Surface disinfection and decontamination

The methods developed for disinfection and decontamination are not only suitable for use in agriculture, bioeconomy or with regard to environmental aspects. They are also of particular interest to the medical sector, the care sector and preventive health protection. Plasma processes can be successfully used for the reprocessing and even sterilization of items that are not accessible to other processes, e.g. autoclaving. In addition to traditional disposable items, this also includes endoscopes and the reprocessing of personal protective equipment such as respiratory masks or textiles. Consciously exploited and optimized processes have also achieved significantly better, faster and more comprehensive results against certain problematic germs on surfaces, e.g. Cryptosporidium, than disinfectants. In public spaces, the spread of infections via contact surfaces, e.g. handrails and handrails, can be prevented. Plasmas are also used for the basic cleaning of patient rooms or hospital trolleys to prevent nosocomial infections. The advantage over conventional disinfection methods and agents is residue-free treatment. In addition, no resistance to the physico-chemical mechanisms used is known or expected. Plasma processes are therefore also extremely promising for the elimination of multi-resistant microorganisms and viruses.