Plasma-based disinfectant developed for decontaminant for Covid-19

A team of researchers have developed a plasma-based disinfectant which could act as a green and environment friendly decontaminant for Covid-19, according to an official statement.

The team has demonstrated that the plasma generated by cold atmospheric pressure (CAP) has the potential to deactivate SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, it said.

Scientists Dr. Kamatchi Sankaranarayanan, Dr. Mojibur R. Khan and Dr. H. Bailung from the Life Sciences and Physical Sciences divisions from the Institute of the Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) are part of the team.

Plasma, the fourth state of matter which makes up most of the universe, when produced in controlled conditions in the lab and is termed as Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma.

The Science and Technology Ministry, in the statement, said the scientists passed plasma forming gases such as Helium, Argon, and Air through a high voltage electric field which led to the formation of a stable plasma with a mixture of ions, and electrons emitting a pink glow of CAP inside the reaction chamber.

This research, which was recently published in the international journal of the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Advances, shows that short-lived highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) generated in the plasma led to complete deactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein occurs within two minutes of CAP treatment.

The RT-PCR analysis has also established that CAP can deactivate the RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to the ministry.

The lead authors Sankaranarayanan and Bailung said that the disinfection method could further be extended for various bacterial or fungal infections.