Inactivation of Escherichia coli in water using cold atmospheric plasma jet

Abstract

Plasma jets generated under atmospheric pressure (APPJ) own an anti-microbial ability. A setup where the plasma jet is ignited at the exit of a flexible plastic tube has been employed for plasma based liquid treatment. The APPJ has been completely immersed in water contaminated with Escherichia coli strains for the sake of its cleansing. The plasma discharge has been ignited using a mixture of argon and oxygen as working gas. This mixture leads to changing key characteristics of the liquid such as the pH level and helps to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the suspension. Results illustrated that such treatment lead to water decontamination in an average of 15 minutes of treatment due to the interaction of ROS in the suspension with the bacterial cells causing their death without the use of any particular chemicals.