Characterization and effectiveness of a miniaturized dielectric barrier discharge module for air disinfection

Abstract

Effective inactivation of airborne pathogens is crucial for air quality control and the prevention of infectious diseases, especially in indoor human-living environments. In this work, a novel air disinfector based on surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma was proposed. The discharge characteristics and the disinfection performance of the disinfector were investigated under different applied voltages, airflow rates, and humidity. The used DBD mainly works in the O3-dominant product mode with a discharge power of 1–3 W. The decreases in N2(C-B) emission intensity, ozone, discharge power, and discharge current with the increasing airflow humidity were observed. Humidity was found to be the most pronounced factor promoting the single-pass disinfection efficiency. The Z value reached 0.32 l/J for relative humidity of 70%–80%. Additionally, ozone and ions were found to play a minor role in plasma-mediated bacterial inactivation. The antibacterial effectiveness of the disinfector was also validated by 2-h circulating disinfection experiments. Efficiency was maintained above the disinfection level (>99.9%) after a 5000-h continuous running. Meanwhile, the ozone emission was below the standard limit requirements. The proposed air disinfector is promising for household use with the advantages of small size, bacterial inactivation capability, low ozone emission, and high perceptibility.