Low Temperature Plasma Source for Chemical and Biological Decontamination

The excited or dissociated gaseous species created in non-thermal glow discharge plasmas are effective agents for killing or neutralizing certain biological or chemical warfare agents. For decontaminating sensitive equipment or personnel, the effluentfrom such plasmas must be near room temperature to prevent unintentional dispersal of the hazardous warfare agents and to avoid harming the equipment or persons being cleaned. We propose a unique method for generating room temperaturedecontaminating/sterilizing plasma effluent without the use of bottled gases. The technique can be embodied in an easily fieldable system that employs a handheld or fixed-position Cool Air-Plasma Gun. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the fundamentalconcepts necessary for generating cool decontaminating plasma effluent without using bottled gases. In Phase II, we will build a prototype Cool Air-Plasma Gun system and demonstrate its efficacy for decontaminating or sterilizing simulants of chemicalwarfare agents.Creare's cool plasma effluent technology is expected to provide a deployable system for decontaminating sensitive equipment or even personnel. Such a system will provide significant benefits to defense against chemical or biological warfareor terrorist acts, clean-up of toxic industrial chemicals, and sterilization of medical equipment and devices.