275 Sterilization of Escherichia coli Based on Nd: YAG Resonator with a Pulsed Xenon Flashlamp

Abstract – Sterilization of Escherichia coli (E. coli) is examined using a unique pulsed ultra-violet (UV) elliptical reactor based on Nd:YAG laser resonator, UV radiation from a pulsed xenon flashlamp. The light from the discharge has a broadband emission spectrum extending from the UV to the infrared region with a rich UV contained. Sterilization method by using the UV light is fast, environment-friendly and it does not cause secondary pollution. A Nd:YAG laser resonator having elliptical shape has advantage of concentrating the radiation of the UV light at two foci as the quart sleeve filled with E. coli. The primary objective of this research is to determine the important parameters such as pulse per second (pps), the applied voltage for sterilizing E. coli by using an UV elliptical reactor. From the experiment result, the sterilization effect of UV elliptical reactor is better than that of UV cylindrical reactor, and it can be 99.9 % of sterilization at 800V regardless of the pps within 10 minutes