All About Ozone Systems

An ozone generator, also known as an ozone machine, produces ozone by supplying energy to oxygen molecules (O2). This energy causes the oxygen atoms to break apart momentarily and then reunite with other oxygen molecules, forming ozone (O3).

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Ozone generators play a vital role in various industrial applications due to their cost-effectiveness and efficiency in producing ozone gas. This powerful oxidant is capable of destroying bacteria, viruses, and other harmful pollutants.

Whether you need an industrial ozone generator for water treatment, a commercial ozone generator for air purification, indoor pollution control, or an advanced oxidation system, ozone generators are an excellent solution.

What is Ozone?

Ozone is nature's method of purifying the environment. When news reports highlight the damage to the ozone layer, it may seem like ozone is something harmful, but it is not. Ozone is a bluish, water-soluble gas with a distinct odor. It is formed when oxygen interacts with ultraviolet light in the high stratosphere. Additionally, natural events such as waterfalls, ocean waves, and thunderstorms also help create ozone. This fresh scent associated with the seashore or after a thunderstorm is ozone. The ability of ozone to release a single oxygen atom is significant. Ozone interacts with toxic chemicals in the lower atmosphere emitted by vehicles and industrial processes, helping to neutralize them. Ozone is, therefore, nature's solution for cleaning our environment.

How Effective Are Ozone Generators?

Your initial online search for "ozone generators" will likely lead you to various air-feed generators. These devices are often marketed as air purifiers for residential odor removal or indoor air cleaning. However, they are generally not suitable for industrial applications or water treatment.

Typically, an ozone air purifier refers to a portable device that generates ozone at low concentrations to cleanse the air in smaller spaces, aiming to eliminate pet odors or tobacco smoke.

In contrast, industrial ozone generators are larger, more powerful machines designed for diverse industrial applications. These devices can produce higher concentrations of ozone, often used in water treatment or to eliminate contaminants in industrial processes.

Industrial ozone generators find applications across various sectors. For instance, in the food processing industry, these machines are employed to sanitize food products, ensuring compliance with strict health standards. In water treatment, ozone generators are vital for purifying water by killing bacteria and viruses, enhancing both taste and odor, and ensuring safety for consumption. Furthermore, pharmaceutical manufacturing utilizes ozone generators to sterilize surfaces and equipment, which helps to avert contamination and maintain product quality.

How Does an Ozone Generator Work?

Have you ever considered the working mechanism of ozone generators? The generation of ozone utilizes the corona discharge principle, which essentially simulates lightning strikes in a controlled environment. This principle bears various names depending on the type and design (like dielectric barrier discharge, corona discharge, or silent corona), but fundamentally, it involves electric discharge through a dielectric material. The electrical charge applied to the electrodes causes some oxygen molecules to split and temporarily fuse with others, thus forming ozone (O3).

Concentrated Oxygen for Feed Gas

A common query from clients designing ozone systems is whether the generator needs concentrated oxygen or simply clean, dry air. It is essential to recognize that oxygen-feed ozone generators are more beneficial for industrial use.

Upon understanding ozone generation, the issues with air-fed generators become apparent. Air contains only 21% oxygen, which significantly limits the ozone concentration achievable by these generators. As a result, one may mistakenly interpret their lower performance with uncommon measurement units (such as micrograms mg/h instead of g/h). Moreover, 79% of the air consisting of nitrogen and other gases can lead to the formation of nitric oxide deposits, causing a gradual decrease in ozone production within months. This also necessitates electrode cleaning/replacement, adding unnecessary expense.

While concentrated oxygen systems are costlier due to the need for compressors and higher complexity, the initial investment pays off quickly. Concentrated oxygen refers to an oxygen supply with at least 90% purity, with moisture removed to a dew point of -100°F. Industrial ozone generators require this high concentration of oxygen for optimal ozone production.

There are multiple advantages to using concentrated oxygen, which ensures consistent ozone output and eliminates moisture-related issues, leading to dependable ozone generation without the need for corona cell maintenance. Moreover, the ozone concentration achieved is significantly higher than in dry air generators, enhancing its solubility in water.

Ozone for Effective Disinfection

Ozone acts as a powerful oxidizing agent, effectively inactivating numerous microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and volatile organic compounds. The treatment works by disrupting cell membranes and damaging cellular components of these microorganisms, causing inactivation or death.

A key benefit of ozone treatment is its extensive antimicrobial efficacy. Ozone can combat various microorganisms, including both enveloped and unenveloped viruses, gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, along with various types of fungi and protozoa. This versatility is instrumental in applications for disinfection and sterilization across water treatment, food processing, and healthcare settings.

Ozone treatment is especially effective against waterborne pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, which can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses. Even in low doses, ozone effectively inactivates these pathogens. Moreover, it helps control biofilm formation and mold spores, which are recurring contaminants in water distribution systems.

In healthcare scenarios, ozone treatment is employed to manage indoor air pollutants and curtail infectious disease transmission, addressing contaminants such as mold spores and bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2. Ozone sanitizes surfaces, equipment, and airborne pollutants in healthcare facilities, lowering the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Are ozone generators safe? Proper use of ozone generators ensures their safety. While ozone is effective in eliminating many contaminants, exposure to high concentrations for extended periods can be harmful to humans and animals.

High ozone levels can lead to respiratory irritations, coughing, chest discomfort, and shortness of breath. Prolonged exposure can damage lung tissues and result in serious health risks. Furthermore, ozone can present explosion hazards under specific conditions. Following proper safety protocols allows for the safe utilization of ozone.

It's crucial to adhere to safety guidelines when operating ozone equipment, including wearing personal protective gear, ensuring good ventilation, and monitoring ozone levels. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions to keep ozone concentrations beneath recommended limits.

Ozone Applications

Industrial ozone generators feature a modular design suitable for a variety of small, medium, and large applications. They have become essential tools for maintaining the safety and quality of industrial processes and products, including:

Aqueous vs Gaseous Ozone: Understanding the Differences

Ozone generator systems are categorized based on their application—aqueous or gaseous ozone. Aqueous ozone generators produce ozone in a liquid context and often employ an ozone diffuser to dissolve ozone into water. Aqueous ozone is widely used for water treatment, disinfection, and cleaning. Proper usage guidelines must be followed for safe and effective outcomes.

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Conversely, gaseous ozone is released into ambient air or utilized in sterilization, disinfection, and odor control applications. The choice between aqueous and gaseous ozone generators is determined by the specific intended application.

Aqueous Ozone Systems (Ozonization)

Although ozone gas is partially soluble in liquid, high mass transfer efficiency can be achieved using suitable methods and equipment. Presently, venturi-based mass transfer systems are the favored method for injecting ozone into water, owing to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. The resulting ozone-enriched water flows through a reaction chamber, coming into contact with contaminants and effectively neutralizing them.

This process yields clean, purified water that is safe for consumption and use. Beyond its disinfectant properties, ozone also assists in eliminating odors, tastes, and colors from water, underscoring its versatility as a water treatment solution.

Gaseous Ozone Systems

Gaseous ozone has numerous applications in air treatment and odor mitigation, such as indoor air pollution control, cold room disinfection, and biofuel odor management. It circulates through the air to address airborne particles, contaminants, and pollutants on exposed surfaces. Ozone effectively minimizes or entirely eliminates odors and airborne contaminants through its oxidation process.

It is essential to adhere to safety rules and guidelines when working with gaseous ozone systems.

TESTIMONIALS

HERE IS WHAT SOME EXPERTS SAY ABOUT OZONE:

“The trouble is that one soon gets used to dirty air, and offensive odors are not apt to be noticed after a while, but the fact remains that pure air is more wholesome than contaminated air. In daily life, it is almost impossible to provide fresh air. No amount of ventilation, not even an unbearable draft, will be able to keep a room or a place in proper condition unless one takes recourse to ventilate with ozonized air. Removal of foul odors by means of air flushing is an absolute impossibility, and yet they should be removed. That is where ozone comes in. The method of purifying the air by ozone is fully reliable, very efficient, and inexpensive.”

A. Vosmaer, Ph.D., Electrical and Chemical Engineer, London, England
In “Ozone, its Manufacture, Properties, and Uses”

“Ozone destroys virtually all odors that are present. It does not merely mask them. The destruction of odors is impossible when air is circulated only, or when oxygen is used. Cold storage warehouses, which store all kinds of food products, have proven this. Odors are not present if low concentrations of ozone are used, regardless of their strength or source.”

E. W. Reisbeck, M.E., Ozone Research Authority
In “Air Conditioning and Ozone Facts”

“As a deodorant for odors and stenches of organic origin, ozone has long proven effective, and we can only confirm this general opinion.”

DR. PHILIP DRINKER, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

“Ozone treatment destroys organic odors. Ozone is highly effective at eliminating powerful stenches, such as those from garbage incineration and fat rendering. When chimney odors create public nuisance, ozone holds substantial commercial potential.”

Milton J. Rosenaw, MD
In “Preventive Medicine and Hygiene”

“Experiments with cholera and typhus bacteria are quite elaborate in private plants, which handle considerable water volumes each day. When tested under the auspices of the Prussian State, results published by Dr. Ohlmueller and Dr. Prall demonstrated that ozone effectively sterilized water contaminated with cholera and typhus, leaving merely harmless residual bacteria after treatment.”

E. HOWLETT, M.E.

“Ozone treatment serves as a powerful germicide, its high activity being largely due to its oxidizing capability.”

E. K. RIDEAL, PH.D.

“Ozone generators have been successfully installed in many homes, proving particularly destructive to microbial entities while rendering dangerous airborne dust inert.”

W. E. ANGHINBAUGH, MD

“A mere one part of ozone in a solution of two million part will inactivate the poliomyelitis virus within 2 minutes, in stark contrast to required chlorine exposure time of 3 hours.”

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