Use of ozone as primary disinfectant for water is common in Europe and is the second most common in the United States (after chlorine disinfection). It is a safe and effective way to remove waterborne pathogens (disease-causing organisms).
What is Ozone?
An ozone molecule is made up of three oxygen atoms (O3). It is unstable, breaking down into O2 in less than an hour after being formed.
Why Use Ozone in Water?
Ozone oxidizes biological material in water better than pure oxygen or chlorine. It also oxidizes many , causing them to settle out (precipitate) to the bottom of standing water.
How is Water Treated with Ozone?
Because ozone is unstable, it is generated at the point of use and diffused as small bubbles through the treated water. Dissolved ozone oxidizes any dissolved minerals or waterborne organics with which it comes in contact.
What are The Disadvantages to Ozone Treatment?
Generating ozone in commercial quantities requires a source of pure oxygen (liquid oxygen or a system to pull nearly pure oxygen from air), electrical power and safety equipment as pure oxygen is highly flammable and ozone is toxic.
Ozone does not persist in water, so chlorine or chloramines must be added to keep water disinfected throughout the distribution system.
Is Ozonated Water Safe?
Yes, it is safe. By the time it reaches consumers, any ozone in the water has reacted with impurities in the water or has decayed back into oxygen.
Some alternative medicine treatments involve patients drinking freshly ozonated water in order to boost the oxygen in their systems and combat diseases. While the benefits are open to debate, there have been no harmful side effects shown from those treatments.
Why Not Use it Everywhere?
For many smaller water utility districts, the costs involved in safely producing ozone are not justified by the amounts of water to be treated. Chlorine-based systems are cheaper for mid-sized systems. For small systems wanting to upgrade, ultra-filtration systems such as reverse osmosis provide disinfection and purification as a single step.
Tags: pure oxygen, dissolved minerals