Non-thermal plasma air disinfection for the inactivation of airborne microorganisms in an experimental chamber and indoor air

Abstract Aims Airborne transmission of diseases presents a serious threat to human health, so effective air disinfection technology to eliminate microorganisms in indoor air is very important. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a non-thermal plasma (NTP) air disinfector in both laboratory experiments and real environments. Methods and results An experimental chamber was artificially polluted with a bioaerosol containing bacteria or viruses. Additionally, classroom environments with and without people present were used in field tests. Airborne microbial and particle concentrations were quantified. A 3.0 log10 reduction in the initial load was achieved when a virus-containing aerosol was disinfected for 60 min and a bacteria-containing aerosol was disinfected for 90 min. In the field test, when no people were present in the room, NTP disinfection decreased the airborne microbial and particle concentrations (P 0.05). When people were present in the room, their constant activity continuously contaminated the indoor air, but all airborne indicators decreased (P 0.05) except for planktonic bacteria (P = 0.094). Conclusions NTP effectively inactivated microorganisms and particles in indoor air.