Electron Beam Sterilization Process

The beam a concentrated highly charged stream of electrons is generated by accelerators capable of producing continuous or pulsed beams.

Electron beam sterilization process.

Electron beam e beam radiation was introduced in the 1950s as a means of sterilizing single use disposable healthcare products the process however was not widely accepted due to the unreliable nature of the e beam equipment. Electron beam processing has the ability to break the chains of dna in living organisms such as bacteria resulting in microbial death and rendering the space they inhabit sterile. As the product material being sterilized passes the e beam energy from the electrons is absorbed altering various chemical bonds damaging the dna and destroying the reproductive capabilities of the microorganisms. In its simplest terms the bombardment of a material with high energy electrons results in a cascade of these electrons moving through the target material.

The electron beam process can achieve widely differing effects such as sterilization polymer modification crosslinking and chain scission via its action as an ionizing radiation. Sterilization of single use medical devices and pharmaceutical contamination control in packaging cosmetics and toiletries strengthening of polymers due to cross linking and or. Given the fact that both gamma and ethylene oxide gas sterilization are effective and readily available technologies the increased focus on e beam can be ascribed to its having the shortest process cycle of any currently recognized sterilization method. The beam is scanned back and forth to create a curtain of fast electrons which shower and safely ionize the materials that they strike.

Electron beam irradiation is a flexible and high speed process that can be used for a variety of applications including. The electron beam sterilization process begins with an electron beam accelerator. E beam will deliver a sub lethal dose to a number of units of product. E beam processing has been used for the sterilization of medical products and aseptic packaging materials for foods as well as disinfestation the elimination of live insects from grain tobacco and other unprocessed bulk crops.

Electron beam e beam irradiation is a form of ionizing energy that is characterized by its low penetration and high dosage rates. This dose is less than the minimum dose for sterility at the determined bioburden level. The cost for e beam s part of this test is 1200. In e beam processing the products are scanned for seconds with the bulk of the processing time devoted to transporting the products into and out of the radiation shielding.

Transitioning from cobalt 60 to e beam or x ray for sterilization a model for collaboration.