What is Ozone? And How is it Produced?
Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. It is both a natural and man-made product that occurs in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Ozone gas is produced in three different ways in nature.
The first way of producing Ozone in nature is at ground level by the chemical reaction between Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and/or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and UV rays from sunlight.
Another way of producing ozone in nature is by electric discharge.
When an electric discharge occurs near an oxygen molecule (O2) in ambient air, it will split this molecule into elemental oxygen (O). These chemically unstable Oxygen atoms will quickly bond to another oxygen molecule (O2) to form ozone (O3).
The second way of producing Ozone in nature is through the production of ozone by UV rays.
The most common place in our world where ozone is found is the ozone layer. UV light forms ozone from atmospheric oxygen at wavelengths shorter than 240 Nanometers (nm). UV light breaks down back into atomic oxygen (O) and diatomic oxygen (O2) at wavelengths between 200 nm and 315 nm.
Commercial ozone production by humans is done in 2 ways. Commercial ozone production is done with devices called ozone generators.
One of the methods used for commercial ozone production is the production of ozone using UV light. Ozone is produced from UV light wavelengths below 240 nm. Ozone production peaks at UV light wavelengths of 185 nm. Ozone can be produced from air using UV lights specifically tuned for the 185 nm wavelength.
Another method of ozone production used commercially is electrical discharge ozone production. The most common method of producing ozone commercially and industrially is electrical discharge or corona discharge. A corona discharge is a spark that is emitted through a dielectric to spread this electrical discharge over a wide area for maximum efficiency. 
Use Of OZONE For Disinfection Purposes
Ozone is widely used for disinfection purposes because it is a gas with high oxidation power.
Ozone gas, whose raw material is oxygen, is the only natural disinfectant.
Since it is a natural disinfectant, it has ensured that its areas of use have spread rapidly and that it can be used safely.
Ozone gas is used in disinfection of water, food industry, cold storage, odor removal, swimming pools, color removal, wastewater treatment, nitrite, ammonia, iron, manganese removal; and disinfection of living environment air.
The disinfection effect of ozone gas is 3125 times more than chlorine under the same conditions.
It is more effective than chlorine against spores, cysts and viruses.
In addition, since ozone is obtained by breaking down oxygen in the air, it always turns into its raw material, oxygen, after completing its disinfection task due to its unstable structure.
Ozone is effective against bacteria, fungi and viruses as an antimicrobial.
This effect can damage the cytoplasmic membrane and cause organelle functions and protein synthesis to deteriorate. This effect is selective against microbial cells and does not harm human cells.
It can kill antibiotic-resistant bacterial species.
There is no proven scientific study that ozone gas creates a chronic (permanent) health problem in humans when applied within limits.
However, it is also thought that high levels of ozone and prolonged exposure to ozone may cause some health problems.
It is thought that high doses of ozone gas can trigger asthma, cause breathing difficulties and cause damage to the lungs.
For this reason, the limits determined by international standards should be taken as basis in industrial applications of ozone gas. People exposed to ozone gas may sometimes experience non-permanent side effects.
These side effects;
1) Coughing
2) Itching and burning in the nose
3) Burning in the eyes
4) Headache
5) Nausea