Ozone + AOP on Biofilms and Bacteria Treatment
Advanced oxidation processes may be defined as powerful sanitizers and oxidizers produced from ozone after a series of chemical reactions. The products of AOP are extremely reactive in nature. This characteristic is what makes AOP extremely effective in attacking and disrupting biofilms as well as killing all the hazardous microorganisms associated with it.
Biofilms may be thought of as “bacterial cities” where microorganisms shield and protect themselves from the outside environment. Known to harbor bacteria such as Legionella pneumophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, biofilms are not just limited to bacteria. Fungus, mold and viruses are also associated with biofilms. Their adhesive nature is due to outer sugar chains of the bacteria, which mesh together forming what could be considered the infrastructure for the bacterial city.
Ozone and Hydroxyl Radicals work like a knife or scissors, physically cutting through the biofilms ripping them apart to individual bacteria. As the oxidizers produced from AOP come into contact with these microorganisms, the Hydroxyl Radical attacks the cell wall of the organism, breaking it down in a process known as cell lysing. Once the cell wall is penetrated, the cell’s cytoplasm is released and the cell expires almost instantly. Ozone and Hydroxyl Radicals attack the microorganism like a shotgun, bursting their membranes and spilling their contents. Ozone and Hydroxyl Radicals are particularly potent anti-microbial agents because organisms cannot develop a resistance to it.
