Ozone Water Treatment
About Ozone
First, before getting into the subject of ozone water treatment, let's consider some aspects about ozone, itself.
Ozone occurs in Nature. It is created naturally either by:
- Sun's rays passing through the air creates ozone or
- Electrical discharge by lightning in a thunderstorm.
Have You Ever Smelled the Rain.....? (song)
Have you ever smelled the clean, fresh scent in the air just after a rainstorm? ...... That's the ozone!
The Amazing Power of Ozone
Ozone is very unstable. It cannot be stored or transported as can other liquids, gases.
This instability makes Ozone a powerful oxidizer.
It is said to be:
- 50 times more powerful than chlorine and
- 3000 times faster at killing bacteria and other microbes.
Explanation - the How:
At the instant that ozone is created, the oxygen (O2) molecules in the air are broken apart and then recombined with an extra oxygen atom (O3).
It becomes a tri-atomic form of oxygen. O3 is very unstable - it does not last long.
It is that extra oxygen atom (O1) that is the oxidizer of impurities it encounters. The by-product of ozonation is oxygen.
Thus - there are no harmful by-products - unlike the traditional chemical purifiers, chlorine or bromine process.
High up in the.........
..... upper Atmosphere, above the Earth, we find the Ozone Layer.
This is a 'cloud' of ozone that hovers. It protects us from harmful UV rays emitted by the Sun.
How Ozone Works
Oxidation occurs through a collision between the Ozone molecule and the
molecule of such impurities as: certain forms of iron and manganese
bacteria, fungi (mold & yeast) viruses, organic molecules
microorganisms
Technically-speaking (for just a quick minute)....
.
... ozone is created when high voltage electricity is passed through oxygenated air, causing oxygen to break apart and recombine in the tri-atomic form.
Energy transfers to the ozone molecule leaving a stable oxygen molecule (O2) and a highly unstable oxygen atom (O1).
The molecule being oxidized then bonds with the loose O1 atom creating an oxide of the substance.This simply means that the by-product is oxygen.
During the oxidation reaction, organic molecules are changed, and dissolved metals are made no longer soluble.
Can Ozone be Artificially Produced?
Excellent question! Good News:
It can be created commercially, using: a UV (ultra-violet) lamp and an Electrical discharge device.
Home owners can get smaller versions (size of a household blender) of Water Purifiers that incorporate a UV lamp in addition to several filters.
How do we use ozone?
Given that ozone is the most powerful oxidizer, it can be used in water for:
- commercial and residential swimming pools and spas.
For example, the competition pools at the Beijing Olympics were sterilized with Ozone.
Did you happen to notice the amazing clarity and freshness of the water's appearance?
- Washing produce at food stores, restaurants
to remove insecticides and pesticides.
- Use on food equipment surfaces
during manufacture of food products
- Removal of offensive odours from
fires - Fabric restoration process etc.
- At aquariums, waterparks, zoos.
- As the final purification step in some bottled water plants
- Municipal
water systems and wastewater plants.
- Medical industry
- Air conditioning
industry because of the illnesses that can be spread by air conditioners
(How about those hand driers commonly found in public washrooms?)
- Gray
water industry: where bath and other household water is captured and
treated with ozone for reuse.
- Hotel industry for room sanitizing and to
eat odour molecules
- Disinfect laundry in hospitals, food factories, care homes;
- Effective in neutralizing: arsenic, iron, hydrogen sulphide,
nitrates and VOC's (colour) in water,
- Eradicate waterborne parasites:
Giardia Lamblia and Cryptosporidium in surface water treament plants;
- Automobile clean up smoke , odours, and noxious gases.
- Process plastic
with ozone to permit adhesion of ink.
Hmmm... you said '2 Kinds of Ozone' .....
Which is the best for my situation?
A great question! Ozone created by UV light is typically used for low concentration, low output applications. (personal and home water purification devices, residential pools and spas.)
Electrical discharge ozone creation is typically used for high concentration, high output applications including commercial pools and industrial applications.
Safer than Chlorine: Apart from the fact, Ozone is more powerful and acts quicker,there are no by-products whereas chlorine creates trihalomethanes, dioxins or other carcinogens. (Regulated in drinking water by the U.S. EPA)
This sounds good.
Does Ozone have any real drawbacks?
There are drawbacks to the Ozone technology.
These become pronounced when ozone in high concentrations, as per large commercial/industrial applications, is required.
The challenge is not with the ozone or its capabilities...
Highly trained, skilled operators are required.
There are not a great many available.
Additionally: it would be very beneficial to have a cheap source of electricity available to lessen operating costs.
History of Ozone:
Ozone has been more widely used in Europe for drinking water purification.
Since 2001, this effective antibacterial agent has been approved by the FDA and USDA for direct contact with all food.
In the USA, ozone is used to decontaminate cooling towers, purify bottled water.
Who uses it?
Los Angeles, Dallas and LasVegas are three cities that immediately come to mind.
Big Benefit
Can be produced on demand – no storage and no transport required.
When the ozone generator is on/off, there are no dangerous substances lingering.
Ozone is versatile in that it can be injected or dissolved in water to provide rinsing and washing of food products (e.g. meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables)
For more information on ozone equipment and systems that solve and enhance our food safety and the quality of the world food supply.
Watch for this at home or office.....
As ozone does not remain in water after treatment, some Municipal systems introduce chlorine to prevent bacterial growth in the pipes.
Many people have a 'point of use' water filter attached to remove the chlorine.
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