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The inactivation of Bacillus atrophaeus spores by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in atmospheric humid air was investigated in order to develop a low-temperature, low-cost, and high-speed plasma sterilization technique. The biological indicators covered with a Tyvek sheet were set just outside the DBD plasma region, where air temperature and humidity as a discharge gas were precisely controlled by an environmental test chamber. The results show that the inactivation of B. atrophaeus spores was found to be dependent strongly on humidity, and was completed within 15 min at a relative humidity of 90% and a temperature of 30 °C. The treatment time for sterilization is shorter than those of conventional sterilization methods using ethylene oxide gas and dry heat treatment. The inactivation rates depend on not only relative humidity but also temperature, so that water content in air could determine the generation of reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals that are effective for the inactivation of B. atrophaeus spores.

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