Example OF Essay On Graphical Representation OF Time Taken To Kill Microbial Organisms

Essay 2, Autoclave

The destruction of microorganisms is indispensable as far as medical sterilization is concerned. It is a global procedure for killing all known forms of microbial life. Autoclaves provide a solution to effectively sterilizing medical items. The system uses the pressure-temperature principle to achieve the desired objectives effectively and efficiently at different levels; temperature and pressure. In order to clean items, moist steam under desired pressure per square inch (psi) is used to kill all microbial organisms present. The bodies come into contact with direct steam that penetrates the endospores thus effectively killing them.
When the pressure of gas increases, the temperature also rises proportionately. If the steam at 100 degrees Celsius and 1 atmosphere over atmospheric pressure, temperatures rise by 26 degrees. The steam changes to a gaseous state and temperatures rise the given pressure levels. It is paramount to note that as the molecules become more energized, their penetration increases substantially. The sterilization time taken during the process is greatly reduced. The same principle is applied in domestic pressure cookers to reduce cooking time. The sterilizing agent in the autoclave is the moist heat and not the amount of pressure used.
Destruction of microbial organisms by use of dry heat and moist heat produce different levels of effectiveness. Dry heat kills microbial organisms through destruction of sensitive microbial cell components whereas moist heat denatures their protein structures and enzymes through coagulation. Dry heat is best applied to items not spoilt by high temperatures e.g. glassware while moist heat is suitable where steam can diffuse. It is effective for most resistant endospores. Dry heat is suitable for oils, powder, and anhydrous fats because of their impermeability to moisture. Both methods achieve the same objective of sterilization and are interchangeable depending on the objects.

References

How it works: Science and technology. (2003). New York: Marshall Cavendish.
Xu, R., Pang, W., & Huo, Q. (2010). Modern inorganic synthetic chemistry. Amsterdam: Elsevier.