RT Journal Article
T1 Supercritical CO2 sterilization for surgical gowns: From disposal towards reuse
A1 Blanco Vales, María
A1 Carracedo Pérez, María
A1 Sánchez Ramírez, Diego Omar
A1 Varesano, Alessio
A1 Magariños Ferro, Beatriz
A1 García González, Carlos A.
A1 López Iglesias, Clara
K1 Sterilization
K1 Supercritical CO2
K1 Disposable surgical gowns
K1 Gamma rays
K1 Ethylene oxide
K1 Green technology
AB Surgical gowns (SG) are one of the most used personal protective equipment. As they are mainly intended for single use, they give rise to an enormous amount of waste, posing a major environmental challenge. Sterilization plays an essential role to allow the reuse of such textiles, therefore reducing their massive disposal. Commonly used techniques, such as gas plasma, gamma rays and ethylene oxide, can present important drawbacks regarding biological safety, ecotoxicity, and potential damage to materials. Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) sterilization emerges as a promising eco-friendly alternative due to the bactericidal properties of CO2. This work investigates the effectiveness of scCO2 sterilization with disposable surgical gowns (DSG), with hydrogen peroxide as an additive, achieving the required Sterility Assurance Level of ≤ 10−6. Physical properties and performance of DSG were evaluated after 1, 5, and 10 cycles of scCO2 sterilization and compared to those treated under ethylene oxide and gamma irradiation treatments. Results suggest that scCO2 is a viable, green and reliable option for sterilizing DSG, offering environmental advantages and preserving the functional performance of the material.
PB Elsevier
SN 2213-2929
YR 2025
FD 2025-06
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43427
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43427
LA eng
NO References  Blanco-Vales, M., Carracedo-Pérez, M., Sánchez-Ramírez, D. O., Varesano, A., Magariños, B., García-González, C. A., & López-Iglesias, C. (2025). Supercritical CO2 sterilization for surgical gowns: From disposal towards reuse. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(3), 116978. 10.1016/j.jece.2025.116978
NO This work was funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 [grants PID2023-151340OB-I00 and PDC2022-133526-I00], Xunta de Galicia [ED431C2022/2023], ERDF/EU and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. C.L.-I. acknowledges Xunta de Galicia for a postdoctoral fellowship [ED481B-2021-008]. This study received funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Missione 4 Componente 2, CUP B53C22004100001 within the MICS (Made in Italy -Circular Sustainable) project. Work carried out in the framework of the ECO-AERoGELS COST Innovators’ Grant (ref. IG18125) and funded by the European Commission.
DS Minerva
RD 29 abr 2026