DEVELOPMENT OF PLASMA TECHNOLOGY FOR MICROBIAL AND VIROLOGICAL DECONTAMINATION

The sterilization process of medical instruments and equipment is essential to prevent the transfer of infections by bacteria and viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 between patients and healthcare professionals. Among the techniques for sterilizing materials and decontaminating environments, technologies based on plasmas or ionized gases stand out. In this project we propose the development and construction of two types of plasmas-based decontamination devices. The first device will be based on a portable, low-cost corona discharge, while the second device will be based on a plasma reactor designed for large-scale decontamination. The technologies will be developed at the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of Brasília, following the "free hardware" model, in which diagrams and schematics must be made publicly available, so that any person or entity can study, modify, distribute, manufacture and sell diagrams and equipment based on the original diagram. The proposal also includes development and training of human resources through scientific initiation projects, technical support scholarships and master's dissertations.