Grating-like DBD plasma for air disinfection: Dose and dose-response characteristics.

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is an emerging technique for effective bioaerosol decontamination and is promising to be used in indoor environments to reduce infections. However, fundamental knowledge of the dose and dose-response characteristics of plasma-based disinfection technology is very limited. By examining the single-pass removal efficiency of S. lentus aerosol by in-duct grating-like DBD plasma reactors with varied discharge setups (gap distance, electrode size, number of discharge layers, frequency, dielectric material), it was found that the specific input energy (SIE) could be served as the dose for disinfection, and the efficiency was exponentially dependent on SIE in most cases. The corresponding susceptibility constants (Z values) were obtained hereinafter. Humidity was a prominent factor boosting the efficiency with a Z value of 0.36 L/J at relative humidity (RH) of 20% and 1.68 L/J at RH of 60%. MS2 phage showed a much higher efficiency of 2.66–3.08 log 10 of reduction than those of S. lentus (38–85%) and E. coli (42%–95%) under the same condition. Using SIE as the dose, the performance of plasma reactors in the literature was compared and evaluated. This work provides a theoretical and engineering basis for air disinfection by plasma-based technology. [Display omitted] • Specific input energy (SIE) is proposed as a feasible dose parameter for air disinfection by grating-like DBD plasmas • Humidity is a prominent factor boosting the efficiency with a Z value of 1.68 L/J at the relative humidity of 60%. • MS2 phage has a single-pass efficiency of 2.66–3.08 log 10 , much higher than bacteria (38–95%) under the same condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]