Apparatus for plasma treatment of bulk materials comprises: an evacuable processing chamber (1) surrounded by an outer shell; an inner tube (2) arranged in the processing chamber; a vacuum process-device to act on the processing chamber and on the inner tube with a vacuum process; an inlet- and an outlet locking means controlled to open and to close towards the external environment of the apparatus and towards the inner tube; a vacuum locking-device; a transporting device for transporting bulk materials through inlet locking means; and a plasma device (3) for generating reactive plasma gas. Apparatus for plasma treatment of bulk materials comprises: an evacuable processing chamber (1) surrounded by an outer shell; an inner tube (2) arranged in the processing chamber; a vacuum process-device to act on the processing chamber and on the inner tube with a vacuum process; an inlet locking means and an outlet locking means, which are controlled to open and to close towards the external environment of the apparatus and towards the inner tube; a vacuum locking- device different from the vacuum process-device, which is designed to apply vacuum lock to the inlet- and the outlet locking means, respectively irrespective of each other; a transporting device designed to transport the bulk materials filled in the inner tube through the inlet locking means in a transporting direction to the outlet-side locking means; and a plasma device (3) for generating a reactive plasma gas and for impinging the inner tube with the plasma gas. An independent claim is also included for plasma treating of the bulk material using the above apparatus, comprising (a) providing the devices of the apparatus, (b) filling the inlet locking means with the bulk materials under the normal pressure of the external environment, (c) loading the process chamber and the inner tube with the process vacuum, (d) loading the inlet locking means with the vacuum lock, (e) opening the inlet locking-means towards the inner tube, (f) filling the bulk material in the inner tube, (g) loading the inner tube with the plasma gas, (h) transporting the bulk material towards the outlet locking-means, (i) applying the vacuum lock to the outlet locking-means, (j) opening the outlet locking-means towards the inner tube, (k) draining the contents of the inner tube into the outlet locking means, (l) closing the outlet locking means towards the inner tube, (m) applying normal pressure on the outlet locking means, and (n) draining the contents present in the outlet locking means.
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