Direct exposure to a single filament of DBD plasma leads to the inactivation of airborne bacteria

Summary form only given. Airborne transmission is the cause of the spread of many deadly diseases. There are bacteria that can be easily aerosolized and transmitted far distances inside HVAC systems. To control the spread of these contaminants, HEPA filters are used. These filters however, do not kill bacteria and viruses but only trap them. They also cause large pressure drops inside HVAC systems. DBD plasma discharge has been used as a method of inactivating airborne bacteria. The focus now is on determining the major mechanism of this inactivation. The main distinguishing parameter used to evaluate the sterilization of bacteria is whether this effect is due to direct exposure to plasma or the indirect effect of long living species produced by it. The hypothesis here is that the charges produced by DBD are responsible for this inactivation.