The proposed technology is able to sterilize bulk or pre-packaged items in blisters, through the indirect action of a non-thermal plasma. The invention claims to be an alternative to other existing methods of sterilization, e.g. using ethylene oxide (EtO).
| Patent title | Plasma sterilization method |
|---|---|
| Thematic area | Industry, Digital and Security |
| Ownership | ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA' DI BOLOGNA |
| Inventors | Carlo Angelo Borghi, Paolo Seri, Gabriele Neretti |
| Protection | Italy, Europe, USA, China |
| Licensing status | Optioned |
| Keywords | Plasma, Sterilization, Packaging, EtO |
| Filed on | 07 June 2018 |
In order to provide an alternative solution to the sterilization with EtO, having some drawbacks. the new method is based on the usage of either air present in the environment or synthetic air stored in gas cylinders, The air is delivered into a reactor in which an electrical discharge is generated, producing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, namely ROS and RNS. The output is introduced into a vacuum chamber where the item to be sterilized is placed. The vacuum is achieved in the sterilization chamber, ROS and RNS can be introduced. This process allows active species to penetrate inside the conventional semiporous blisters used in the medical field, achieving the sterilization of the contained product.
Applications
- Sterilization of single-use devices;
- Biomedical field.
Advantages
- Greater sustainability of the process: no usage of polluting /toxic gases;
- Low impact on the production site;
- No harmful chemical traces in the final product.