Sterilisation

Sterilisation describes the inactivation of all living microorganisms. This level is reached when maximal one microorganism out of 10^6 remains capable of replication. A distinction is usually made between chemical and physical processes, depending on whether sterilisation is based on thermal or electromagnetic effects or on chemical reactions. The most frequently used sterilisation process worldwide is saturated steam, as used in autoclaves. The use of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas for disinfection or even sterilisation is the subject of numerous research studies worldwide. In various studies, disinfection and sterilisation effects for different plasma systems could be shown.