How Does an Ozonator Work?
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Use of Ozonators
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Ozonators use ozone gas to remove odors, impurities and dangerous pathogens. Ozone gas is made of oxygen molecules that have been ionized by radiation to form groups of three oxygen atoms, each group with both a delta negative and delta positive charge. These particles are the same that form the ozone layer in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, creating a natural shield against the radiation from the sun. On the surface, however, ozone is not replenished. It decays very quickly, rearranging its atoms and becoming normal oxygen again after only a short time.
How Ozone Functions
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The charge of ozone particles is static, with both a negative and positive electrical force contained within the atoms. This is one of the reasons it is so unstable--meeting other particles usually results in an exchange of charges as the ozone trades electrons so it can switch back to being oxygen again. This also changes the particles it comes in contact with, in a process known as oxidation, where the outside particle gains an oxygen atom and bonds into a different substance. This is same process that turns pennies green and make metals rust, but it is also useful for purifying air and water.
Ozonators create ozone from oxygen molecules, usually by applying ultraviolet light in the same method that creates the earth's ozone layer. This ozone gas is released into air or water and allowed to pass through it. Since the ozone readily oxidates, it will soon disperse and be turned back into oxygen, but in the process it removes odors and contaminants. Odors are created by unwanted particles floating through the air. When we breathe in these particles, our senses read them and produce the sensation of particular smells. Ozone unites with these particles, oxidizes them and changes them into less potent substances that do not produce the same odor.
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Commercial and Private Use
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The process also works with microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. The oxidation process exchanges atoms with them and forms new substances, literally eating away at the microorganisms until they can no longer function and die. After the water has been filtered, only safe oxygen particles are left, with no chemicals to worry about or pesticides to remove. Large commercial ozonators are used at water plants to make water drinkable.
Smaller versions of ozonators are available for swimming pools and air purification systems. While many pools and spas use chlorinators instead of ozonators, some use a combination to achieve the best results, while others use only an ozonator. Air systems use ozonators primarily to remove odors.
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