Selection of parameters for thermal coronavirus inactivation – a data-based recommendation

Background: Healthcare workers and large parts of the population are currently using personal protective equipment, such as face masks, to avoid infections with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This equipment must be sterilized as gently as possible before reuse. One possibility is thermal inactivation, but professional autoclaves with their high temperatures are often not available or suitable. If the inactivation period is long enough, coronavirus inactivation can also be carried out at relatively low temperatures. The required duration was determined in this study. Material and methods: Data from published thermal inactivation studies on coronaviruses were applied to determine the temperature dependence of the rate constant k(T) for each coronavirus by employing Arrhenius models. Results: The data obtained exhibit large variations, which appear to be at least partially caused by different sample properties. Samples with high protein content or samples in dry air sometimes seem to be more difficult to inactivate. Apart from this, the Arrhenius models describe the thermal inactivation properties well and SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 can even be represented by a combined model. Furthermore, the available data suggest that all samples, including critical ones, can be mathematically included by a worst-case Arrhenius model. Conclusion: Coronaviruses can already be inactivated at relatively low temperatures. For most samples, application times of approximately 32.5, 3.7, and 0.5 minutes will be sufficient at 60°C, 80°C, and 100°C, respectively, for a 5 log-reduction. For difficult conditions, the worst-case model provides significantly longer application times of 490, 55, and 8 minutes for the temperatures mentioned.