Ozone occurs quite readily in nature, most often as a result of lightning strikes that occur during thunderstorms. In fact the “fresh, clean, spring rain” smell that we notice after a storm most often results from nature’s creation of ozone. However, we are probably most familiar with ozone from reading about the “ozone layer” that circles the planet above the earth’s atmosphere. Here ozone is created by the sun’s ultra-violet rays. This serves to protect us from the ultra-violet radiation.
Ozone, (O3), sometimes called “activated oxygen”, contains three atoms of oxygen rather than the two atoms we normally breathe. Ozone is the second most powerful disinfectant in the world and can be used to destroy bacteria, viruses and odours.
Ozone is currently used in a wide range of applications including, pools, fruit and vegetable cleaning, room deodorising, sewerage treatment and as a disinfecting process for bottled water just to name a few.