SBIR-STTR Award

Current commercial sterilization units that use plasma require the use of vacuum chambers in order to generate plasma, which is stable. PlasmaSol has developed a means to maintain stable non-thermal plasma at atmospheric pressure and direct the plasma at a surface for decontamination purposes. Non-Thermal Plasmas (NTP) are ionized gases which are far from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and are characterized by having electron mean energies much higher than those of the ambient gas molecules. In these plasmas, it is possible to preferentially direct the electrical energy in order to produce highly energetic electrons without heating the ambient gas. This energy is utilized directly to excite, dissociate and ionize the gas via electron impact. PlasmaSol LLC has demonstrated in a laboratory setting the ability to break down a variety of organic compounds associated with hazardous waste using non-thermal plasma. In theory, at the microbial level, similar destruction should be expected for a variety of cellular organisms. These include but are not limited to bacteria, spores, etc. It is the intention of this project to determine the viability of non thermal plasma for use in the control of terrestrial microbial contamination associated with robotic space vehicles.

Potential Commercial Applications:
There are a variety of commercial applications for this technology in the sterilization market. The following markets and applications could potentially benefit from this technology:Medical sterilizationFood Processing/packagingSurface cleaning of industrial processes such as circuit cards

Ethylene Oxide has been widely used as a low-temperature sterilant since the 1950s. EO sterilizers were combined with a chlorofluorocarbon stabilizing agent, but these agents were phased out because they were linked to destruction ozone layer. This phase out has created a need for new technologies to fill the void for non thermal sterilizing techniques. One approach is the use of non-thermal plasmas. Current commercial sterilization units that use plasma, primarily rely upon the hydrogen peroxide to perform the sterilization, require the use of vacuum chambers in order to generate plasma, and are costly to operate. PlasmaSol has developed a means to maintain stable non-thermal plasma at atmospheric pressure and direct the plasma at a surface for decontamination purposes. Non-Thermal Plasmas (NTP) are ionized gases which are far from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) and are characterized by having electron mean energies much higher than those of the ambient gas molecules. PlasmaSol Corp. has demonstrated in this Phase I effort the ability to sterilize microorganisms effectively at ambient pressure with no carrier gases. It is the intention of this project to develop the systems created in Phase I to a more useable platform for NASA's use and Phase III commercialization. POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS There are a variety of commercial applications for this technology in the sterilization market. The following markets and applications could potentially benefit from this technology: ' Medical sterilization ' Food Processing/packaging ' Surface cleaning of industrial processes such as circuit cards