Ozone Dry Cleaning System Long a staple in the dry cleaning and remediation industries, the use of Ozone is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance as more powerful Ozone Generators and larger and more sophisticated systems like the Ak47 are entering the market. Ozone is an environmentally-friendly substance that removes smells from garments including smoke, urine, vomit, cigars, skunk and other substances that “linger” even after repeated washings. Ozone is made from Oxygen or 02 and converted to Ozone or O3 by Ozone Generators. While it is fairly easy to make Ozone through Corona Discharge (such as a lightning bolt), modern Ozone Generators have left much of the problems of the older systems behind. In any chemical application, concentration is important. Gone are the days of old UV-style Ozone systems that put out a very low concentration of Ozone and required hours of contact time. Also going by the wayside are cheap Corona Discharge Ozone Generators that do not use air preparation units, another key point in a quality Ozone system. If the air going into the generator is not bone-dry, the Ozone output will drop off, affecting Ozone concentration. This is true of any Ozone Generator on the market. Another key point in any system is proper sizing. Waiting for a tiny Ozone Generator to huff and puff and fill up a large treatment room is not going to cut it in any modern drycleaning or remediation system. Large Ozone generating systems can now be used to quickly fill rooms and cut down on treatment times considerably. Prices of these systems have dropped substantially as systems become more available.   Ozone delivers the lowest cost per treatment on the market It is also the ONLY system that works on virtually ALL odor The application of Ozone is quite simple. Take a typical example of a treatment room full of smoke-damaged clothing. The “smoke” smell is really an on-going chemical reaction that is releasing very low concentrations of long-chain “combined” chemicals. Many of these chemicals by themselves are non-odorous. However, when they combine and start reacting, the smell can linger for months or even years. The human nose is very sensitive to this and can detect odors in the parts per billion range! As we introduce Ozone into the treatment room, the highly reactive Ozone gas mingles with the still-reacting smoke compounds. As the two mix, the reactive Ozone starts pulling apart the long-chain bonds of the smoke molecules, halting the chemical process.  Ozone is being consumed as the “fuel” to pull the long chains apart. In Ozone chemistry, these fast-reacting compounds make up “instant Ozone demand.” Satisfying “instant” Ozone demand means that the reactive substances have been converted to non-odorous compounds. In other words, the odors are now “dead”. While this is a straightforward chemical process, the concentration of Ozone in the room becomes important. Low concentrations of Ozone means that the reaction strength of the Ozone may not be high enough to pull apart the long chains, resulting in an inferior job or very long wait times. In a practical sense, our room full of smoky clothes quickly consumes as much Ozone as is required to fulfill the “instant” Ozone demand. At some point, the Ozone gains the upper hand and does not have any “instant” reactions left. This is where Ozone levels quickly build up and you can be assured the reactions (and the odors) are now done. The other very nice thing about Ozone Generators is the cost of operation. Very low operating costs are realized because the Generators only consume air. There are no chemical inputs to order or high-value consumables, only electricity. The on-going costs are for maintenance of the system only. It's like having an Ozone factory! As with any highly-reactive substance, safety is an issue. Anyone entering the room or having the chance of being exposed to Ozone should wear a carbon mask to destroy Ozone. Other than that, once the room has been ventilated and the Ozone levels drop, the clothes are now treated. The owner also has the satisfaction of knowing that he has not released any harmful chemicals into the environment.   How Does Ozone Destroy Odors? By gassing the odors with Ozone, the odors are literally "torn apart" at a chemical level. Ozone is in the same chemical family as chlorine and other oxidizers. However, Ozone is made from Oxygen and is much faster-acting. Also, because Ozone is made from Oxygen, it does not leave harmful chemical residues.   Ozone literally "disassembles" odors at a chemical level.   Ozone has a very key place in your odor control and remediation department. Used properly, Ozone will remove all kinds of odors including those generated by beer, smoke, gas, diesel, vomit, skunks, livestock odors, urine, feces, cigars, cigarettes and most other odors. In fact Ozone will remove almost any lingering organic odor.   Ozone is an "oxidizer". Oxidants are used to destroy or convert organics in all kinds of industries. Ozone is used to oxidize numerous organics in air treatment. It has been used for odor control for decades in remediation industries, dry cleaning and commercial and industrial plants.   Ozone quickly breaks these complex substances down into component parts at an atomic level. In so doing, it quickly and permanently destroys odors. In Europe especially and increasingly in North America, Ozone has long been used in remediation industries to kill odors in homes or businesses where fires, flooding and other disasters have occurred. Ozone delivers the lowest cost per treatment on the market. It is also the ONLY system that works on virtually ALL odor sources. Ozone can be put to use to convert pollutants such as ammonia, mercaptans, sulfides and other organic (odor-causing) materials into inert, non-odorous by-products. Ozone is an extremely fast-acting oxidant. It is these unique characteristics that allow Ozone to be put to use in odor control.   After oxidizing substances, Ozone simply reverts back to Oxygen. There are no toxic or caustic residues. The target substances are broken down into their base components. Smells are permanently destroyed. There is no magic in the application of Ozone. It is a chemical process that is predictable and well understood by Chemical Engineers, Chemists and Ozone Engineers. Envron Ozone is used to destroy odors in industrial applications including hog barns, poultry barns, composting operations, car washes and other applications. Ozone is the most powerful, fastest-acting oxidant commercially available and has a long history of odor control. Ozone- Not A Masking Agent In the odor control industry, there are two different ways to control odors. Masking agents are used to disguise or alter the base odor. These systems work with success in some areas and fail miserably in others. The difference between Ozone and other odor control agents is that Ozone provides a permanent end to odors. It is not a masking agent or perfume and does not “cover up” odors.   Many odor causing substances can generate odors for weeks, months or years. For example, smoke-damaged clothes can literally be smelled for years. The only way to permanently and quickly kill these odors is with Ozone. There is no other more powerful odor killer on the market.