Ozone in the United States of America -- State-Of-The-Art

Abstract

Applications for ozone in the United States have evolved through a lengthy maturation process, which began with drinking water treatment (taste/odor/color removal) in the early 1900s, and grew slowly until acceleration began in the mid-1980s. Although deodorization became a stable market in the 1960s-1970s, these applications were small, for the most part. One of the largest uses for ozone is oxidation of process chemicals in the chemical industry, which began in the USA about the 1940s, and subsequently has spread worldwide. Today, thanks primarily to environmental regulatory pressures which began to impact ozone in the mid-1980s, ozone now is used increasingly in the USA for drinking water treatment and for some municipal and industrial wastewater applications. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the growing importance of ozone (> 200 drinking water plants use ozone today), and has appointed IOA representatives to two of its regulatory development committees as stakeholders. Several U.S. cities have installed or are installing wastewater treatment processes for potable reuse purposes, which include the use of ozone. Three full-scale U.S. pulp bleaching plants use tons/day quantities of ozone. Smaller applications for ozone include water treatment for cooling tower waters (biofouling control), swimming pools and spas, marine aquaria, bottled water disinfection and maintenance of high purity waters in the pharmaceuticals and electronics industries. A new application for ozone is in commercial laundries to reduce energy costs and replace chemicals. In mid-1997, a public declaration was made by an expert panel that ozone is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for contact with foods. This declaration opens the door for ozone to be used in U.S. food processing industries. U.S. research scientists and engineers are at the forefront in studies which define the technical aspects of ozone technologies in a variety of applications employing advanced oxidation, including the treatment of hazardous wastes, groundwater remediation, and process water recovery and reuse in the semi-conductor industry.