SARS-CoV-2 inactivation by supercritical carbon dioxide coupled with hydrogen peroxide

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for innovative decontamination techniques capable of treating sensitive materials potentially contaminated. Combining supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) with sterilant agents has shown promise in this regard. This study aimed at testing scCO2 as a virus inactivation method for biomedical materials contaminated with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was inoculated on a stainless-steel carrier and treated at 45 °C and 8 MPa. No inactivation was detected when only scCO2 was used, even after long treatment times (60 min). The addition of 50 ppm of H2O2 to the process allowed the inactivation of more than 5 Log PFU (Plaque Forming Unit) of the virus by only pressurising and depressurising the vessel, while a 20-min process is needed by only using H2O2. Overall, the study demonstrates a synergistic effect when H2O2 is added to the scCO2 process for the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2.