An illustrative expendable or reconstructable ozone generator cartridge for an aqueous ozone delivery device, for example, for antimicrobial sanitizing and/or medical treatment, includes a housing for a water ozonating manifold, at least one ozone generating cell coupled to the manifold, and optionally a data logging and authentication feature. Advantageously, a water inlet and aqueous ozone outlet of the ozone generator cartridge is pluggable into and unpluggable from a docking station of the aqueous ozone delivery device, for example, a hand or implement washing and sanitizing device or a medical treatment device.

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for controlling treatment of water with ozone. The systems and methods can utilize one or more processing modules and one or more non-transitory storage modules that are configured to store computing instructions. Execution of the instructions can cause the one or more processing modules to perform acts of: generating ozone; and applying the ozone to water. The act of generating the ozone can include: controlling a quantity of the ozone generated; and controlling when the ozone is generated.

A method of operating an electrochemical cell including introducing an aqueous solution into the electrochemical cell, applying a current across an anode and a cathode to produce a product, monitoring the voltage, dissolved hydrogen, or a condition of the aqueous solution, and reversing polarity of the anode and the cathode responsive to one of the measured parameters is disclosed. An electrochemical system including an electrochemical cell including an anode and a cathode, a source of an aqueous solution having an outlet fluidly connectable to the electrochemical cell, a sensor for measuring a parameter, and a controller configured to cause the anode and the cathode to reverse polarity responsive to the parameter measurement is disclosed. Methods of suppressing accumulation of hydrogen gas within the electrochemical cell are also disclosed. Methods of facilitating operation of an electrochemical cell are also disclosed.

A novel cell for generating ozonated water including an integrated ozone concentration detector. The cell comprises a nafion membrane separating a diamond coated anode, and a gold surfaced cathode enclosed within a cell housing with the catalyst side of the nafion membrane facing the cathode. The cell housing has a cathode housing portion and an anode housing portion separated by the membrane. The cathode and anode have an array of holes allowing fluid to penetrate to the surface of the niobium membrane. Ozonated water from the anode is channeled to a spectrophotometer integrated within the housing. The spectrophotometer creates a signal representative of the ozone concentration in the ozonated water which is utilized by control circuitry in a closed loop to maintain a stable target concentration. A bubble trap may be integrated within the housing through which the ozonated water passes before entering the spectrophotometer to remove bubbles form the ozonated water. Input ports allow fluid to flow into the housing and over the anode and cathode and then out of the housing through outlet ports.

A wash water processing apparatus (12), a sterilization and water-purification apparatus, and a cleaning method include a control apparatus (16) formed of a storage part (16b) having stored therein an arithmetic expression capable of finding a discharge amount of processed water and a supply amount of pure water in accordance with an ozone concentration and a TOC concentration of processed water and a control part (16a) which controls the ozone supply part and TOC adjustment device (22). Supply of pure water to processed water of processed water, or discharge of processed water and supply of pure water is performed by the TOC concentration adjustment device in accordance with a result found from the arithmetic expression to reduce the TOC concentration of wash water for use in a washing processing part (11) to a value equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

A novel system for generating ozonated water, for example, for sterilization of medical equipment. The system comprises an ozone generating cell including a nafion membrane separating an anode, and a cathode enclosed within a cell housing. The cell housing has a cathode housing portion and an anode housing portion separated by the membrane. The housing also incorporates an integrated spectrophotometer including a bubble trap. The system includes a hydrogen water reservoir for receiving water from the cathode and an ozone water reservoir for receiving generated ozonated water from the anode. Control circuitry controls a set of pumps, and controls ozone generation in a closed loop using the spectrophotometer to provide a selected ozone concentration in the ozonated water from the anode. An output port coupled to the ozone water reservoir allows ozonated water to flow out of the system for external use.

An illustrative aqueous ozone sanitizing system for body part, tissue, and instrument sanitizing, including hand rinsing and sanitizing includes a sanitizing chamber, spray devices configured to simultaneously irrigate the entire left and right hand of a user, at least two aqueous ozone generators each fluidly coupled to a subset of the spray devices, and a housing for the sanitizing chamber having an opening for guiding the user's hand orientation and position into the sanitizing chamber.

An illustrative aqueous ozone delivery device for use with an aqueous ozone generator cartridge can be used for body part, tissue, and instrument sanitizing, including hand rinsing, hand sanitizing, and clinical treatment. One embodiment includes a hooded sanitizing chamber and spray devices directed to each hand of a user, a docketing station for pluggably receiving a replaceable ozone generator and sensor cartridge, and a controller for sensing hand position and orientation, delivering a desired ozone concentration and duration.

A wastewater treatment device has: an ozone generator which supplies ozone; a mixer which mixes ozone supplied from the ozone generator with wastewater and supplies ozone mixed wastewater; an ozone oxidation unit which progresses ozone oxidation in the ozone mixed wastewater while passing the ozone mixed wastewater therethrough and discharges wastewater in which the ozone has been consumed; a biological treatment unit which performs biological treatment on the wastewater discharged from the ozone oxidation unit using microorganisms; and an adjusting device which adjusts the amount of ozone to be mixed with the wastewater by the mixer so that ozone in an amount that inhibits the microorganisms of the biological treatment unit does not remain in the wastewater discharged from the ozone oxidation unit.

In a wastewater treatment process or other water treatment process, wherein ceramic membranes are employed to filter liquid not being treated in a biological process, ozone gas is injected and dissolved into the membrane influent for the purpose of preventing fouling of the membranes, while also enhancing pathogen removal. Ozone concentration as injected is at a concentration greater than 2 mg/l, preferably at least about 5 mg/l.