As a destroyer of harmful pathogens, ozone's use in O3 series ozone laundry has given it added significance and taken center stage in the era of COVID-19.
The history of ozone in laundry has been distorted by early claims that it significantly reduces heat, chemicals and water consumption. This means that the main incentive to use ozone is to save money. This misses the biggest feature of ozone, which is that it is a very effective laundry disinfectant. It is perhaps only now, spurred on by the current coronavirus pandemic, that its effectiveness as a destroyer of harmful pathogens is being fully investigated.

Successful implementation of ozone requires changes in washing chemistry and washing conditions. These changes do save energy and water and reduce the consumption of specialized chemicals, as ozone must be properly dissolved in the washing water and kept in the washing solution for the necessary time (which requires careful control of chemicals and temperature).
Now, let's look at some of the changes required to adopt ozone and the importance of precise chemical and professional control of washing processes. It is the expertise of a leading supplier of laundry chemicals and machinery that must be combined with sound laundry management to achieve the undoubted benefits of ozone washing and disinfection.

What is ozone?

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas, produced, for example, from the effect of sunlight on oxygen in the air and from the discharge of lightning during thunderstorms. It can also be produced under ultraviolet lamps and in other artificial appliances. It can be safely generated by corona discharge and reach the amount required for commercial washing. In order to obtain the concentration required for disinfection in washing, the oxygen content of the gas entering the corona discharge device must first be increased from 21% (normal air) to 90% by eliminating most of the nitrogen content in the air.

When the oxygen-rich gas flows through the corona arc, the normal oxygen of two oxygen atoms is converted into three oxygen atoms of ozone. This ozone device is small enough to be mounted on the wall next to the washing machine if needed. An important feature of many units is a fail-safe system during ozone generation. If the ozone system is not functioning properly, it will issue an alert. Ozone levels can now be monitored from a few parts per billion to 200 parts per million (200 PPM) to ensure workplace safety (high ozone levels are toxic, verifying that corona discharge units wash enough ozone to ensure disinfection). If any malfunction occurs, the washing machine will temporarily revert to the previous disinfection system until the malfunction is removed.

Ozone is popular as a disinfectant in various fields. It is becoming the disinfectant of choice for modern swimming pools and is also used in airport floors and toilet urinal cleaning (soluble in water). When used correctly, it is generally considered to be a better disinfectant than chlorine.