Microsecond-Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Treated Mist for Inactivation of Escherichia coli In Vitro

In this paper, we demonstrate a plasma misting system capable of inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 ( E.coli ) in a 4 ft 3 (approximately 100 L) volume with potential for future use in decontaminating fresh produce. Water droplets, with an average diameter of 5~\mu \text{m} , are generated via u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	IEEE transactions on plasma science 2019-01, Vol.47 (1), p.395-402
Main Authors:	Ranieri, Pietro, McGovern, Gerard, Tse, Henry, Fulmer, Alexander, Kovalenko, Mykola, Nirenberg, Gary, Miller, Vandana, Rabinovich, Alexander, Fridman, Alexander, Fridman, Gregory
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Acoustics Bacteria Compressed air Deactivation Decontamination Dielectric barrier discharge Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) Discharges (electric) Droplets E coli Electrodes Escherichia coli Flow rates Inactivation Inhalers Mist Plasma plasma agriculture plasma disinfection Plasma measurements plasma misting Plasmas pulsed plasma Stellar coronas Surface treatment Time dependence Water drops Water purification
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Summary:	In this paper, we demonstrate a plasma misting system capable of inactivating Escherichia coli O157:H7 ( E.coli ) in a 4 ft 3 (approximately 100 L) volume with potential for future use in decontaminating fresh produce. Water droplets, with an average diameter of 5~\mu \text{m} , are generated via ultrasonic nebulizers and carried by compressed air. These micrometer-sized droplets flowthrough a set of three cylindrical, microsecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs). We observe the Coulombic fission of droplets up to a critical radius into submicrometer droplets (Sauter mean of approximately 0.3 \mu \text{m} ), measured by a laser diffraction analyzer. E.coli , on agar plates, is inactivated by this mist in a time and flowrate-dependent manner. We hypothesize that the observed antimicrobial effect correlates with the concentration of submicrometer droplets. The observed formation of submicrometer droplets from this volumetric DBD is similar to the bursting of droplets observed with electrospray devices using corona discharges.
ISSN:	0093-3813 1939-9375