STERILIZING AND DEPYROGENATING PROPERTIES OF A LASER INDUCED PLASMA SUSTAINED BY AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (MICROWAVE, ULTRAVIOLET, MICROINCINERATION)
Abstract
This study investigated the properties of a plasma initiated by a laser and sustained by a microwave field for use in the sterilization and depyrogenation of empty ten milliliter glass serum vials. The properties of the plasma itself and the advantages of using a three phase microwave power source were studied. Using populations of highly resistant Bacillus subtilis spores and bacterial endotoxin, the sterilizing and depyrogenating properties of the plasma were determined. The possible effects of the plasma on the glass vials exposed were also investigated. The results showed that by using a three phase power source, an elaborate timing system was no longer necessary to sustain the plasma. The three phase source also appeared to couple more efficiently with the laser initiated plasma. The plasma was shown to be an excellent sterilizing agent whose lethal effects appeared to be the result of at least two mechanisms: a highly localized heating effect of the plasma and the copious amount of ultraviolet radiation produced by the plasma. The plasma did prove to provide some destruction of bacterial endotoxin, however, higher power levels are probably necessary to provide sufficient depyrogenation for a commercial process. No deleterious effects on the glass vials themselves were detected.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Pharmaceuticals
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