Application of Ultraviolet-C Radiation and Gaseous Ozone for Microbial Inactivation on Different Materials
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, William G. Mackay, Mostafa E. Rateb, Mohammed Yaseen
Abstract
) and six material substrates (stainless steel, polymethyl methacrylate, copper, surgical facemask, denim, and a cotton-polyester fabric). The combination of both ozone and UVC generally yields improved performance compared to their respective applications for the range of materials and microorganisms considered. Furthermore, the effectiveness of both UVC and ozone was higher when the fungi utilized were smeared onto the nonabsorbent materials than when 10 μL droplets were placed on the material surfaces. This dependence on the contaminating liquid surface area was not exhibited by the bacteria. This study highlights the necessity of adequate UVC and ozone dosage control as well as their synergistic and multifunctional attributes when sterilizing different materials contaminated with a wide range of microorganisms.