Scaled-up non-thermal plasma-generating device Plasmatico enables effective and harmless disinfection of personal protective equipment

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to find effective methods for disinfecting items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) in case a similar situation occurs in the future. To address this problem, we selected FFP2 masks, a common PPE that cannot be easily disinfected, and developed a scaled-up non-thermal plasma (NTP)-generating device Plasmatico v1.0, which was constructed as part of a series of prototypes. It is equipped with multiple electrodes within a large exposure chamber. Using Plasmatico v1.0, we achieved complete disinfection of FFP2 masks contaminated with SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus and human rhinovirus after 90 min, while highly resistant human adenovirus was inactivated after 120 min. In addition, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were disinfected within 90 min. Furthermore, the mechanical and surface properties of FFP2 masks remained largely unaffected even after extended NTP exposure (up to 24 h), as shown using tensile test and surface analysis. The newly developed Plasmatico v1.0 device represents an effective, harmless, and affordable solution for disinfecting daily used objects such as FFP2 masks and highlights the potential of NTP technology for widespread application in public health, including improved preparedness for potential future pandemics and for keeping infection outbreaks under control.