Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Resource-efficient, safe cleaning without conventional cleaning chemicals
In food production, the regular cleaning and disinfection of machinery and equipment is crucial to ensure product quality and safety. However, conventional wet-chemical CIP processes require large volumes of chemical cleaners, which negatively impact the environment and increase disposal costs and operational complexity.
Plasma-activated water (PAW) offers a promising alternative for industrial cleaning and disinfection. This innovative technology activates water using a plasma flame, generating highly reactive species from elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. These reactive compounds dissolve in water, imparting strong antiviral, fungicidal, and antibacterial properties.
While PAW has already demonstrated its potential in disinfection, its suitability for cleaning processes has only been marginally explored so far. This opens up significant opportunities for industrial applications.
Cleaning performance in the food industry
As part of the IVLV project "PAW-Rein," the cleaning effectiveness of PAW was systematically analyzed, with a focus on typical food industry contaminants.
Key aspects investigated included:
- Swelling behavior of food residues and changes in adhesion forces under PAW exposure
- Cleaning performance in closed CIP systems (e.g. pipework)
- Stability and storage properties of PAW
- Decomposition of reactive species after activation
- Compatibility with common construction materials
Results and industrial relevance
To enable industrial adoption, PAW must be producible in sufficient quantities and remain stable during storage. The studies show PAW maintains adequate stability for several days, with only moderate changes in key properties, such as pH, conductivity, and redox potential. External factors such as temperature, UV light, and ambient gases have minimal impact. Stainless steel and selected plastics also demonstrate good chemical resistance to PAW.
In cleaning trials with typical contaminants—such as pudding, protein shake, and limescale—PAW achieved cleaning results comparable to conventional cleaners. Swelling tests further confirmed PAW's effectiveness in breaking down tough residues.
In the future, PAW has the potential to combine cleaning and disinfection steps, significantly reducing overall process times. Substantial reductions in chemical consumption make processes more sustainable and cost-effective.
This project confirms the strong potential of plasma-activated water for industrial cleaning applications.
However, scaling up PAW production is critical for the widespread adoption by industry. Initial production methods, currently supporting only small-scale experiments, were developed during the project.
Building on these results, future projects will focus on scaling up PAW production for industrial volumes, analyzing interactions within soil layers, conducting large-scale cleaning trials, and validating the combined cleaning and disinfection capability of PAW.
Project Informationen
| Project sponsor/Grant authority | Industrievereinigung für Lebensmitteltechnologie und Verpackung e. V. - IVLV |
| IVLV project number | 17023 |