K. Kelly-wintenberg et al., Air filter sterilization using a one atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma (the Volfilter), IEEE PLAS S, 28(1), 2000, pp. 64-71
Two characteristics of microorganisms-extremely smalt size (0.01 to a few m
icrometers) and the ability to reproduce-hinder the effective filtration of
bacteria and viruses from indoor air. The microorganisms captured by a fil
ter in spite of their small size can reproduce in situ and be released into
the airstream, giving rise to the "sick building syndrome." The applicatio
n of the One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) to a filter
can address both these issues. At University of Tennessee at Knoxville, we
have recently developed the "Volfilter,'' a planar version of the OAUGDP pr
oduced by attaching strip electrodes to both sides of a sheet of dielectric
filter material and energizing the electrodes with a high-voltage, low-fre
quency RF source. After the filter material removes microorganisms from the
airstream, the OAUGD plasma kills the captured microorganisms, The combina
tion of an appropriate filter material and periodic application of the OAUG
DP results in an effective capture and sterilization device even for the sm
allest microorganisms and requires minimum maintenance. This paper will des
cribe results obtained during the operation of a laboratory-scale "Volfilte
r'' challenged by two kinds of microorganisms, S. aureus and the bacterial
virus Phi X 174. An objective of this work is to demonstrate that a "Volfil
ter' exposed to a OAUGDP will have the number of captured microorganisms on
its surface reduced by a factor of one million.