Water plasma activation of demineralized water

Abstract

A plasma activated water (PAW) generation apparatus (20) includes an integrated water demineralizer (24), the plasma activated water generation apparatus configured for plasma activation of water demineralized by the integrated water demineralizer (24). Wherein the water plasma activation device (26) is arranged for plasma activation of water demineralized by the water demineralization device (24).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating plasma-activated water. Background Art

[0002] Plasma-activated water (PAW) has been shown to have effective antimicrobial activity. PAW has multiple potential application areas. One is in the field of oral care, where PAW can be used to reduce plaque through its antimicrobial action on plaque bacteria. For example, it can be used as an alternative or supplement to traditional mouthwashes. It can be integrated into oral irrigators or toothbrushes. Another area where PAW may be applied is skin disinfection, such as reducing axillary odor. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The inventors recognized that since PAW must be prepared before use, it could be prepared from tap water. The inventors investigated this idea in the laboratory.

[0004] However, during this investigation, the inventors found that when comparing PAW generated from tap water with PAW generated from demineralized water, there were significant differences in the antimicrobial potency of the PAW. This is shown in Figure 1 which shows the logarithmic reduction of the plasma-activated bacterial count (y-axis) as a function of time (x-axis) for plasma activation applied to tap water (line 12) compared to demineralized water (line 14). It can be seen that the use of tap water reduced the efficacy of plasma activation by a factor of 10 or even 1000. Thus, the inventors have recognized that using tap water in a PAW generation system may not result in optimal antimicrobial effects.

[0005] In addition, the mineral content of tap water has strong regional variations, which makes it difficult to predict the quality of the generated PAW. However, if users are required to purchase demineralized water, this reduces convenience, increases costs, and reduces efficiency (due to the additional upstream energy footprint associated with bottling, transporting, and storing store-bought distilled water).

[0006] The present invention is defined by the claims.

[0007] According to an example of one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma-activated water (PAW) generation device, comprising: a water demineralization device for demineralizing water; and a water plasma activation device, wherein the water plasma activation device is arranged to plasma-activate the water demineralized by the water demineralization device.

[0008] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention propose integrating a water demineralization device and a plasma activator in the same apparatus, thereby enabling direct demineralization of water prior to its plasma activation. This allows the resulting apparatus to receive a mineralized water source (such as tap water) as a direct fluid input without the aforementioned reduced plasma activation efficiency associated with such water sources.

[0009] In some embodiments, both the water demineralization device and the water plasma activation device are integrated within the same housing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a water inlet for receiving a water source to be demineralized and plasma-activated.

[0011] In some embodiments, the apparatus is adapted to receive water within at least one water receiving space within the apparatus for performing water demineralization and water plasma activation.

[0012] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a collector outlet for collecting the plasma-activated water. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a collection chamber or container for containing the plasma-activated water generated by applying the plasma activation device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the water demineralization device includes a water distillation device for demineralizing water by evaporation. In addition to distillation, other forms of water demineralization methods such as reverse osmosis may also be used.

[0014] In some embodiments, the water demineralization device includes a water evaporator to generate steam from the input water source.

[0015] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a chamber arranged to receive the steam generated by such a water evaporator.

[0016] In some embodiments, the aforementioned chamber serves both as a plasma activation chamber where water reacts with plasma-phase air and as a condensation chamber for condensing the steam. In this set of preferred embodiments, plasma activation can be activated during the condensation process, providing extremely fast and efficient dissolution of plasma components in water, partly due to the optimal volume / surface area of the droplets. Ultra-pure distilled water droplets rapidly absorb the generated reactive plasma reagents. In other words, the two processes of demineralization and plasma activation are intertwined, where the condensation stage of distillation is combined with the plasma activation stage of PAW generation. Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, there is a synergy between the demineralization and plasma activation stages.

[0017] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a water inlet for a user to input water to be treated.

[0018] In some embodiments, a conduit fluidly connects the aforementioned inlet to the water evaporator.

[0019] In some embodiments, the foregoing conduit is in thermal communication with the chamber and is configured to provide heat transfer from the chamber to the incoming water flowing through the conduit.

[0020] Accordingly, the pipe from the inlet to the evaporator acts as a heat exchanger. The cold water cools the distillation chamber as it flows towards the evaporator, which reduces the energy required to heat the water and eliminates the need for active cooling.

[0021] In some embodiments, the foregoing conduit passes through the chamber, where the walls of the conduit are exposed to the atmosphere inside the chamber. This facilitates thermal coupling between the flow channel formed by the conduit and the interior of the chamber.

[0022] In some embodiments, the water evaporator includes a boiler having a boiler chamber for containing water to be evaporated and a heat source for heating the water into steam.

[0023] In some embodiments, the device includes a housing.

[0024] In some embodiments, the boiler is located below the chamber in the foregoing housing.

[0025] In some embodiments, the boiler is fluidly connected to the chamber to permit steam to escape into the upper chamber during use for condensation.

[0026] In use, the housing will be oriented relative to gravity such that the terms 'upper' and 'lower' are relative to the vertical axis defining the gravitational plumb line during normal use.

[0027] The above-described apparatus is very effective in structure because during use the housing is oriented parallel to the gravitational plumb line, and gravity helps the incoming water to flow downward into the boiler and further helps the condensed water to flow from the upper region of the chamber to the lower region of the chamber. For example, in the lower region of the chamber, the condensed water can be collected in a collection area. This obviates the need to pump the water. However, using a pump or other powered hydraulic device is a viable alternative.

[0028] In some embodiments, the device includes a collector outlet for collecting the condensed plasma-activated water from the chamber.

[0029] In some embodiments, the device includes a collection chamber for containing the plasma-activated water conveyed out of the chamber through the collector outlet.

[0030] In some embodiments, the bottom plate of the chamber is inclined towards the collector outlet. This effectively utilizes gravity to assist in delivering the treated water to the collection area. However, this is not necessary, and for example, a pump can be used to drain the water from the condensation chamber.

[0031] In some embodiments, the device further includes a water reservoir for holding water to be treated.

[0032] In some embodiments, the water reservoir is positioned to be elevated relative to the evaporator under gravity during use and is connected to the boiler chamber by a conduit, thereby permitting continuous water supply from the reservoir to the boiler chamber by gravity flow.

[0033] In some embodiments, the device includes a housing in which a water demineralization device and a water plasma activation device are integrated.

[0034] In other words, these two functional modules are integrated in a single structural unit.

[0035] Another aspect of the present invention is a method of combining water demineralization and plasma activation. The method includes: receiving a water source to be treated; demineralizing the water; and plasma-activating the demineralized water.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method includes demineralizing the water by distillation.

[0037] In some embodiments, both demineralization and plasma activation are at least partially carried out in a common chamber.

[0038] In some embodiments, in the case where demineralization includes distillation, the condensed portion of the distilled water and plasma activation can both be carried out in a common chamber.

[0039] In some embodiments, the method includes evaporating the water to be treated into steam, and the steam is thereby demineralized.

[0040] In some embodiments, the method includes condensing the steam in a chamber to produce condensed water.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method includes plasma-activating the condensed water in the chamber.

[0042] The condensed water may include water droplets. A film continuously replenished by the condensed droplets on the condensation surface is also beneficial for PAW generation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the water source is tap water.

[0044] With reference to the embodiments (one or more) described below, these and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent and be elucidated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] For a better understanding of the present invention and to more clearly show how the present invention may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0046] Figure 1is a graph showing the different plasma activation efficiencies of demineralized water and tap water;

[0047] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of components of a device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a device according to one or more specific embodiments of the present invention; and

[0049] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of steps of an exemplary method according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, although indicating exemplary embodiments of the apparatus, systems and methods, are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These and other features, aspects and advantages of the apparatus, systems and methods of the present invention will become better understood from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. It should also be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

[0052] The present invention provides a plasma-activated water (PAW) generation device that includes an integrated water demineralizer.

[0053] The advantage of incorporating an integrated water demineralizer in a PAW generator is that when using demineralized water, PAW generation is more efficient (as already discussed), and the resulting PAW has better stability and antimicrobial activity. In human applications (such as oral administration), the most important advantage is the predictability of the PAW results, and thus, not only can the efficacy be guaranteed, but also the safety can be guaranteed.

[0054] In addition, the advantage of using demineralization (such as distillation or reverse osmosis) over simple filtration is better water purity.

[0055] Now, the basic principle of generating plasma-activated water will be outlined.

[0056] A general introduction to the concept of plasma-activated water can be found in the following paper: Soni, A et al., "Plasma-activated water (PAW) as a disinfection technology for bacteria inactivation with a focus on fruits and vegetables".

[0057] As described herein, PAW generation employs what is referred to as cold atmospheric plasma (CAPP) or non-thermal plasma. Plasma consists of a partially ionized gas, such as generated by applying a high level of energy to a gas, typically using one or more energized electrodes. It consists of a variety of reactive species, including excited atoms and molecules, positive and negative ions, free electrons, and radiation. These species are highly reactive antimicrobial agents. The surface or substance to be purified can be directly exposed to the plasma discharge. Alternatively, plasma-activated water (PAW) effectively serves as an intermediate carrier for the reactive species generated by the plasma. Ordinary water can be exposed to the plasma discharge to "plasma-activate" it, and subsequently the water can be applied to the surface or substance to be purified.

[0058] PAW can be generated by discharging plasma above the water surface or by directly applying / injecting plasma discharge into the water body.

[0059] The selection of plasma sources includes, for example, gliding arc discharge, corona discharge, plasma streamer bubbles, dielectric barrier discharge. Dielectric barrier discharge is probably the most common. In this method, an insulating dielectric barrier layer separates the two electrodes that generate the plasma. A plasma jet is a type of dielectric barrier discharge that uses a central needle electrode and an external annular electrode and includes an additional gas flow for transporting the plasma to the liquid source.

[0060] Additional references are: the paper "Interaction of Plasma-Activated Water with Biofilms: Inactivation, Diffusion Effects, and Mechanisms of Action" by Mai-Prochnow et al.

[0061] As described herein, particularly in the section "How to Generate PAW and Regulate Aqueous RONS", the plasma activation of water can be achieved by any one of three main techniques. All of these involve discharging cold atmospheric plasma (CAPP) into the water. The first technique is to release gas-phase plasma on the surface of the liquid to be activated. The second is to use a multi-phase plasma discharge, where the plasma is ignited in bubbles or in the gas phase but mixed with water droplets. The third is to directly discharge or inject plasma into the liquid to be activated.

[0062] Any of these techniques can be applied in the context of the present invention. Perhaps the simplest method is the first technique of releasing a gas-phase plasma above the liquid to be activated. In the context of the present invention, this can be achieved by discharging a plasma source onto demineralized water, for example onto water distillate / condensate droplets formed as the output of a water demineralization device. In a preferred embodiment (which will be discussed in more detail later), the gas-phase plasma can be discharged into the condensation chamber used by a distillation device, thereby exposing the water condensate droplets to the plasma, and thus plasma-activating the droplets.

[0063] The reader may also refer to the papers "Discharges above water surfaces" (starting from page 2), "Multiphase discharges" (starting from page 3), "Direct plasma discharges in aqueous solutions" (page 4) by Mai-Prochnow et al. cited above for additional details on implementing each of these three techniques.

[0064] The inventors have recognized that homemade plasma-activated water (PAW) can be an attractive alternative for antimicrobial fluid applications, such as for mouthwashes, skin washes, or hygiene solutions. The inventors have recognized that PAW can be produced at low cost using ordinary tap water. However, as has been described, the problem is that the efficiency of producing PAW with tap water is much lower than with pure water, and in addition, due to large regional differences, tap water can be highly variable in its quality.

[0065] Therefore, embodiments of the present invention attempt to solve this problem by using a tap water demineralization module integrated in a PAW generation device. In a preferred embodiment, a small "coffee machine"-like boiler device is included, which boils water into steam and allows the steam condensate to enter the interior of a plasma reaction chamber. Ultra-pure distilled water droplets rapidly absorb the generated reactive plasma reagents, producing a highly active antibacterial solution.

[0066] Figure 2 The components of an example device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention are outlined in block diagram form. These components will be generally described before being further explained in the form of more specific example embodiments.

[0067] The present invention provides a plasma-activated water (PAW) generation device 20. The device includes a water demineralization device 24. The device further includes a plasma activation device 26, wherein the plasma activation device is adapted in use to plasma-activate water that has been demineralized by the water demineralization device 24. Thereby, this results in the output of plasma-activated water (PAW) 28 from the plasma activation device.

[0068] An example implementation of an apparatus according to a set of specific embodiments will now be described by way of illustration of the above general concepts of the present invention. It should be understood that not all features of this set of specific embodiments are essential to the concepts of the present invention, and these features are described to aid understanding and to provide examples to illustrate the concepts of the present invention. In this set of embodiments, the water demineralization apparatus includes a water distillation apparatus for demineralizing water 22 by evaporation. However, alternative demineralization techniques also exist and will be applicable to different embodiments, such as reverse osmosis.

[0069] Referring Figure 3 , according to this particular set of embodiments, the apparatus 20 includes a water reservoir 32 for holding water 22 to be treated. The water reservoir may be filled from an input water source 38 via a fluid inlet 42. By way of example, the input water may be cold tap water. The inlet 42 may in fact be a main water connection point for directly receiving the main tap water supply.

[0070] Water from the water reservoir 32 moves, under the action of gravity, via a conduit 46 connecting the water reservoir 32 to the chamber of the boiler 36, to a small boiler 36 located at the base of the apparatus. In this particular set of embodiments, the water reservoir is positioned to be elevated relative to the boiler 36 under the action of gravity during use. For example, this permits continuous water supply from the reservoir to the boiler chamber by gravity flow. The boiler heats the water and converts it to steam. The boiler typically may have a chamber for holding the water to be evaporated and a heat source for heating the water into steam. Although a boiler is mentioned herein, more generally, any form of water evaporator may be used that generates steam from an input water source.

[0071] Steam from the boiler 36 moves to a cold condensation chamber 34, which is arranged to receive the generated steam. In the illustrated example, the boiler 36 is located below the chamber 34, both being incorporated within a common housing that contains the water evaporator 36, the chamber 34, and the water reservoir 32. The boiler is fluidly connected to the chamber to permit steam to escape into the upper chamber during use for condensation. The steam condenses, thereby generating pure demineralized water. The resulting pure water may then subsequently be plasma-activated, for example by discharging cold atmospheric plasma above the pure water (the reader may refer to the above description for more details on this technique).

[0072] However, in Figure 3In the preferred embodiment shown, cold atmospheric plasma (such as plasma-phase air) is generated or discharged into the condensation chamber 34 itself, such that a single common chamber 34 serves both as a condensation chamber for condensing steam and as a plasma activation chamber for the reaction of water with the plasma. When tiny pure water droplets condense in the presence of reactive plasma components, the absorption of these components is very rapid and efficient.

[0073] As described above, there are a variety of known techniques in the art for generating the plasma used in plasma-activated water. One method is to release gas-phase plasma above demineralized water. In the context of this set of embodiments, this can be achieved by releasing a plasma source above the water condensate droplets formed as the output of a water distillation device. In a preferred embodiment, the gas-phase plasma can be discharged into the condensation chamber, thereby exposing the water condensate droplets to the plasma and activating the droplets with the plasma. The techniques for generating plasma discharges have been discussed above and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity. Generally, a strong electric field, such as a high-frequency alternating field, is generated using two electrodes, which converts the gas into the plasma phase.

[0074] Finally, the condensed plasma-activated droplets are collected at the bottom of chamber 34 and drip into collection chamber 52, which is fluidly connected to the interior of condensation chamber 34 via collector outlet 50. The user can then remove the PAW from collection chamber 52 for use. In a preferred design, as Figure 3 shown, collection chamber 52 is arranged such that its inlet is below the outlet of condensation chamber 34 under the influence of gravity, so that the condensed plasma-activated water can flow into collection chamber 52 by gravity. However, this is not necessary, and alternatively, the evacuation of the condensed plasma-activated water can be achieved by using one or more pumps.

[0075] It should be noted that over time, residues of demineralized water can accumulate in the water evaporator 36 (such as calcium carbonate scaling). This can be improved using descaling techniques and solutions known, for example, in the field of steam irons.

[0076] In a preferred design, in the heat exchanger design, when the incoming cold water 38 to be treated flows through conduit 46 towards boiler 36, it serves to cool distillation chamber 34. This thus reduces the energy required to heat the water and eliminates the need for active cooling. An example of such a device is shown in Figure 3is shown, where a conduit 46 fluidly connects a water inlet 42 to a water evaporator 36 via a water reservoir 32, the conduit 46 passing through the chamber, where the walls of the conduit 46 are thereby exposed to the atmosphere 44 inside the chamber. More generally, it is sufficient if the conduit 46 is in thermal communication with the chamber 34 such that heat can be transferred from the chamber to the incoming water 38 flowing through the conduit 46. For example, the conduit can extend around the outside of the chamber, such as being thermally coupled to the wall of the chamber. In some examples, for this purpose, the conduit can be split into multiple branches.

[0077] In summary, the flow of water through the device is as follows. The device is filled at the top with, for example, tap water 38, which slowly drips down through the heat exchanger conduit 46, warming up as it moves downwards. After dripping into the chamber of the boiler 36, it rapidly evaporates and enters the evaporation / plasma activation chamber 34 as steam. There, the steam condenses into small droplets, which rapidly absorb the reactive plasma compounds in the plasma-phase air supplied to the chamber 34.

[0078] Figure 3 The illustrated embodiment utilizes gravity to transport the liquid (downwards) and the steam (upwards). This is an efficient solution. However, for the avoidance of doubt, note that other configurations are possible, especially if a pump is added to pump the water. This increases the cost of the device, but also provides better control.

[0079] Using an embodiment of the present invention, an efficient dose of PAW can be generated in a relatively short time. The size of the device 20 can be adjusted depending on the desired amount of PAW to be generated per unit time. For some personal care applications, the amount required for a single generation session can be quite small. For example, the amount of a typical single-use mouthwash / deodorant is about 20 ml. In this case, the device can be very small. For example, it can have a size similar to a large deodorant can, such as a diameter of about 30 to 100 mm, for example a diameter of 30 to 60 mm, and a height of about 200 to 250 mm.

[0080] For other functional uses, such as being used as a fluid in an oral irrigator, where the required volume is much larger (e.g., 500 ml), the unit can need to be larger, and / or the processing time can be longer. For example, the PAW generation device can need to be started at some time before the intended use of the irrigator (e.g., 15 minutes). By way of example, the size of the device can be greater than 150 mm × 200 mm × 250 mm, which is, for example, the size of a typical oral irrigator.

[0081] It should be noted that although in the above embodiments, water demineralization is achieved by a water distillation device, other types of water demineralization devices can also be used. For example, reverse osmosis is a technique well known in the art for generating pure demineralized water. The advantage in this case is that a water evaporator is not required. However, the disadvantages are that a high-pressure pump may be needed, and the membranes necessary in such devices need to be replaced regularly, which may increase the cost and inconvenience to the end user.

[0082] The concept of the present invention can also be embodied in the form of a method.

[0083] Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is a method for plasma activation of water. The steps of an exemplary method according to one or more embodiments are outlined in Figure 4 in the form of a block diagram.

[0084] Method 40 includes receiving 42 a water source to be processed. The method further includes demineralizing 44 the water. The method further includes plasma activating 46 the demineralized water.

[0085] In some embodiments, the water can be demineralized by distillation.

[0086] Of course, any features, options, or variations mentioned above related to the apparatus aspect of the present invention can equally be applied to the method aspect of the present invention. For example, in a set of advantageous embodiments of the method of the present invention, both demineralization and plasma activation are performed at least partially in a common chamber (see the illustration of such a common chamber 34 in Figure 3 . Specifically, according to one or more embodiments of this set, both the water condensation component of the distillation and the plasma activation are performed in a common chamber. In some embodiments, the method may include the steps of evaporating the water to be processed into steam, demineralizing the steam thereby, condensing the steam in the chamber to produce condensed water, and plasma activating the condensed water in the chamber. In some embodiments, the water source to be processed can be tap water.

[0087] The method can be controlled by a computer. For example, a controller including one or more processors can be provided, and the controller is adapted to execute the method by controlling appropriate devices, such as by controlling the devices described in any embodiment or example in the present disclosure, or according to any claim of the present application.

[0088] Another aspect of the present invention is a computer program product including code means configured to, when run on a processor, cause the processor to control appropriate devices to execute the above method 40, such as by controlling the devices described in any embodiment or example in the present disclosure, or according to any claim of the present application.

[0089] The processor can be implemented in a variety of ways using software and / or hardware to perform the various required functions. The processor typically employs one or more microprocessors, which can be programmed using software (such as microcode) to perform the required functions. The processor can be implemented as a combination of dedicated hardware for performing some functions and one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry for performing other functions.

[0090] Examples of circuits that can be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, conventional microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0091] In various embodiments, the processor can be associated with one or more storage media, such as volatile and non-volatile computer memories, such as RAM, PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The storage media can be encoded with one or more programs that, when executed on one or more processors and / or controllers, perform the required functions. The various storage media can be fixed within the processor or controller, or can be transportable, such that one or more programs stored thereon can be loaded into the processor.

[0092] Upon study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and realize variations of the disclosed embodiments in practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0093] The fact that certain measures are recited only in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0094] If the term "adapted to" is used in the claims or the specification, it should be noted that the term "adapted to" is intended to be equivalent to the term "configured to".

[0095] Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A plasma-activated water (PAW) generating device (20), comprising: A water demineralization device (24) for demineralizing water; and a water plasma activation device (26), wherein the water plasma activation device (26) is arranged to plasma-activate the water demineralized by the water demineralization device (24).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the water demineralization device (24) comprises a water distillation device for demineralizing water by evaporation.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the water distillation device (24) comprises a water evaporator (36) for generating steam from an input water source; the device comprises a chamber (34) arranged to receive the steam; and the chamber serves both as a plasma activation chamber for the reaction of water with plasma-phase air and as a condensation chamber for condensing the steam.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the device comprises a water inlet (42, 32) for a user to input water to be treated (38); a conduit (46) fluidly connects the inlet to the water evaporator (36); the conduit is in thermal communication with the chamber (34) for providing heat transfer from the chamber to the input water flowing through the conduit.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the conduit (46) passes through the chamber (34), and the wall of the conduit is exposed to the atmosphere (44) inside the chamber.

6. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the water evaporator (36) comprises a boiler having a boiler chamber for containing water to be evaporated and a heat source for heating the water into steam.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The apparatus includes a housing; wherein the boiler is located below the chamber in the housing; wherein the boiler is fluidly connected to the chamber to permit steam to escape into the upper chamber during use for condensation.

8. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, further comprising a collector outlet (50) for collecting the condensed plasma-activated water from the chamber.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the bottom plate of the chamber (34) is inclined towards the collector outlet (50).

10. The device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the device further comprises a water reservoir (32) for containing water to be treated, The water reservoir is positioned to be elevated relative to the water evaporator (36) under gravity during use and is connected to the boiler chamber by a conduit, permitting continuous water supply from the reservoir to the boiler chamber by gravity flow.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a housing, and wherein the water demineralization means and the water plasma activation means are integrated in the housing.

12. A method (40) for plasma activation of water, comprising: Receiving (42) a water source to be treated; demineralizing (44) the water; and plasma-activating (46) the demineralized water.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein both the demineralization and the plasma activation are carried out at least partially in a common chamber.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method comprises: Evaporating the water to be treated into steam, which is thereby demineralized; condensing the steam in a chamber to produce condensed water; plasma-activating the condensed water in the chamber.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the water source is tap water.

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