There are many methods to purify water, but not all are safe for human health and the environment. Some reducing agents can cause serious consequences after using them for a long time. For this reason, ozone water treatment has emerged as a lifesaver for the water treatment sector. Still, what is ozone water treatment? If you don’t know, let’s learn more about it in this article!
What Is Ozone Water Treatment?
In recent years, ozone water treatment is gradually becoming more popular in domestic water treatment plants and factories as a safe disinfection method without harsh chemicals. This water purification technology appeared in France in the early 20th century.
Still, it was not until the 70s and 80s that it completely attracted the public’s attention thanks to advances in science & technology. So what exactly is this method?
More specifically, Ozone (O3) is a form of oxygen (O2). When oxygen is exposed to a strong electric current in the air, it will produce ozone in a short period. Once dissolved in water, it reverts to oxygen.
Ozone is a strong oxidant, which directly attacks microorganisms and destroys their cell walls. Therefore, people utilize it in the ozone water treatment (or ozonation) to disinfect water. Apart from purifying water for households, professionals also use it as a water disinfectant in many different industries.
In detail, the ozone treatment system consists of two stages: ozone generation and ozone reaction. When in the water, it can dissolve toxins more quickly than conventional reducing agents without affecting the composition or taste of the water.
Conventional reducing agents are the agents like carbon, aluminum etc .which are used to extract the pure metal.
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That is why ozonation is an effective way to destroy bacteria and microorganisms, especially those that lead to cancer or other diseases. The reason why experts like this solution is because it releases very few DBPs into the environment and does not produce harmful by-products to the human body.
Currently, water purification and ozone treatment technology are also ideal and low-cost solutions to water quality problems.
Although ozone water treatment is a much more efficient, safe, and economical method than chlorine, this does not mean that you will get clean drops of water without the initial investment.
The ozonation process requires a professional system, so usually, only large-scale plants can accommodate. In recent years, with the development of science and technology, mini ozone water purifiers have also been born to serve the needs of households. However, regardless of the system, they only work on a certain principle.
As mentioned above, we need oxygen and energy to create ozone. First, the water treatment system passes air through a high-voltage corona discharge inside a sealed tube. Exposure of the air to this current converts the oxygen (O2) into ozone (O3) from a circuit board inside the system.
In the next step, the system directs it into the filter area. The process of mixing ozone with water then creates bubbles and turbulence, which allows the ozone to be in contact with the water as much as possible. The higher the water flow rate, the greater the pressure and the higher the work efficiency. After completing the sterilization process, it converts back to oxygen to oxidize the wastewater leaving the filter oxygenated.
Benefits Of Ozonated Water Treatment
Although there are many different water treatment techniques, ozonation is still the first choice of most countries. Yet, why do they prefer this formula?
Remove Pollutants
Currently, ozone treatment is the most effective, fastest, and safest method in water treatment for both domestic and industrial production. One of the biggest pluses of this method is its capacity to disinfect water.
Ozone can destroy almost all bacteria, microorganisms, disease-causing waste in the water. Furthermore, ozone will also remove the color, odor, and unpleasant taste of water, bringing users the safest water drops. Thanks to the capacity of this technique, people can safely drink, cook, and bathe.
In some cases, scientists also use ozone water treatment as an effective solution to save heavily polluted water areas caused by waste from factories. Since ozonation is self-contained, labor and transportation costs are saved compared to other water purification solutions.
Anti-inflammatory
Experts have shown that ozonated water can activate antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
Disinfection Of Food
E.coli and food containing pathogens is a horror to many people. Studies have also shown that ozone can help users eliminate bacteria before eating. Therefore, it will be a wise choice if you thoroughly wash your food with ozone-filtered water.
The Perfect Solution To Replace Chlorination
Have you ever had watery eyes or any issue similar to that? If so, it’s probably the effect of chlorine when disinfecting the water. Although it is an old technique, chlorine water filtration still has many disadvantages. Thus, ozonation is an effective alternative method to protect human health.
Environmentally Friendly
Water treatment systems often put great pressure on the environment. As ozone can dissolve quickly in water and leave only oxygen, this solution is more environmentally friendly than other reducing agents.
Does Not Create Extra Chemicals
In the past, the filtration process of chlorine from some traditional water treatment systems has generated some by-products dangerous to users.
Unlike chlorine, ozonation does not cause any other chemicals. After dissolving, only O2 remains in the water. In addition, the filtered water is available at a neutral pH without any further treatment required.
Potential Disadvantages Of Ozone Water Treatment
Although it is a superior solution, this method still has some disadvantages.
- Ozone-filtered water can become cloudy due to increased oxidation. Like other types of water with air bubbles, they will float to the surface of the water and disappear after a while.
- The next thing we want to remind you is that ozone is corrosive. If the surfaces in contact with ozone are not resistant to corrosion, serious consequences such as gas leaks can occur. Hence, make sure you double-check the materials before using them!
- Cost is an indispensable factor for any product. In general, the cost of an ozone system is quite high. This makes ozone water purification systems only popular in the industry and public projects, not in every household.
Other Considerations For Ozone Water Treatment
Though owning an ozone water purification system at home has become a lot easier, not all of them give you the best experience. Therefore, you need to consider the following points carefully:
Install and operate your system according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t forget to check the quality of raw water (untreated water) and treated water to ensure your system is working properly!
As ozone is corrosive, it can erode some of your system’s pipes over time and spread throughout your home. It can cause headaches, irritation, burning eyes, etc. Surfaces made of corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel would be a good choice to prevent this problem. Also, remember to keep flammable materials away from the ozone system for safety purposes!
One more point to make is that water in the storage tank can still be re-contaminated with bacteria and microorganisms after filtration. Some modern systems will store this water in a contact chamber for continuous treatment.
Ozone Water Treatment – FAQs
Is Ozone Toxic?
How Long Does Ozone Last In Water?
How Does Ozone Kill Bacteria?
You can safely use ozone to destroy bacteria and algae without worrying about the risk of forming immunity, whether it is the most stubborn microorganisms like Giardia, Streptococcus Faecalis, Cryptosporidium, or even E. Coli (the cause of many serious health problems in everyday food), etc.
Verdict
Are you still wondering What is ozone water treatment? Now, after reading this article, we hope that you have found the complete answers to your questions! With outstanding treatment efficiency and uses, ozonation is the ideal method of water disinfection today. Even though this solution has some disadvantages, it is still the most common and effective technique for water treatment.
If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to leave us a message. See you in other posts!