24-01-2011, 11:37 AM
by:
Mr. Brian Oram, PG
B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc.
Ozone was first used in water treatment in the late 1800s and ozone is more widely used in Europe and Asia then the United States. Ozone is an unstable gas comprising of three oxygen atoms, the gas will readily degrade back to oxygen, and during this transition a free oxygen atom, or free radical is form. The free oxygen radical is highly reactive and short lived, under normal conditions it will only survive for milliseconds.
Ozone is a colorless gas that has an odor similar to smell of the air after a major thunderstorm.
Ozonation Process
The formation of oxygen into ozone occurs with the use of energy. This process is carried out by an electric discharge field as in the CD-type ozone generators (corona discharge simulation of the lightning), or by ultraviolet radiation as in UV-type ozone generators (simulation of the ultraviolet rays from the sun). In addition to these commercial methods, ozone may also be made through electrolytic and chemical reactions. In general, an ozonation system includes passing dry, clean air through a high voltage electric discharge, i.e., corona discharge, which creates and ozone concentration of approximately 1% or 10,000 mg/L. In treating small quantities of waste, the UV ozonators are the most common, while large-scale systems use either corona discharge or other bulk ozone-producing methods.
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