Plasma Based Removal of Microbial Contamination of Paper

Plasma Based Removal of Microbial Contamination of Paper

en

This contribution presents results of the removal of the microbial contamination from paper material using the plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure. Aspergillus Niger, the fungi commonly found in libraries and archives, has been chosen as a bio-indicator enabling to evaluate the effect of plasma assisted microbial inactivation. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operated at atmospheric pressure was used for the paper sterilization because of its easy applicability for archive prints. This technique has also advantage in cost of process as the expensive vacuum pumping equipment is not necessary and high reactant concentrations make sterilization process very fast. Certain amount of fungi was spread on Whatman paper no. 1 and it was cultivated on agar plates. Afterwards the dried paper samples were treated in DBD performed in pure nitrogen, argon or helium. The treatment time and the plasma power density were varied in order to see the effect of the plasma treatment on the fungi removal. After the treatment, the microbial abatement was evaluated by the standard plate count method. This proved a positive effect of the DBD plasma treatment on fungi removal. Moreover the influence of the plasma treatment on the paper properties was investigated.

This contribution presents results of the removal of the microbial contamination from paper material using the plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure. Aspergillus Niger, the fungi commonly found in libraries and archives, has been chosen as a bio-indicator enabling to evaluate the effect of plasma assisted microbial inactivation. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operated at atmospheric pressure was used for the paper sterilization because of its easy applicability for archive prints. This technique has also advantage in cost of process as the expensive vacuum pumping equipment is not necessary and high reactant concentrations make sterilization process very fast. Certain amount of fungi was spread on Whatman paper no. 1 and it was cultivated on agar plates. Afterwards the dried paper samples were treated in DBD performed in pure nitrogen, argon or helium. The treatment time and the plasma power density were varied in order to see the effect of the plasma treatment on the fungi removal. After the treatment, the microbial abatement was evaluated by the standard plate count method. This proved a positive effect of the DBD plasma treatment on fungi removal. Moreover the influence of the plasma treatment on the paper properties was investigated.