Ozone disinfection

In today’s world of stricter drinking water disinfection standards there is a search for disinfection solutions that abide by the new standards while keeping the disinfection operation cost-efficient and safe. Ozone disinfection has the potential not only to meet but also to exceed the limits. Along with disinfection, the use of ozone for drinking water treatment can also have many other benefits such as taste and color removal, iron and manganese removal, and insecticide removal. What Mother Nature performs, science tries to duplicate and then works to improve upon. Ozone, created by a natural phenomenon, provides many benefits to mankind that science had to harness the energy and recreate the process. This seemingly simple process that takes place naturally in the environment has taken the industrial society a long time to perfect. Ozone treatment is an effective disinfectant for water being used in bottled water operations. The process requires careful, precise operation and quality equipment to ensure water is properly disinfected and tastes good. Ozone – or O3 – is Mother Nature’s purifier and disinfectant. The 3 stands for the three oxygen atoms that compose Ozone. The normal Oxygen we breathe is called O2, and is made up of only two chemically linked Oxygen atoms. You may have noticed that a sudden summer storm leaves behind a very distinct smell, sort of a “fresh scent” which lasts for about an hour. In this case, you smell Ozone, which has been creating from lighting bolts during the electrical storm. Ozone is also created by the by the Sun’s ultra violet rays. The three Oxygen atoms, once these has a weak hold on the others, and is more than willing to transfer electrons with other organic substances, such as bacteria, and viruses. This single Oxygen atom binds with the other substance, causing it to oxidize (turn into something else. Rust is an example of Iron oxidizing into Iron Oxide). The byproduct of Oxidation in this case is simply O – a single Oxygen atom. Ozone functions as both an oxidant and disinfectant in the treatment of drinking (potable) water and wastewater. This is similar to chlorine. Chlorine and Ozone, however, operate by different mechanisms when disinfecting water. As a result, ozone and chlorine can act synergistically. Ozone’s germicidal properties are associated with its high oxidation potential. Disinfection by ozone is a direct result of bacterial cell wall disintegration, also known as lysis. In summary, when the ozonation process train is properly engineered and designed, water quality can be achieved which, without exception, cannot be matched with any type of chemical treatment.