Special Case of Ozone (Physicochemical Properties, Onsite Generation Technology)

Ozone is highly effective as a biocide due to its oxidizing power, which also allows it to be used as a deodorant and in the elimination of all types of chemical contamination, both in water and air. This strongly oxidizing nature of ozone makes it a particularly useful tool in the agrofood industry because added to its high efficiency in the elimination of microorganisms and chemical pollutants is the great advantage of its zero residuality: ozone decomposes rapidly into O2 and CO2, leaving no toxic byproducts. In this chapter, we clarify the most frequent doubts that the use of this gas raises in general, its physicochemical properties, technologies for generation in situ, the different normatives that regulate its use, ozone’s mechanism of action, and the standards and dosage suitable for each application.