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Ozone Technology How Ozone Is Produced NaturallyDespite ozone’s "discovery" in 1840, little is known or written about this mystery gas. Let’s start with natural ozone in the atmosphere. The "ozonesphere" is a protective layer of ozone 6 to 30 miles above the earth’s surface that contains approximately 10 ppm (parts per million) of ozone. This layer of ozone protects the earth’s surface from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light radiation and prevents heat loss. The layer is created by the sun’s UV waves bombarding oxygen (O2) molecules. This bombardment causes an oxygen molecule to split, allowing the "stray" oxygen atom to attach itself to another oxygen molecule, thus forming ozone, or O3. The third atom is loosely held to the new ozone molecule which gives it a 20 to 100 hour half-life. (Every 20 to 100 hours, one-half reverts to O2, or oxygen). Nature produces ozone in other ways, too. The electrical discharge of lightning creates ozone, which is why the air smells so fresh and clean after a thunderstorm. The ozone has oxidized the pollutants in the air. Many people even hang their laundry out to dry after a thunderstorm to capture the fresh scent.How Ozone Purifies One of the major benefits of ozone is its tremendous ability to oxidize substances: it is thousands of times faster than chlorine and disinfects three to four times more efficiently. Yet like most things in nature, there is danger in excess.Ozone’s third atom, the loosely held or "unstable" atom, has a strong tendency to break away and attach itself to other substances. While the original ozone molecule reverts back to O2, the loose molecule attaches itself to a new host substance and oxidizes it. It sounds like the perfect scenario for air-pollution cleanup. The problem is ozone wants to oxidize everything. Accordingly, excessive exposure can irritate people’s lungs, eyes and skin. Just as fire oxidizes organic matter and changes one substance to another substance, ozone will destroy a molecule through oxidation. Certainly, there is no doubt concerning its ability to oxidize organic substances, sterilize air and destroy toxic fumes, bacteria, algae, fungus, mildew, mold and odor. The use of ozone to purify air is effective when done properly.How Germicidal UV Lamps Produces Ozone for Air Treatment Decades ago, scientists discovered how to artificially produce ozone through electrical discharge. The method has been used in Europe for water purification since the early 1900s and has been rapidly gaining popularity in municipal water plants in the United States.In the 1970s, an inexpensive and reliable method of making ozone was discovered utilizing a specific wave of UV light. Ozone generated from UV light is just as effective as ozone produced from electrical discharge or naturally occurring ozone. This production method is preferred for many applications based on cost, reliability, maintenance and quantity. Industries have been using ozone successfully for many years in a wide range of applications, including food processing and preservation, smoke stack emission control, odor control, smoke damage restoration, beverage processing, swimming pools, algae removal in ponds and spa purification. In recent years, ozone’s benefits also have been realized in the wastewater treatment business.Ultraviolet light has been used since the early 1970's to produce ozone. This method has proven to produce substantial amounts of very economical ozone with no maintenance for up to 10,000 hours! The Residential Ozone Air Purification Plan Air Oasis Air Purifiers utilizes a "passive" ozonation below the Federal government recommended level of 0.04 ppm for occupied areas. The Air Oasis line of ozone air purifiers has been designed not to exceed the legal levels for occupied spaces while providing adequate airborne purification with several different models capable of various sized treatment capacities. The Air Oasis Air Purification systems have demonstrated in lab tests greater than 90% reductions of airborne microbials while staying within the legal limit of 0.04 ppm. Air contaminants can be controlled utilizing a safe, low level of ozone. The Commercial Ozone Air Treatment Plan The Commercial Air Treatment Plan is to utilize a total program of training with particular emphasis on safety. The plan is to evacuate the area to be odorized, ozonate the area with a sufficient dose to destroy all the odor causing molecules (usually 1 ppm), and ventilate the area before reoccupying.Ozone produced by Corona Discharge (CD) has a higher concentration by weight than ozone produced by Ultraviolet Light (UV). However, air treatment usually requires large volumes of low ozone concentration (1-2 ppm) to effectively treat air. CD produce ozone requires extra energy and effort to compress, dry, produce and then dilute the produced ozone. In comparison, UV produced ozone generally needs no air pretreatment and is produced at the ideal concentrations to be used to destroy airborne odors and VOC’s. Accordingly, UV ozone generators are preferred for ozone air treatment. Applications The Ozone Air Treatment Systems can destroy by oxidation the following airborne odors:
Use the following formula for calculating air treatment times necessary to treat a room:
Example for Turbozone® Models 400 & 900:
The amount of time necessary to sterilize an area with ozone depends upon the temperature, humidity level and the amount of reactive substances (odors). For effective treatment, it is recommended to turn rooms over at least three times. Additional Reading
It's no mystery that the air inside our homes, offices and nearly every building we enter is contaminated with air pollution problems. But wading through the plethora of air purification technologies and models to make our living and working space free of pollution can be a daunting task, especially with the misinformation presented by so many salespeople and web sites. There are many different air purification technologies and air filters on the market, but no one air purifier technology can solve every air pollution problem, which is why we carry different brands. |
