Ozone – A Powerful Disinfectant in Waste-water Treatment | M19 Material Intelligence lab Vadodara Gujarat

Ozone – A Powerful
Disinfectant
in
Waste-water
Treatment

Abstract

This article emphasizes Ozone's effectiveness as a disinfectant in Water Treatment, swiftly eliminating bacteria and viruses. Widely used in Municipal Water Disinfection, even at low concentrations like 0.4 ppm for four minutes, ozone's potency is notable. However, its energy-intensive generation calls for precise control and monitoring systems.

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Ozone is a powerful oxidizing agent and disinfectant that is used in water treatment for its ability to effectively eliminate a wide range of contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and organic and inorganic substances. When Ozone is exposed to a bacteria or a virus, it immediately destroys the cell membrane. Ozone is an oxidizing agent and when it encounters any odor molecule, oxidation occurs (chemical combustion). Disinfection by triatomic oxygen (ozone) occurs through the rupture of the cell wall. This is a more efficient method than chlorine, which relies on diffusion into cell protoplasm and inactivation of enzymes. Ozone will inactivate viruses on contact, even at very low temperatures and residual concentrations.

The effect of ozone to eliminate pathogens has been corroborated for several decades. Its killing action on bacteria, viruses, fungi, and many species of protozoa serves as the basis for its growing use in disinfecting municipal water supplies in cities around the world. Ozone destroys viruses by diffusing through the protein coat in the nucleic acid core, resulting in viral RNA damage. At higher concentrations, ozone destroys the capsid or outer protein shell by oxidation. Thanks to its high oxidizing power, ozone is capable of attacking and destroying all kinds of microorganisms such as bacteria, cysts, viruses, algae, spores, and protozoa.

An ozone level of 0.4 ppm for four minutes has been shown to kill any bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew. When the effectiveness of ozone as a disinfectant was measured, there was little or no disinfection up to a certain dose. At higher levels, the disinfectant effect increases. In the case of polio, just 0.012 ppm kills all viral cells in less than 10 seconds.