History of Ozone
Ozone was discovered by “Christian Schonbein” in the 1840’s. It smelled while he was doing experiments on the electrolysis of water at the University of Basel that Schönbein first began to notice a distinctive odor in his laboratory. This smell gave Schönbein clue to the presence of a new product from his experiments. Because of the pronounced smell, Schönbein coined the term ‘ozone’ for the new gas, from the Greek word ‘ozein’, which means ‘to smell’ because of its peculiar odor. He later found that the smell of ozone was similar to that produced during lighting or thunderstorm.
He also discovered the gas was positively charged and that it resembled chlorine and bromine in its chemical properties.
- 1785: Odor of ozone gas is recognized emanating from electrical machinery.
- 1840: Schonbein discovers ozone and quantifies its properties.
- 1886: The ability of ozone to disinfect polluted water is recognized in Europe.
- 1891: Test results from Germany show that ozone is effective against bacteria.
- 1893: First full-scale application using ozone for drinking water in the Netherlands.
- 1906: Nice, France commission's first municipal ozone plant for drinking water.
- 1909: Used as food preservative for Meat cold storages.
- 1915: At least 49 major ozone installations were on line throughout Europe.
- 1939: Was found to prevent the growth of yeast & mold during the storage of fruits.
- 1957: Ozone is implemented for oxidation of iron and manganese in Germany.
- 1964: Spontaneous flocculation in ozone contact chambers led to France constructing an ozone plant to enhance particulate removal.
- 1965: Scotland employs ozone for color control in surface water. Switzerland uses ozone to oxidize micro pollutants such as phenol compounds and several pesticides.
- 1970: French exploit use of ozone for algae control.
- 1982: FDA GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) declaration for ozone use in bottled water.
- 1995: FDA GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) for use in bottled water renewed without change
- 1997: City of Los Angeles 600 MGD Ozonation plant comes on line after 7 years of pilot testing.
- 2000: A Food Additive Petition (FAP) requesting FDA approval of ozone as an antimicrobial agent for direct contact with foods was submitted in August and was approved by the FDA in 2001.