Ozone chemistry in aqueous solution -Ozone decomposition and stabilisation

Ozone is used in many applications in the industry as an oxidising agent for example for bleaching and sterilisation. The decomposition of ozone in aqueous solutions is complex, and is affected by many properties such as, pH, temperature and substances present in the water. Additives can either accelerate the decomposition rate of ozone or have a stabilising effect of the ozone decay. By controlling the decomposition of ozone it is possible to increase the oxidative capacity of ozone. In this work the chemistry of acidic aqueous ozone is studied and ways to stabilise the decomposition of ozone in such solutions. The main work emphasizes the possibility to use surfactants in order to develop a new type of cleaning systems for the sterilisation of medical equipment. This thesis is based on the following papers: I M. Eriksson, R. Andersson, L. Kloo ”Reaction of SDS with ozone and HO radicals in aqueous solution”, Submitted to Water Research, 2005 II M. Eriksson, R. Östensson, L. Kloo ”Bacteriological study of an aqueous solution with ozone and SDS or SDSperoxide” Submitted to Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2005 III M. Eriksson, L. Kloo “Ozone decomposition in acidic solutions” Manuscript The papers will be referred to by their Roman numerals. The following patent application has resulted from this work, but it is not included in the thesis. IV Kloo, Lars; Eriksson, Margareta. (Otre AB, Swed.) Cleaning compositions containing stabilized ozone solutions.. U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. (2003), 13 pp.