DISINFECTION BY OZONATION

Ozone is an unstable gas comprising of three oxygen atoms, the gas will readily degrade
back to oxygen, and during this transition a free oxygen atom, or free radical form. The free
oxygen radical is highly reactive and short lived, under normal conditions it will only survive
for milliseconds.

Ozone is a colorless gas that has an odor similar to the smell of the air after a major
thunderstorm.
Ozone has a greater disinfection effectiveness against bacteria and viruses compared to
chlorination.  In addition, the oxidizing properties can also reduce the concentration of iron,
manganese, sulfur and reduce or eliminate taste and odor problems.  Ozone oxides the iron,
manganese, and sulfur in the water to form insoluble metal oxides or elemental sulfur. 
These insoluble particles are then removed by post-filtration.  Organic particles and
chemicals will be eliminated through either coagulation or chemical oxidation.   Ozone is
unstable, and it will degrade over a time frame ranging from a few seconds to 30 minutes.
The rate of degradation is a function of water chemistry, pH and water temperature.

Ozonation Process
The formation of oxygen into ozone occurs with the use of energy. This process is carried
out by an electric discharge field as in the CD-type ozone generators (corona discharge
simulation of the lightning), or by ultraviolet radiation as in UV-type ozone generators
(simulation of the ultraviolet rays from the sun). In addition to these commercial methods,
ozone may also be made through electrolytic and chemical reactions.  In general, an
ozonation system includes passing dry, clean air through a high voltage electric discharge,
i.e., corona discharge,  which creates and ozone concentration of approximately 1% or
10,000 mg/L.  In treating small quantities of waste, the UV ozonation is the most common
while large-scale systems use either corona discharge or other bulk ozone-producing
methods.  Ozone test strips a must.

The raw water is then passed through a venturi throat which creates a vacuum and pulls the
ozone gas into the water or the air is then bubbled up through the water being treated.  
Since the ozone will react with metals to create insoluble metal oxides, post filtration is
required.

Primary Advantages to Ozone

1. Ozone is effect over a wide pH range and rapidly reacts with bacteria, viruses, and
protozoans and has stronger germicidal properties then chlorination.  Has a very strong
oxidizing power with a short reaction time.

2.The treatment process does not add chemicals to the water.

3. Ozone can eliminate a wide variety of inorganic, organic and microbiological problems
and taste and odor problems.  The microbiological agents include bacteria, viruses, and
protozoans (such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium).  Pathogenic and waterborne disease
screening test.

Disadvantages to Ozone

1. There are higher equipment and operational costs and it may be more difficult to find
professional proficient in ozone treatment and system maintenance.

2. Ozonation provides no germicidal or disinfection residual to inhibit or prevent regrowth.

3. Ozonation by-products are still being evaluated and it is possible that some by-products
by be carcinogenic. These may include brominated by-products, aldehydes, ketones, and
carboxylic acids.  This is one reason that the post-filtration system may include an activate
carbon filter.
4.The system may require pretreatment for hardness reduction or the additional of
polyphosphate to prevent the formation of carbonate scale.

5.Ozone is less soluble in water, compared to chlorine,  and, therefore, special mixing
techniques are needed.

6.Potential fire hazards and toxicity issues associated with ozone generation.

Disinfection Power of Ozone

To demonstrate the disinfection power of ozone and compare it with other oxidizing agents,
Morris developed the lethality coefficient:

Lethality Coefficient= 4.6/(Ct99) where:

C = residual concentration in mg/L t99 = time in minutes for 99 percent microorganism

destruction (2-log destruction)

The table below lists parameters for disinfection by ozone for different organisms:
Parameters for Disinfection by Ozone (pH 7; 10-15 degrees C):

Organism Lethality Coefficient (a) C 99:10 (b)

Escherichia 500 0.001
Streptococcus faecalis 300 0.0015
Polio virus 50 0.01
Endamoeba histolytica 5 0.1
Bacillus megatherium 15 0.03
Mycobacterium 100 0.005
tuberculosam

a – Lethality Coefficient = 4.6/(Ct99)

b – C 99:10 = concentration in mg/liter for 99 percent destruction or inactivation in 10 minutes
(Morris considered these values to be valid within a factor of two)
Comparison of the values in this table with similar values obtained for chlorine is shown in the
table below. These values tabulated by Morris illustrate that ozone is a more powerful germicide
against all classes of organisms listed by factors of 10 to 100. The table shows values of the
lethality coefficient:
Lethality Coefficient at 5 degrees C [(mg/liter)-1(min.)-1]

Agent Enteric Amoebic Cysts Viruses Spores

Bacteria
Ozone 500 0.5 <5 2
HOCl as 20 0.05 >1 0.05
Chlorine
OCl – as 0.2 0.0005 <0.02 <0.0005
Chlorine
NH2Cl as 0.1 0.02 0.005 0.001
Chlorine

Disinfection efficiency
As already stated above ozonation will enable efficient disinfection. The disinfection
efficiency is commonly measured using the CT-value (concentration multiplied by time). In
the image below a comparison between ozone and chlorination alternatives is shown. 

Ozonation provides protection against essentially all toxic and harmful unwanted microbes.
In the table below the CT-values for a range of germs are listed. 

Microorganism Required dose, CT-value (mg.min/L)

Bacillus 0.1

Clostridium botulinum spores 0.4

Cryptosporidium 7

E. coli 0.5

Encephalomyocarditis virus 0.25

Giardia cycts 0.5

Legionella pneumophila 0.1

Polio virus type 1 0.5

Pseudomonas 1.5 - 2

Salmonella 0.1 - 0.4

Staphulococcus 1.5 - 2

Streptococcus 0.1

In order to compare various disinfection agents, a brief summary table is presented below
for various common types of microbes typically used for benchmarking by the US EPA and
WHO for disinfection efficiency among different methods.

Benchmarking table for comparison of various disinfection agents and their efficiencies
using CT-value (mg.min/L)*. Adopted from US EPA, CDC and WHO.
 Log Chlorin Free Peraceti
Ozon Hypochlorit
Type inactivatio e chlorin c acid
e e
n dioxide e (PAA)

E. coli 2 <0.02 25-30 <1 <0.05 25-30

Scarce
Viruses 4 <0.1 <0.1 25-30 6
studies

Protozo Scarce
3 1-2 10-20 15-25 >100
a studies

*It is important to note that the measurability of CT-values are not exact and that
research reports different inactivation efficiency, but with consistent relative values. Use
the table above as indication.

Generally it can be said that spores are much more resistant. They generally show CT-
values about ten to fifteen times higher than the active form. It is also important to mention
that in most cases there is a disinfection "threshold". Up to this point the treatment will have
a limited or low effect on the microorganisms. However above the threshold value
essentielly all microbes of the same species will be destroyed
REFERENCE:

https://water-research.net/index.php/ozonation

https://www.spartanwatertreatment.com/ozone-disinfection/

https://www.ozonetech.com/water-treatment/ozone-disinfection-drinking-water