An Introduction to Ozone

We all know oxygen. It exists in the biosphere, and serves as a crucial need that we cannot live without. However, as for ozone, people talk about it very little. Even when we hear about it, it mostly exists in science and industry field as a terminology. Without wide understanding and recognition, neutral, even good things can sometimes be regarded bad or even guilty. As the proverb goes: rumors end with sage. Tomatoes were once feared and thought to be poisonous in Europe for over 200 years. Such misconception was stopped until the emerging of Col. Robert Gibbon Johnson’s heroic act.

For people with little knowledge about ozone, it is also said to be either dangerous or expensive. It is time we give ozone a fair evaluation, and wash away these bad names. With long history of ozone generator production and research, OzonGenerators has rich experience in ozone generating industry, and thus knows ozone better. Next, through some common rumors, we will give you a comprehensive introduction to ozone.

Ozone Must Be New

Ozone purification is nothing new at all. Dutch chemist Martinus van Marum first noticed the existence of ozone in his experiment in 1785. Ozone was later identified as a compound by Christian Schonbein in 1840. Ozone application is not unusual in water sanitation, medical and food storage industry in Europe since the 1900s. As a whole, ozone solution has been widely used for over 100 years.

Ozone is Dangerous

Maybe this is the most widely spread rumor upon ozone. It is not completely wrong, but true to a certain extent. If too much ozone is inhaled into human body, it will cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty in breath, etc. These symptoms only happen when people used ozone generation without proper monitoring. Ozone has already been recognized safe by FDA, EPA, USDA, and National Organic Program. The direct contact with food has already been widely accepted.

Ozone is Not as Good as Chlorine

Being used for quite long period of time, chlorine has a good reputation in its disinfection application. But compared with chlorine, what you may don’t know is that ozone will be 3,000 times faster. It does better when killing organic containments like viruses, bacteria, molds, milder, etc. It also has significant effect on those where chlorine is basically invalid.

Ozone is Expensive

Compared with chlorine, ozone application will be cost-effective than the use of chlorine. The first period investment of ozone purification will be higher than that of chlorine. But in the long run, ozone will win over chlorine when you consider their costs. If there’s cost after an ozone system is installed, it will be minor in the maintenance. Another key factor to compare with chlorine is in storage aspect. When generating ozone, it is a kind of on-site reaction. There will be no transportation of storage demands for ozone at all.

Ozone is Harmful

There is a saying about ozone: good up high but bad nearby. We show our gratitude to stratospheric ozone since it protects us from the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. But many people consider ozone around us bad for our health. The truth is that if we can monitor the production and application of ozone, such concern will not be necessary. You can regard ozone as charged ozone. Ozone is so unstable that it will decompose and go back to oxygen within about 30 minutes. It leaves no residues compared with other ways of purification and sterilization.

Ozone Generators are Not as Good as Air Purifiers

Firstly, we should point out the difference between an ozone generator and an air purifier. It is also common to see an air purifier sold as an ozone generator. If that’s the case, it will be dangerous since it might emit unsuitable amount of ozone above the limitation. An ozone generator going with the industry standards will always balance its effect and safety. The location for use will be differed from one customer to another. So the best way to select the most suitable ozone generation products will be to consult the service staff for professional advice before the purchase.

Ozone Disinfection Takes Long Time

Disinfection of a room of regular sizes by an ozone generator will only take several hours. For certain larger spaces like factory workshops, the disinfection time will be longer. It may even take several days. The time will be uncertain since both the pollution level and machine outlet may vary. For regular home and business environment use, the disinfection process will be finished instantly when ozone molecules meet the target molecules. The half-life of ozone molecules is about 30 minutes. After you have used an ozone generator for a room, the door and windows should be open for air to go in. And it is suggested to go back into the room after 2-3 hours.

Ozone Generators Erode Metal

When you hear someone claims that ozone will erode metal, we can imagine what’s in your mind. It might be leaked pipes in your room with water running everywhere, rusted tableware in the cabinet, fallen chandeliers, etc. If it happens, it will be really terrible. But fortunately, what you have imagined will be totally impossible. Rather than iron pipes, recommended pipes for carrying ozone are of made of HDPE or PTFE. Even for ozone transported by steel pipes, it will take months or even years to see any damage on the pipes. Compared with water with no ozone, ozonated water will have the pipe oxidized gradually, but such process requires several years.

Ozone Generators Leave No Residual

This negative statement at last is also not true. But an explanation is still needed. The effectiveness of ozone in killing bacteria comes from its strong oxidizing ability with its short half-life. Ozone molecules can exist in water for several hours. While processing food, it’s half-life will only be around 15 minutes. When you use ozone for wastewater sterilization, ozone residual will be varied with particular cases. The higher organic loading it has, the shorter ozone half-life there will be.

The above 9 facts and clarification is what we would like to share this time. If you still have any questions to be answered, please don’t hesitate to contact us

. Our service team will provide you with not only products, but also professional explanations and suggestions.

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