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I actually have an uncle (on my wife's side) who is working on technology that can purify water via Ozone generation. (their website: http://www.ep-pure.com/ ht
by FreezerburnV 10y ago
I actually have an uncle (on my wife's side) who is working on technology that can purify water via Ozone generation. (their website: http://www.ep-pure.com/ http://www.ep-pure.com/, and an article about what they're doing: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/business/2014-03-23/companys-microplasma-technology-generating-interest.html http://www.news-gazette.com/news/business/2014-03-23/company...) They can actually produce a small box (about the size of a lunchbox) that generates enough ozone to purify a well for at least one family that costs less than $100 and powers itself via solar panel. (it might have been around $50 or less, but I don't remember the specifics) Along with the obvious benefit of being cheap, the "cartridge" that actually generates the ozone is recyclable, tiny, and easily replaceable by anybody. This is important because the current standard way of generating ozone is through complex industrial machinery that is difficult to service, requiring large, expensive parts. (they have a comparison of a current piece of the machinery that generates the ozone vs their cartridges in the office I visited)
Note that while I'm related by marriage to one of the founders, I have no monetary stake in the company, so please don't take this as just a shill. I got to visit their (tiny) office where they're building the devices that generate the ozone, and it was just legitimately exciting to see what they were doing.
I may not be a founder of the company or anything, but I got a pretty good explanation and tour. So if anyone has any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
- hartator 10y agoIsn't ozone toxiq?
- FreezerburnV 10y agoYes, it is. However, because of that it works as an incredible sanitizer. I was just talking with my uncle and he was saying it can turn the nasty water in third world countries clear and purified within a minute. Normally toxicity like that would be a problem, but ozone is actually a highly unstable molecule. The reason it's toxic is because it is literally ripping other molecules apart to get components it wants to become completely safe oxygen. This property allows it to sanitize the water, and then leave the water completely drinkable and safe shortly after due to it completely transforming into something safe.
- rckclmbr 10y ago"to clean the water, we poison the water!" All jokes aside, this actually sounds really cool.
- feral 10y agoThis isn't unusual though. You know they add Chlorine to many municipal water supplies? Chlorine gas was used as a chemical weapon in WW1.
- ianai 10y agoI think I'd trust ozone over chlorine tho
- tomhoward 10y agoIndeed. Plenty of people drink ozonated water as part of natural health remedies, and you don't hear any reports of serious problems. Breathing it is a different matter; it can do terrible damage to people's lungs. But ingesting it in water doesn't seem to be a problem.
- pasta 10y agoPhilips have been selling this for fish tanks. Very small bubbles of air and ozone react with the poluted water. Edit: here an in depth article about this subject: http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10541 http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10541