Te chnology
HOTEL Business Review
Intricacies of Ozone Washing If addition of ozone in commercial laundry can help the entrepreneurs cut cost by saving on energy expenditure and water consumption, it also has beneficial effects on the environment and health of laundry workers
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ith disinfecting properties of ozone and its resource conservation benefits coming to light, the use of this gas in commercial and industrial laundries gained popularity. It has emerged that use of ozone can help save a lot of energy in laundry. With the addition of ozone to commercial laundries, it is possible to effectively wash clothes in cold water, thereby saving a lot of energy spent in heating water. The process can also curb the usage of washing detergent and water as ozone enhances the wash process and reduces wash cycles, leading to faster completion of wash loads. What is more, the gentler ozone water cycles can also help extend linen life by up to 25 percent. Cut in usage of chemicals harmful to clothes and reduction is rinse and dryer cycles also work to extend fabric life. It has also been claimed that ozone-wash water has superior disinfecting properties, killing viruses in just 5-6 minutes. These are some of the benefits that o zo n e was h i n g p rov i d es t h e l au n d ry entrepreneurs and helps them cut cost. Many even claim that ozone washing is beneficial to the environment and also the operators who are at risk of exposure to many hazardous chemicals in conventional laundry. Studies have concluded that ozone laundering reduces the amount of laundry chemicals discharged to waste and upon ozonisation soils become more biodegradable. And as it cubs the usage and storage of laundering chemicals, the laundry workers may feel safer. However, it deserves here a mention that too much exposure to ozone can also be bad for health, especially as it can affect the
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respiratory system. But because of its powerful disinfecting properties, ozone-washing could be ideal in hospital laundries as it can curb hospitalacquired infection in patients by killing or making inactive harmful microorganism found in many soiled textiles. The concept of washing clothes with the aid of ozone (O3) gas dissolved in ambient temperature water was first introduced to the American laundry industry in 1991. The system touted the capability of reducing energy use and traditional wash chemicals while recycling most of the wash water for reuse. Since that time, the number of laundries embracing this technology has grown dramatically.
What is Ozone? Ozone is created when air is exposed to either: ultraviolet light, lightening or manmade high voltage electric arcs. This causes some of the oxygen (O2) molecules to fracture into two Oxygen (O) atoms. These atoms then combine with other oxygen molecules, forming a molecule of ozone; consisting of a group of three oxygen atoms (O3). Ozone is very reactive and is nature’s own way of destroying pollutants and cleaning up the atmosphere. It works best in cold water as hot water breaks ozone down before it can perform as intended.
Properties of Ozone Ozone is a colorless gas that in low concentrations has a slight odor, most often described as the smell of fresh air after a thunderstorm. Extremely unstable, ozone cannot be stored and must be generated on
site. It is one and a half times as dense as oxygen and about 13 times more soluble in water. Ozone is second only to fluorine in its oxidizing potential and 150% more powerful in its disinfecting capabilities than chlorine. Ozone is a gas with a pungent odour that is formed by the breakdown of elemental, diatomic Oxygen (02) and the recombination of a percentage of the oxygen atoms into a triatomic molecule (03). Although normal oxygen, a component of the atmosphere, is a powerful oxidizing agent in its own right, ozone has much stronger oxidizing properties and reacts more quickly, often in fractions of a second, with a wide range of substances. In addition, it is one of the most effective biocides known to science, better even than chlorine, bromine and other commonly used disinfectants. It is capable of destroying bacterial and viral colonies. It is also effective against molds and fungi and as a deodorizer of air and water. Ozone works well as a disinfectant because upon disintegration it reverts to its original form, oxygen (O2). Unlike the latter substances, however, it does not form hazardous disinfectant by-products (DBP’s) such as dioxin and nitrites that are harmful to the environment or are toxic to animals and hurnans. Once ozone has fully reacted with substances in water or air, excess gas decomposes quickly to normal oxygen and is reabsorbed i nto t h e at m o s p h e re. Ozo n e ca n b e generated from two sources: ambient air or pure oxygen. Because it reacts so easily with other elements and is inherently unstable, it exists for only a short time before combining with another substance
