WO2012127423A1 - Procédé et appareil pour traiter des fluides contenant des polluants biologiques avec un champ électrique - Google Patents

Procédé et appareil pour traiter des fluides contenant des polluants biologiques avec un champ électrique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012127423A1
WO2012127423A1 PCT/IB2012/051342 IB2012051342W WO2012127423A1 WO 2012127423 A1 WO2012127423 A1 WO 2012127423A1 IB 2012051342 W IB2012051342 W IB 2012051342W WO 2012127423 A1 WO2012127423 A1 WO 2012127423A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
electrode
electric potential
fluid
generator
electric field
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PCT/IB2012/051342
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English (en)
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Claudio Antolini
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23B—PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
    • A23B2/00—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general
    • A23B2/60—Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general by treatment with electric currents without heating effect
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23L—FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF
    • A23L5/00—Preparation or treatment of foods or foodstuffs, in general; Food or foodstuffs obtained thereby; Materials therefor
    • A23L5/30—Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for treating fluids containing biological pollutants (viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.) with an electric field, typically alimentary fluids such as water, milk, orange juice, beer, etc. or biological fluids such as blood, serum, plasma, etc. or also medical fluids such as vaccines and the like.
  • biological pollutants viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.
  • an electric field typically alimentary fluids such as water, milk, orange juice, beer, etc. or biological fluids such as blood, serum, plasma, etc. or also medical fluids such as vaccines and the like.
  • micro-organism will be used in the following to indicate any type of biological pollutant present in the fluid to be treated.
  • introducing a micro-organism into an electric field may cause the phenomenon of electroporation, i.e. an increase in the permeability of the cellular membrane, and said phenomenon is used in molecular biology to introduce substances inside the cells.
  • Each cell depending on its size and its morphology, has a first characteristic value of electric field Es that represents the minimum threshold below which the membrane is not affected. Beyond said electric field value the cellular membrane presents characteristics of increased permeability due to the formation of "pores" on its surface, which remain as long as the electric field is maintained.
  • the cell also has a second characteristic value of electric field Er that represents the maximum threshold beyond which the electroporation phenomenon is irreversible, because the increase in the number of "pores" breaks down the cellular membrane and the cell is destroyed. Also this maximum threshold depends on the type of cell, in particular on its size, and it has been found that the greater the cell the lower the electric field required to reach the irreversible electroporation.
  • Known experimental devices can be generically described as made up of a treatment chamber containing two electrodes essentially consisting of conductive metal plates, facing each other at a distance of few millimeters, between which the fluid to be treated is placed or passed.
  • a pulsed electric voltage is applied to these electrodes according to the methods that proved to be most effective until now, namely the PEF method (Pulsed Electric Field) or the HIPEF method (High Intensity Pulsed Electric Field) which differ in the intensity of the voltage pulse.
  • the method consists in repeatedly applying intense yet brief electric fields to the fluids containing the biological pollutants by applying between the electrodes voltages ranging from a few thousands up to tens of thousands volts for a time ranging from fractions of a micro-second to milliseconds.
  • a pulsed electric voltage derives from the fact that the voltage not only generates the electric field that affects the micro-organisms present in the fluid but also generates significant electrochemical phenomena. These phenomena are such that the transformation of a cell present in the fluid being treated may be caused by multiple factors whose contributions are not distinguishable, such as: heat, electric field, passage of ions, passage of electrons, immersion in chemical compounds generated by electrolysis, etc. Even coating the electrodes with insulating material to prevent the passage of current and to limit the release of electrode particles into the fluid being treated was ineffective, because the electroporation phenomenon occurred very partially and at voltages so high as to make any practical system unfeasible.
  • any known apparatus that intends to use the phenomenon of irreversible (or reversible) electroporation is conceptually based on a single method: the electric field E to which the microorganism is to be exposed is obtained by generating a difference in electric potential, called voltage hereafter, between two electrodes such that the electrodes themselves acts as the two plates of a capacitor.
  • the voltage pulse is generated by an electronic device that charges a group of capacitors which are periodically simultaneously discharged on the electrodes that in turn act as a capacitor.
  • the amount of electric charge required to charge the group of capacitors is the power consumption of the device, said group of capacitors being necessary since in order to achieve the required high voltage it is necessary to gather a large amount of electric charges, which will then pass from one electrode to the other through the fluid depending on the fluid resistivity.
  • the conventional electroporation method also has the serious drawback of a poor selectivity that on the contrary would be highly desirable for many applications, medical and nonmedical, in which it would be extremely useful to be able to perform a targeted removal of micro-organisms with given morphological features.
  • Unfortunately such a control of the selectivity is not possible with the known apparatuses in which the only parameter that allows to control the selectivity is the value of the electric field generated between the electrodes, which allows a "one-way" selectivity based only on exceeding a threshold value.
  • each type of micro-organism has a characteristic electric field value Er beyond which the cellular membrane breakdown phenomenon can be triggered, and if the fluid contains two types of cells with two respective different values Er' and Er" (e.g. Er' ⁇ Er") the selectivity can be achieved only for one type of cell.
  • Er' and Er e.g. Er' ⁇ Er
  • the presently available techniques do not allow to selectively remove from a fluid a micro-organism having a given value Er" while maintaining another micro- organism having a value Er' ⁇ Er".
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus which overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.
  • This object is achieved by means of a method and an apparatus in which the electric field acting on the micro-organism to cause the irreversible electroporation does not generate a passage of current between the electrodes since there is provided only a single electrode operatively insulated from solid conductive members having an electric potential different from its electric potential and that therefore may act as ground electrodes or points towards which a continuous stream of electric charges may flow.
  • the main advantage of the method and of the apparatus according to the invention is exactly that of generating an electric field in the fluid being treated without the electrode being crossed by current.
  • the electrode is not consumed and dispersed in the fluid
  • the electrode does not heat up and therefore it is not necessary to refrigerate either the electrode or the fluid, whereby it is possible to make very thin electrodes that can be used, for example, for catheterisation in the medical field;
  • the electric power consumption of the apparatus is limited to the supply to an alternating voltage generator and said consumption is just a small fraction of the consumption of a conventional PEF system;
  • the treatment of biological and alimentary fluids is possible in that, by slightly increasing the peak of the electric potential applied to the electrode, the electrode can be coated with a thin layer of biocompatible insulating material obtaining the same electric field that would be obtained without the layer of insulating material.
  • the electronic device to generate and control the electric potential to be applied to the electrode is very simple, reliable, inexpensive and does not include critical components prone to wear or deterioration.
  • Still another important advantage of the present method and apparatus stems from the fact that, since the oscillating electric potential is applied in a continuous way, it is possible to adjust not only the electric field intensity but also another of the parameters that affect the electroporation of a given type of cell, namely the oscillation frequency f of the electric potential applied by the alternating voltage generator (whereas the used waveform is substantially irrelevant).
  • This characteristic allows to act on the frequency variable to obtain a "bidirectional" selectivity, i.e., with reference to the previously cited example, even in the case where Er' ⁇ Er" ⁇ Er it is possible to find a frequency f such that the percentage of destruction of the first type of cell is much lower than the percentage of destruction of the second type of cell.
  • Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a prior art apparatus
  • Fig.2 is a diagrammatic view of a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention.
  • Fig.3 is a diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention.
  • a generator 1 for example a DC generator
  • the two electrodes are essentially formed by conductive metal plates, facing each other at a distance of few millimeters, between which the fluid to be treated, indicated by arrow F, is placed or passed.
  • a first electrode 2 is connected to the positive pole of generator 1 and a second electrode 3 is connected to the negative pole of generator 1 , and a pulsed electric voltage is applied to these electrodes 2, 3.
  • Fig.2 there is seen that the novel aspect of the method and apparatus of the present invention resides in the use of an alternating voltage generator 4 that continuously applies an oscillating electric potential to a single electrode 5 connected to a first pole of generator 4.
  • This single electrode 5 is arranged at a substantially central position in a treatment chamber with walls 6 of insulating material, whereby said electrode 5 is operatively insulated from conductive members having an electric potential different from its own, while the other pole of generator 4 remains unconnected.
  • an apparatus according to the present invention is substantially made up of:
  • a treatment chamber inside which the electrode is arranged, operatively insulated from other conductors, and through which the fluid to be treated is passed.
  • the effectiveness of the present method stems from the fact that thanks to the continuous application of the oscillating electric potential the micro-organisms are subjected to the effects of a variable electric field for a time that is some orders of magnitude greater with respect to a typical PEF treatment.
  • the latter provides, for example, a pulse of 6 micro-seconds applied 150 times per second whereby the micro-organism is immersed in an electric field for a total of 900 micro-seconds (i.e. 0,0009 seconds) which correspond to just 0,09% of the treatment time with the present method.
  • the second embodiment illustrated in Fig.3 shows how, in order to increase the surface of the electrode, it is possible to adopt a structure more similar to a prior art structure as that illustrated in Fig. l .
  • the only electrode is not in a single piece but divided into two plates 5 ' that are facing each other and arranged along the walls 6 as plates 2, 3 of Fig. l , yet with the fundamental difference that both plates 5 ' are connected to the same pole of generator 4.
  • the two plates 5 ' always have the same electric potential and form only one electrode, thus assuring that it is impossible for a passage of current between them to occur.
  • the number of elements that make up the only electrode can even be greater than two as long as all the elements are connected to the same pole of the generator, and the shape of the electrode can be different from the simple plate shape illustrated above.
  • the electrode could consist of a pipe of electrically conductive material inside which the fluid to be treated is passed, or of a wire of conductive material located inside a pipe of insulating material.
  • the treatment chamber consists of the pipe itself and it is easy to keep the fluid in contact with the electrode for the time required for the treatment, said time being determined by the pipe length and by the flow rate of the fluid (it should be noted that for some applications in the medical field the treatment chamber could be unnecessary being replaced by cellular substrates).
  • the method for treating a fluid according to the present invention in the light of the description above, can be summarized in the following steps: a) arranging only one electrode connected to an alternating voltage generator suitable to apply in a continuous way an oscillating electric potential to said only electrode;
  • the apparatus includes a device that generates a waveform that is symmetrical with respect to zero, it would also be possible to provide a device that generates a waveform that is not symmetrical with respect to zero, i.e. with a peak positive value different from the peak negative value, or even a waveform that does not cross zero whereby the maximum and minimum peak values have the same sign.
  • a plant for treating fluids containing biological pollutants of various types may include a plurality of apparatuses according to the present invention connected in series through connectors of insulating material, so as to achieve the removal of all the pollutants in subsequent treatment steps.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Nutrition Science (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • External Artificial Organs (AREA)
  • Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un appareil pour traiter un fluide (F) contenant des polluants biologiques au moyen d'un champ électrique (E), qui comprend un générateur de tension alternative (4) qui applique de manière continue un potentiel électrique oscillant à une unique électrode (5) connectée à un premier pôle du générateur (4), l'autre pôle restant déconnecté, et fonctionnellement isolé des éléments conducteurs ayant un potentiel électrique différent du sien, le générateur (4) étant ajustable au moins à la valeur et à la fréquence d'oscillation du potentiel électrique oscillant appliqué à l'unique électrode (5). Par ce procédé, il est possible de générer dans le fluide (F) un champ électrique (E) de façon à provoquer l'électroporation irréversible du ou des micro-organismes à éliminer du fluide, sans que l'électrode (5) ne soit traversée par le courant ni avoir à recourir à des valeurs élevées de tension appliquée en impulsions, et l'appareil correspondant est plus simple, moins cher et d'utilisation plus souple.
PCT/IB2012/051342 2011-03-22 2012-03-21 Procédé et appareil pour traiter des fluides contenant des polluants biologiques avec un champ électrique Ceased WO2012127423A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT000444A ITMI20110444A1 (it) 2011-03-22 2011-03-22 Metodo ed apparecchiatura per trattare mediante un campo elettrico fluidi contenenti inquinanti biologici"
ITMI2011A000444 2011-03-22

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WO2012127423A1 true WO2012127423A1 (fr) 2012-09-27

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IT (1) ITMI20110444A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2012127423A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IT201800010675A1 (it) * 2018-11-29 2020-05-29 Multim S R L Metodi e dispositivi per utilizzare la propagazione delle cariche elettriche tramite urti tra le molecole d’acqua in una cella elettrolitica contenente acqua e composti ionici
DE102023102491A1 (de) 2023-02-01 2024-08-01 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung eingetragener Verein Vorrichtung zur Erzeugung gepulster elektrischer Felder und deren Verwendung

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995018548A1 (fr) * 1994-01-06 1995-07-13 Purepulse Technologies, Inc. Prevention des effets electrochimiques et electrophoretiques dans des systemes de traitement des aliments
WO2003061409A1 (fr) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 Yugengaisha Biofuture Bassine a friture comportant un systeme de production de champ electrique haute tension
US20060087786A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Bing Yang Negative current generator
US20060163167A1 (en) * 2003-06-25 2006-07-27 Mayatec Co., Ltd. Method of producing active water and apparatus thereof
GB2433267A (en) * 2005-12-16 2007-06-20 Ryuji Minagawa Electrostatic induction and electromagnetic field application apparatus

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995018548A1 (fr) * 1994-01-06 1995-07-13 Purepulse Technologies, Inc. Prevention des effets electrochimiques et electrophoretiques dans des systemes de traitement des aliments
WO2003061409A1 (fr) * 2002-01-22 2003-07-31 Yugengaisha Biofuture Bassine a friture comportant un systeme de production de champ electrique haute tension
US20060163167A1 (en) * 2003-06-25 2006-07-27 Mayatec Co., Ltd. Method of producing active water and apparatus thereof
US20060087786A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Bing Yang Negative current generator
GB2433267A (en) * 2005-12-16 2007-06-20 Ryuji Minagawa Electrostatic induction and electromagnetic field application apparatus

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IT201800010675A1 (it) * 2018-11-29 2020-05-29 Multim S R L Metodi e dispositivi per utilizzare la propagazione delle cariche elettriche tramite urti tra le molecole d’acqua in una cella elettrolitica contenente acqua e composti ionici
WO2020110078A1 (fr) * 2018-11-29 2020-06-04 Multim S.R.L. Procédés et dispositifs d'utilisation de la propagation de charges électriques par impacts entre des molécules d'eau dans une cellule d'électrolyse contenant de l'eau et des composés ioniques
DE102023102491A1 (de) 2023-02-01 2024-08-01 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung eingetragener Verein Vorrichtung zur Erzeugung gepulster elektrischer Felder und deren Verwendung
WO2024160914A1 (fr) 2023-02-01 2024-08-08 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung eingetragener Verein Appareil de génération de champs électriques pulsés et son utilisation

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