability properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene surfaces subject to the action of additive manufacturing. The plasma source was produced by igniting either helium or argon and then adjusted to maximize the operational conditions for exposing polymers. The drop in contact angle and the improvement in wettability after plasma exposure can be due to the increased oxygen-containing groups onto the surface, together with a reduction in carbon content. The research findings indicated that plasma treatment significantly improved the wettability of the polymer surface, with an increase of up to 60% for both working gases, while the polar index increased from 0.01 up to 0.99 after plasma treatment. XPS measurements showed an increase of up to 10% in oxygen groups at the surface of He–plasma-treated samples and up to 13% after Ar–plasma treatment. Significant modifications were observed in the structure that led to a reduction of its roughness by 50% and also caused a leveling effect after plasma treatment. A slight decrease in the glass and melting temperature after plasma treatment was pointed out by differential scanning calorimetry and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Up to a 15% crystallinity index was determined after plasma treatment, and the 3D printing process was measured through X-ray diffraction. The empirical findings encourage the implementation of atmospheric pressure plasma-based techniques for the environmentally sustainable manipulation of polymers for applications necessitating higher levels of adhesion and specific prerequisites.

The investigated area belongs to the Mn metamorphosed ore chain along the Bistriţa Mountains in Eastern Carpathians. Over time, mining waste accumulated and underwent physico-chemical changes. A particular situation of sampling area consists of ore-roasting furnace tailings, abandoned without extensive reclamation. The study included the control soil and Technosol associated with tailings. XRD and XRF methods were applied for mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the two soil categories. The rare minerals of Mn (sonolite, hodgkinsonite, bustamite, braunite, ardenite, nimite and pyrosmalite) were identified. Pedogenetic effects were reflected by the presence of clay minerals (illite-montmorillonite; chlorite-montmorilonite; montmorillonite). The geochemical indices and mass balance were applied for soil maturity degree evaluation. The average CIA (76.60) and MIA (70.29) in control soil and CIA (73.12) and MIA (67.79) respectively for Technosol denoted that the soil achieved an intermediate to advance state of evolution. Mass balance also inferred these weathering state of soil due to the depletion of Ca > Mg > Na > K. The compositional peculiarity was determined by Mn high abundance (averages of: 1,894 mg/kg in control soil; 23,421 mg/kg in Technosol). The Mn risk of contamination in Technosol evaluated by the means of metal enrichment index (MEI) was very high (10.28–21.71), but the ecological risk (E_i) was low (< 40). The quality of control soil in relation with Mn enrichment did not require any monitoring program. Only Technosol could induce ecological risk over time.