For over a hundred years, aqueous ozone, or ozonated water as it’s also called has been an effective but sometimes misunderstood cleaning and sanitation solution. Used in industries ranging from healthcare, food and beverage, industrial water treatment, wellness, and more, electrolytic ozone generators create ozonated water, a fast-acting, and environmentally safe sanitation solution. With COVID-19 wreaking havoc in many of these industries, ozonated water can potentially help revolutionize cleaning and sanitization and make it safer for us to frequent our favorite bars, restaurants, and places of entertainment again.
What is Ozonated Water?
Ozonated Water is a dissolution of ozone in water, sometimes known as “active oxygen”. Through electrolytic ozone generators, water that has been subject to an electric charge can result in ozone within the water supply. Compared to the atmospheric ozone most people are familiar with, aqueous ozone is much safer for humans.
Ozonated water is an incredibly powerful oxidizing agent. When ozone particles come into contact with microbes and other biological agents, the ozone reacts instantly to degrade the microorganisms at a cellular level. Compared to other common industrial disinfectants like chlorine, ozonated water is more effective and works faster.
Is ozonated water safe?
Despite being a powerful disinfectant, ozonated water produced from electrolytic ozone generators is not corrosive and will not irritate human skin. With properly functioning equipment, generating ozonated water poses no fire hazard and a very minuscule risk of off-gassing traces of gaseous ozone.
In addition to acting on harmful bacteria instantly, ozone leaves no chemical residue or odor. This makes it an especially attractive cleaning option for businesses involved in food processing or packaging. Likewise, ozonated water is gaining popularity among medical professionals, dentist offices, and nursing homes for being able to effectively sanitize tools and surfaces without using any toxic chemicals or leaving behind any chemical residue.
Is ozonated water environmentally friendly?
With ozonated water, chemical cleaning agents like chlorine are no longer needed to sanitize at your home or business. The use of ozonated water is likely to skyrocket across the world once business owners realize the environmental and financial benefits of using ozone for sanitizing. With an electrolytic ozone generator for on-site ozone generation, all a business needs is a steady supply of filtered water.
Is ozonated water expensive?
Switching to ozonated water instead of chlorine, ammonia, or others means no longer needing to spend money on cleaning chemicals on a monthly basis. More importantly, it means no need to hire cleaning crews to regularly visit your business to disinfect. Businesses can also free up storage space that they would otherwise need to store the sanitizing chemicals on site. It’s also worth noting that there has never been a death reported as a result of exposure to ozonated water. On the other hand, there are deaths attributed to common household cleaning chemicals reported every day.
How can I use it in my business?
Electrolytic ozone is safer and more reliable for commercial-scale operations. Ozone generators such as the Waterline Disinfection System (WDS) from BES can be connected to wall-mounted fill stations or set under a sink. These make access to ozonated water supply quick and easy for employees. The wall-mounted systems can be installed under a sink and connected to the water supply, and employees can initiate the electrolytic charge themselves whenever ozonated water is needed for cleaning. They can fill a bucket or spray bottle with ozonated water to carry with them.
There are also mobile ozone generator systems and ozone spray bottles, such as the Mobile Ozone Spray (MOS) from BES. The MOS is a handheld ozone spray and a newer option that lets you disinfect surfaces with a simple spray bottle that releases ozonated water.
How long does the effect of ozone last?
Ozonated water made on-site generation systems into a water supply typically have about a 15-minute half-life. This means that as a super oxidizer and sanitizing agent, the water is most effective within the first five to ten minutes after the system delivers the electric charge to produce the ozone. In most cases, all of the ozone molecules will naturally dissipate and return to regular oxygen within two hours after the charge.
Ozonated water is fast becoming an excellent option for business owners to keep their business and products sanitized. With a simple spray bottle full of active ozone infused water, you can clean workspaces effectively and instantly.
What else can I use ozonated water for?
Ozonated water has also been found effective in disinfecting garbage disposal systems and grease traps, as well as dramatically reducing odors in these typically stinky areas. A simple rinse in ozonated water can also work wonders on pipes and plumbing systems after years of build-up.
What’s the final word on ozone?
The US Department of Agriculture has determined that aqueous ozone systems are GRAS (generally recognized as safe) for use in the agricultural and food processing industry. We expect that in the years ahead even more government agencies around the world will recognize the game-changing environmentally smart and sustainable potential of ozonated water generation technology. When this happens, we can expect ozone to become the mainstream disinfection method, as it has benefits for business owners, their customers, and the earth.