Ozone for sustainability

One is constantly hearing about the need to save electricity. There are schemes to reduce consumption by switching off hot water geysers for some hours of the day, or by changing patterns of use in factories and so on. All of these initiatives have merit but mostly they are a case of cutting tack on consumption on a standard function. By their nature most of them are temporary measures because growth will continue and consumption will rise again.

Where one really scores is when a totally new innovation comes about that actually alters the process permanently. For example imagine that you have to wash towels or dishes in very hot water to kill bacteria like in a hospital. Imagine that instead of killing the bacteria using heat you can do it using ozone gas. Then you can wash the items in ordinary warm water instead of piping hot, then treat them with ozone for the purpose of the sterilisation. Now that will save you the electricity used for heating the hot water, and that is permanent. Recently I happened to meet Ian Wright the CEO of Ozone Services Industries (OSI) and his company is in the business of supplying a whole range of ozone systems. That is all most interesting. The ozone is used in sewage treatments and water treatments and Wright has been installing systems in places like game lodges, hotels, hospitals, municipalities and a host of others where they have a direct and immediate water or sewage issue that needs attention.

The ozone does not only act as a sterilising agent but also precipitates minerals such as iron out of contaminated water. So the ozone can be used to clean impurities out of water as well as sterilising it.

Let me briefly explain the ozone. We humans need to breathe oxygen. Our atmosphere is about 20% oxygen and many people think that the more oxygen in the air the better. Not so! Too much oxygen is poisonous to people. Too much oxygen causes rust acceleration. So the 20% is just right. Oxygen in the air is found as the oxygen molecule O2 which is two oxygen atoms combined. Two oxygen atoms together are more stable than single oxygen atoms alone. It is like two friends with their arms wrapped around each other, the arms are occupied, as compared to a single person standing with arms outstretched waiting to grab something.

The ozone molecule is composed of three oxygen atoms O3. This molecule is much more reactive than ordinary O2 the third oxygen atom is just waiting to start a reaction with anything it can gel its hands on.

As a result ozone in small doses is poisonous to bacteria. They react so fast with ozone that the process kills them.

As far as impurities in water are concerned like iron, manganese they too react rapidly with the ozone and then turn into chemicals that deposit out of the water.

The ozone can also be used to sterilise and purify air. The ozone acts in a similar fashion as it does in water and removes odours and smoke as well as harmful bacteria.

OSI produces a range of products for treating air and water, these include air purification units, sewage and water processing plants plus a range of other products.

I found it most interesting to talk to lan Wright because he was bursting with ideas. That is the sort of approach that appeals to me. Wright is supplying many systems to all sorts of customers. I even met a farmer who arrived to collect his new machine to kill bacteria on his agricultural produce after harvesting. He enthusiastically said that he had tried one of the machines a while ago and it performed way better than specification, so he was back for another one. He had to guarantee a low bacteria count when selling his produce to a distributor, and he had found the answer. OSI even has a simple unit with which you can wash fruit with ozone rich water to kill bacteria and so extends shelf life of the produce.

Wright spoke to me about a number of new ideas and they all appealed to me. The ozone solution is good chemistry and physics, and that appeals to my scientific instinct. OSI is a rapidly growing company that seems poised to grow even faster. They are also keen to talk to anybody with any problem that they think could be addressed using ozone treatment. So call them if you have any ideas.

Ozone is not new, it has been around for years, but let me caution about a distinction between the really scientific use of ozone like OSI does, and other folks who sell all sorts of home ozone therapy and such like. That is not the same thing. I am not supporting the 'home ozone foot bath' to get your feet sparkling fit by next week. There are all sorts of black magic 'do-it-yourself' ozone products available. They are all trading on the mystique of the word 'ozone' just like the 'detox yourself' craze.

The real scientific application of ozone in air and water applications I believe will advance significantly. The ozone really works for correct scientific reasons, and is not harmful to any workers or maintenance people. Ozone systems do not need highly skilled people for general maintenance and daily operations, so they can be installed in game lodges, sports stadiums and any place that is not connected to a major municipal system to which you pay rates for the service. Within the cities air cleaning systems in restaurants, conference venues, or even hospital operating theatres can also use ozone devices.

Cunning applications of good science are always a move in the right direction, and as they gain attention more and more uses tend to be found for them. I am sure that there are another dozen smart ideas just waiting for an ozone solution.

-- Dr. K. Kemm