Ultraviolet (UV) Ozone Generation
Ultraviolet (UV) ozone generation
Ultraviolet lamps have been used for decades to generate ozone. This lamp emits UV light at 185 nanometers (nm). Light is measured on a scale called an electromagnetic spectrum and its increments are referred to as nanometers. Figure 1 represents an electromagnetic scale; note the location of higher-frequency ultraviolet light relative to visible light (the range of light
perceptible by the human eye).
Figure 1: Wavelengths in nm
Air (usually ambient) is passed over an ultraviolet lamp, which splits oxygen (O2) molecules in the gas. The resulting oxygen atoms (O-), seeking stability, attach to other oxygen molecules (O2), forming ozone (O3). The ozone is injected into the water, or air stream, where it inactivates contaminants by actually rupturing the organisms’ cell wall.
