電漿殺菌技術原理及其應用

殺菌、消毒、滅菌是醫療、製藥、生物技術、食品加工製造、空調等相關行業所必要且仍持續在發展中之技術。長久以來上述產業一直在期待一可在接近室溫下進行，且其殺菌所須時間又能比加熱殺菌或化學藥品等方法所須時間短，而又無毒性殘存危險之殺菌方法。電漿或低壓輝光放電殺菌即為一已被工業界認定具低溫短時特性且對操作環境無毒性殘存之殺菌方法，可節省能源並降低殺菌作業成本。本文章之主要目的即在介紹低溫電漿殺菌技術。就文章內容而言，首先回顧已被廣泛應用之殺菌方法及其工作原理，接著敘述電漿技術之原理並介紹其硬體系統，依序則探討電漿殺菌之殺菌機制並比較電漿殺菌與其它殺菌方法之特點，文章最後則概述電漿殺菌之應用現況並論述未來展望。

Pasteurization, disinfection, and sterilization technologies are needed for medical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food processing, ventilating and air conditioning industries. The above industries have been searching for sterilization technologies which can be executed near room temperature, short time, dry-type, and without formation of toxic by-products. Utilizing the plasma to achieve sterilization is an alternative to conventional sterilization means as far as sterilization of heat-sensitive materials and innocuity of sterilizing agents are concerned. The main objective of this article is to introduce the development of the sterilization technology by utilizing the low temperature plasma. The methodologies and principles for sterilization technologies which have been widely used are firstly reviewed. The working principles and hardware systems of plasma technology are described and then the sterilization mechanism of plasma is followed. The characteristics of various sterilization methods are also compared. At the end, the current application status of plasma sterilization and future development are discussed.