why is it important to eliminate air from the sterilizer prior to the process?

Answer 1

I don't think it is important to eliminate are from a sterilizer that would either require that it be vacuum tight, in which case the stuff being sterilized might explode from contained gas or have the the air replaced by water vapor or inert gas at atmospheric pressure which seems unnecessarily complicated and unused in the various devices I have run in to. Specialized need?