WATER PURIFICATION BY THE COLD PLASMA METHOD: AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF BACTERICIDAL ACTION

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a cold plasma unit for the disinfection of water contaminated with bacterial microflora. The CD Plasma experimental setup generates cold plasma by ionizing particles of the treated liquid, which is preliminarily converted into a two-phase liquid – gas medium. Cold plasma exerts a pronounced antimicrobial effect due to the synergistic influence of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, ultraviolet radiation, and charged particles, which cause oxidative damage to the cell wall, disruption of membrane integrity, inactivation of proteins, and fragmentation of the DNA of microorganisms. As test objects, the bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were used as representatives of sanitary-indicator and opportunistic microflora. It was shown that exposure to cold plasma for 5 minutes provides a significant reduction in microbial contamination with respect to both cultures, however to a greater extent with respect to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The obtained results indicate the high effectiveness of cold plasma in the inactivation of bacteria without the use of chemical reagents and point to the prospects of its application in water treatment and disinfection technologies.

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