Ozone was given GRAS approval by the FDA and the USDA in 2001. This GRAS approval allows the use of ozone for direct contact with food as an antimicrobial intervention. Ozone use can provide safer food that will have a longer shelf-life due to lower bacteria levels. Ozone can be used on many food products.

Pathogens Inactivated with Ozone

E. coli O157:H7

Salmonella

Listeria

Pathogenic Fungi (mold)

Generic Bacteria

Viruses

Ozone for Food Storage

Potato Storage Facilities

Citrus Fruit Storage

Vegetable Storage

Aged Ham Storage

Cool Meat Storage

Preservation of Fish and Seafood

General Cold Storage Facilities

How Does it Work

Air-borne microbiological control

Low ozone levels (<0.3ppm) will inhibit microbiological growth in the air

High ozone levels can be used for disinfection when the room is empty

Ethylene Removal (C2H4)Eliminate mold growth from cold storage area

Ethylene is expelled from fruit and vegetables during ripening

High Ethylene levels speed the ripening process

Surface sanitation

Water Treatment

Because of the excellent disinfection and oxidation qualities of ozone, it widely used in many water treatment applications. Each of these applications has various uses and methods for implementing and applying ozone.

See links on the left side for additional details on each specific ozone water treatment application.

Ozone has a wide variety of uses and applications in water treatment.  Ozone can be used as a disinfectant, decolorizer, deodorizer, detoxifier, precipitant, coagulant and for removing tastes. Consequently, the use of ozone should be considered when there is a need to address any of these water issues, and particularly when there is suspicion of water born pathogens as ozone is such an effective biocide.

Ozone is a green water treatment alternative lowering chemicals and reducing by-products and new residuals in water.  As ozone breaks back down to only oxygen there are no residual remaining in the water after ozone water treatment.  Ozone can also lower chemical requirements as ozone coagulates and precipitates many substances by itself, and is also a reasonably effective flocculant. Because of this, it can reduce other chemical requirements in treatment facilities.

Oxidation with ozone is efficient can lower chemical costs and overall energy consumption.  Ozone is the most powerful and effective broad spectrum microbiological control or disinfecting agent available. As an example, for the inactivation of Giardia cysts, the Ct (concentration & time) is about 100 times greater for free chlorine than for ozone. With viruses, the Ct is about six times greater for chlorine than for ozone. For Cryptosporidia, ozone is the number one, recommended disinfectant by the US EPA due to efficiency in inactivation.

Ozone is safer to use than alternative chemicals. , there is less need to add high concentrations of a long-lived poison to the water that may soon become drinking water. When ozone is implemented in drinking water treatment, the chlorine demand is greatly reduced, as it is then needed only as a way to provide a residual in the distribution system at low levels. This minimizes the potential for producing carcinogenic THMs, and other chlorine by-products.
Ozone may also lower overall chemical consumption due to it’s ability to disinfect without adding other chemicals which may later need to be removed.

Laundry

Ozone is used for commercial laundry systems in hotels, jails, nursing homes, and hospitals as an energy and cost savings alternative.  Ozone use replaces hot water for laundry, and reduces chemicals.  This will conserve energy and save costs for your laundry appliaction.

How it Works

Ozone is dissolved into water that is used in the laundry process.  Cold water with ozone is used as opposed to hot water.  Ozone is also added into the machine in the gasseous form to be dissolved into water during laundering process.

Detergents are still used at lower levels, and hot water use is eliminated.  Only cold water is used in the laundry process.

In some applications as there is less detergent used a rinse step in the cycle can be eliminated and less water use can be achieved