Ozone Equipment
By Ann MacDonald
Ozone is used to clean and purify environments, equipment, air and water. Ozone equipment is used to treat spaces or substances with ozone in order to clean or purify them. Ozone equipment is commonly used to remove odors caused by smoke, pets, cooking or other unpleasant sources.
How Ozone Equipment Works
Ozone is a naturally occurring compound; it is the substance that occurs when three atoms of oxygen are linked together (O3). The oxygen we breath is made of pairs of oxygen atoms (O2). Ozone generating equipment links the oxygen atoms together to make ozone molecules. Some ozone generators pass the oxygen through a highly charged field to create the ozone. Others use ultra violet rays to convert oxygen to ozone.
Odor Removal
As the ozone is released, it reacts with organic compounds by breaking them down. Odor is caused by the decay of organic compounds, so ozone equipment removes odor by oxidizing the material and removing the source that actually causes the odor. Ozone kills bacteria, mold, mildew and even oxidizes odorous gasses like smoke. Ozone treatment often helps with allergies by removing some of the allergens in an environment.
Is Ozone Equipment Safe?
Since ozone breaks down to pure oxygen, it is safe and does not cause any residual chemical or toxic effects. Ozone is also sometimes referred to as “activated oxygen.” Ozone is caused in nature when ultra violet light interacts with oxygen and is also caused by oxygen.
Since people should not breathe high levels of ozone, ozone equipment should be used only in unoccupied rooms. Once the ozone is generated, it falls apart and returns to its original two-atom oxygen state. This decaying process is ozone's half-life and it is fairly short; the half-life of ozone in water is about 30 minutes, which means half of the ozone will be gone half an hour after it is generated. Once the equipment is turned off, the ozone decays so the area will be safe for people to breath again within a very short time period. So, any effects from ozone quickly disappear, leaving an area completely safe and much cleaner and than it was before.
When large amounts of ozone are created, for example in industrial environments, other equipment known as ozone destructors can be used to speed the process of removing the ozone.
Why Bring in Ozone Equipment?
Since ozone dissipates quickly, ozone equipment must be used on-site to be effective. Equipment can be purchased or leased. Generally ozone services use professional equipment and have qualified technicians to bring the equipment and operate it.
How Often Should Ozone Equipment be Used?
Ozone will remove the organic material that is present when the ozone equipment is used. New odors will occur as new material grows or is introduced to the environment and repeat treatments will be necessary. Relatively clean environments will need ozone treatments less often than smoky, bacteria-filled environments, so the frequency of ozone treatment is dependent on the needs of the space.