Oxidation/disinfection of swimming pool water with UV and ozone

In addition to conventional chlorine disinfection methods for swimming pool water, there are other methods, such as ultraviolet or ozone disinfection. Both UV and ozone installations easily cope with difficult conditions and minimize the use of sodium hypochlorite for swimming pool water disinfection.

Using an additional treatment helps to destroy the by-products in the reaction. The reference values of the disinfected product can be minimized and unpleasant odors or the development of trihalomethanes will be prevented. The pleasure of swimming in the pool will increase.

UV light

UV light removes compound chlorine from pool water. Thus, UV installations are the ideal solution to maintain the limit values of compound chlorine. They can be easily remounted, installed in a pipe and do not require much space. No resistance problems can arise, despite the improvement of the microbiological quality of the water, subsequently, it is necessary to use a disinfectant like chlorine.

Ozone

The typical smell of indoor swimming pools can be avoided by oxidizing chloramines with ozone. This will increase the clarity of the pool water without generating chemical by-products. The oxidation power of ozone covers the entire spectrum of water components and, in combination with activated carbon, gives satisfactory results for the highest demands.

The German standard DIN 19643 allows the load factor k (coefficient of nominal load and flow volume) to be 20% higher than in conventional methods of tartarification of swimming pool water where the water is treated with ozone. Thus, a smaller circulation pump, a smaller filter and a smaller pipe diameter can be chosen. This reduces both investment and operating costs. The reduced circulation reduces the electricity consumption of the circulation pump, the smaller filter reduces the amount of water needed for backwashing (respectively the costs of water and energy for heating the supplied water). Also, the shorter time for backwashing means reduced operating costs.

For therapeutic pools (in homes for people with disabilities, hospitals, etc.), where hygiene and water quality conditions are very high, ozone water treatment is absolutely mandatory in certain countries such as Germany. Ask the operators of therapeutic pools! You will find out that with ozone treatment there have been and will be no problems such as trihalomethane and compound chlorine.

Physical properties

• It is an unstable, bluish gas with a characteristic odor.
• Slightly soluble in water (4.5 volumes of O3 dissolve in 100 volumes of water)
• It is more soluble in non-flammable organic solvents (freon CF2Cl2, carbon tetrachloride CCl4, acetic acid) forming a black-violet mass, explosive upon friction or impact.

Physiological properties

• Due to its high reactivity, ozone is a toxic gas
• The toxic threshold is 0.1 mg/m3. Destroys: microorganisms, insects, blood coloring matter.

use

• It is used as a disinfectant in the purification of drinking water because it destroys bacteria and viruses.
• It has no unpleasant odor or taste, because excess ozone quickly decomposes into oxygen. For the same reasons, it is used in the treatment of swimming pool water.
• Due to its degradative action on phenols and cyanides, it is used to remove these compounds from wastewater.
• Used to sterilize the air in enclosed spaces, eliminating bad odors.
• In the food industry, ozone is used to preserve fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, etc.
• In the textile industry, it is used to bleach fibers: it decolorizes cellulose pulp, starch, sugar, etc.
• In medicine it is used to treat lung conditions (as a tonic), in surgery, in dental technology