Development of high durability plasma filter for air circulating disinfection system

Deadly diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria and viruses that spread, among other means, through air circulating systems; hence, it is important to focus on pathogen removal from the air before circulating air through the system. Our paper introduces a novel plasma-based filter that, when used in an air circulating system with particulate air filter, disinfects the air flow. This device, based on dielectric filter discharge (DFD) structure with low pressure drops, indicates easy installation into existing air circulating system. Its performance was evaluated in accordance with the specifications of duct used in hospitals, with consistent O₃ generation during 200 h showing high durability. Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus were used as the target airborne bacteria; the system exhibited a removal efficiency of approximately 99.99% on bacterial aerosols and continuous bactericidal action, demonstrating that the DFD system can be directly applied to existing air circulating systems.