There are many applications where sterility is of the utmost importance and first and foremost is in hospitals and medical fields. However, there are also a number of industries where sterility also has its importance, which range from packaging to pharmaceutical, from archaeology to space. This article looks at the use of non-equilibirum plasma discharges in those areas where normal sterilisation procedures cannot be used. Non-equilibirum plasma discharges are considered to be a promising alternative, due to their unique nature and advantageous properties that have already made them essential in a wide range of other applications. In general, these discharges are generated by subjecting a common gas to an electromagnetic field, either of constant or alternating amplitude. Charged particles are accelerated in the applied field & couple their energy into plasma via inelastic collisions with other particles without substantial increase of gas temperature. These collisions result in the production of ions, as well as a variety of chemically active particles which subsequently interact with the treated biological residuals leading to their sterlilization or elimination.
