About Ozone

Ozone was discovered by Christian Schonbein in the 1840's. He smelled a unique odour during electrolysis and electrical sparking experiments. He recognized the odour as the same odour observed after a lightning flash. Schonbein named the substance "ozone" after the Greek word "ozein".

Ozone has been used extensively for the past 150 years for municipal drinking and waste water treatment, to purify commercial swimming pools and spa water-worldwide (since 1984 every Olympic Games Competition Swimming Pools have been sanitized with ozone) and ninety percent of bottled water is treated with ozone.

What is ozone?

Ozone is a very active form of oxygen, often called “activated oxygen”. It is formed when oxygen is exposed to a high-energy field causing some oxygen molecules (O2) to break down to oxygen atoms (O). The oxygen atoms then react with the oxygen molecules (O2) to form ozone (O3). Ozone degrades back to oxygen.

How ozone works

Ozone can oxidize with all kinds of materials. The extra atom of oxygen destroys odour, virus, moulds and bacteria in addition to oxidizing pollutants. Ozone is possibly the greatest purification element we have available to deal with man-made pollutants.

Ozone found in nature

In nature, ozone is formed by lightning. It is produced by the action of lightning on the oxygen found in the air. The formation of ozone leads to the fresh smell that you find outside after a lighting storm. This natural process is copied by the corona discharge type of ozone generator to produce ozone

 Ozone is also found in the Earth's stratosphere. The “ozone layer “ found in the upper stratosphere protects the earth's surface from harmful UV rays. UV rays break down oxygen molecules into oxygen atoms which recombine to form ozone. UV rays also excite ozone molecules causing them to breakdown to oxygen to begin the cycle again. In this way, the energy of the UV rays is absorbed by the  "ozone layer"  protecting the Earth's surface from their harmful effects. UV-type ozone generators mimic this natural process.

What can ozone be used for?

The nature of ozone makes it the ideal oxidant for air and water treatment.

• Ozone will destroy bacteria and viruses
• Eliminate colour from water (e.g. the yellowish colour caused by tannin)
• Remove rotten egg smell from water (caused by hydrogen sulphide)
• Eliminate bad odours from air

Applications include pool & spa treatment, home drinking water treatment, irrigation water treatment, smoke odour elimination from air, seafood storage..... the list goes on and on. Ozone is the most powerful oxidant commercially available for use in water & air applications. It is safe to handle because it decomposes back into oxygen, leaving no harmful by-products behind. For this reason it cannot be stored and must be generated and used on-site.

Benefits of Ozone

Ozone is stronger than any other commercial product for killing bacteria, at least 10 times stronger than chlorine as a disinfectant and leaves no trace of harmful residual product.

Ozone destroys odours by oxidation - one of the best uses for ozone in the market today to enjoy odour free homes. Ozone will remove smoke odour, pet odour, cooking smells, musty smells, urine and old home smells. Ozone does not mask odours, it completely destroys them.

In the home ozone will help prevent insects and stop infectious diseases spreading, kill bacteria and remove odours. In hospitals it prevents secondary infections (it has been proven against MRSA). In the food and livestock industry it will remove odours, kill bacteria and prolong the freshness of fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. It will also improve the growth and extend the life of flowers.