Propagation of argon surface discharge in long tubes at atmospheric pressure, is bactericidal effect and the effect of UV emission
Résumé
The objective of the presented work is the bio-decontamination of small diameter long tubes by direct exposure of the tube inner surface to the plasma of a pulsed corona discharge in dry or humid argon. Bactericidal tests were conducted with Escherichia coli strain DH-1 for various exposure times. Up to similar to 5.5 log(10) reduction was observed for E. coli exposed 44 cm away from the HV electrode, for a 20 minute treatment. The factors contributing to the observed bactericidal effect include desiccation, reactive oxygen species (OH), H2O2 accumulation in the liquid phase, and UV B (and possibly VUV) in dry argon.