A novel sterilisation tool
The ability of bacteria to grow in biofilms on almost every surface possible poses a major health threat. Hospital wards, biotechnological facilities and food production factories struggle with persistent microbial infections. Current methods for sterilisation include thermal heating, the use of chemical substances or gamma sterilisation. However, these methods are toxic, environmentally unfriendly or unsuitable for all materials. This clearly necessitates novel solutions and tools for sterilisation. The EU-funded PLASMA STERILIZATION project proposed to develop a low-temperature gas discharge plasma device for cold sterilisation of various heat-sensitive surfaces and materials. Plasma has long been considered a very good means of sterilisation as it can inactivate most pathogens, including bacteria, microbial spores, fungi and viruses. However, the low-pressure devices currently in the market are costly or cannot be applied in living tissues. PLASMA STERILIZATION researchers set out to develop a low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma steriliser with a small cycle length that is operator and environment friendly. In this context, they employed a compact and portable atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) reactor. Using active species such as ozone scientists successfully sterilised non-heat resistant materials without changing their properties. The device offers considerable flexibility through its various sized and shaped tips and nozzles. It has been designed to combine gas, vapour, liquid spray and foam, which could enhance sterilisation efficacy. Next, the consortium plans to test the device for the sterilisation of surfaces and biological samples. Its implementation in the health care sector is expected to minimise infections caused by hospitalisation, infected medical equipment or medical prosthetics. Furthermore, in the food industry it should prove useful not only for sterilisation purposes but for food preservation as well.
Keywords
Sterilisation, bacteria, atmospheric-pressure plasma jet, health care
