Patent ID: 7229589
Filing Date: 2007-06-12
Classification: A61L

Abstract:
1. Method for decontamination of a contaminated region containing at least biological species to be destroyed, comprising an input step wherein a source gas containing molecular nitrogen at a pressure between 50 and 4,000 Torr is flown into a generator at a given flow rate, said method further comprising an activation step, during which said source gas is passed between two electrodes of said generator and is dissociated by a discharge pulse applied at a given discharge frequency between said two electrodes, each discharge pulse following a given discharge path adapted to said flow rate so that subsequent discharge paths are independent with respect to one another, thereby producing a decontamination gas, said method further comprising a decontamination step during which said decontamination gas containing at least atomic nitrogen is propagated from said generator into said contaminated region, so that a decontamination gas temperature is comprised between 220 K and 400 K in said decontamination region, and said atomic nitrogen contributes to the deconstruction of at least part of said biological species in said contaminated region.