Types of ozone generators
Ozone generators make ozone in one of two ways: with ultraviolet lamps, or with an electrical spark, called corona discharge. Neither is better for every job, but for garbage odour control we only recommend UV, for two reasons. A spark's ozone output rises and falls with the humidity, and a bin room's humidity can change a lot in a day; a UV lamp's output stays much steadier. And a spark also makes nitrogen oxides, which form nitric acid in damp air and corrode steel.
How does a corona discharge ozone generator work?
A corona discharge generator passes air through a strong electrical field that sparks, as lightning does in a storm. The spark splits oxygen molecules, and some of the atoms join up as ozone.
Corona discharge generators have the benefit of being small (and sometimes inexpensive) for the amount of ozone they make, which suits some applications, such as treating swimming pool or drinking water. But air is mostly nitrogen, and the spark splits nitrogen too, forming nitrogen oxides alongside the ozone, which is not a good mix in a steel chute.
How does a UV ozone generator work?
A UV ozone generator passes air over ultraviolet lamps that give off light at 185 nanometres, the kind of light that makes ozone high in the atmosphere. The light splits a small share of the oxygen, which forms ozone. UV light doesn't split nitrogen, so a UV generator makes no nitrogen oxides. The lamps' strength sets how much ozone the generator makes.
Does humidity change the ozone output?
Yes, for a corona discharge generator. Moisture in the air lowers the ozone a spark makes, so a spark generator's output falls as the air gets more humid and rises again as the air dries. A bin room's humidity can change a lot in one day, as the weather changes, the bins are washed, and air conditioning or exhaust fans switch on and off, so a level that's right in the morning can be too low, or too high, by the afternoon.
A UV generator's output changes far less, and stays close to where the output is set, through the day and through the seasons. The ozone level is easier to set right for the bin room, and the level stays right.
Why does the type of ozone generator matter in a garbage chute?
Bin rooms and chutes are damp, and many chutes, hoppers and compactors are steel. Nitrogen oxides from a corona discharge generator meet that moisture and form nitric acid, which can corrode steel over time; the chance rises in more humid climates. We've seen many chutes damaged this way. A UV generator doesn't make these by-products, so causes no corrosion.
Which kind does the Garbage Doctor® use?
UV lamps: our Si-Zone® UV ozone generators, designed specifically for 24/7 operation in the harsh environment of bin rooms and garbage chutes.
- Proven over many years in buildings throughout Australia and New Zealand.
- Built for 24/7 use in rooms high in dust, moisture and airborne contaminants.
- High ozone output, adjustable in very fine steps, so each installation is set for the site.
- Free from nitrogen oxides, and so from nitric acid.
- High fan pressure models, for ozone through long runs of conduit.
- Engineered and built to Australian and New Zealand standards.
Questions about ozone generators
Can a spark-type generator be made safe for a chute?
Feeding a spark-type generator with oxygen from an oxygen generator cuts the nitrogen oxides, but doing so adds a great deal of cost and upkeep. A UV generator avoids the problem.
Is a UV ozone generator the same as a UV-C air purifier?
No. A UV-C purifier's lamps give off light at about 254 nanometres, and they treat only the air that passes through the purifier. An ozone generator's lamps give off light at 185 nanometres, which makes ozone, and the ozone travels out to where the odour starts.
Talk to us about your building
Call 1300-ODOURS (1300 636 877), or send us photos of your bin room and chute, and we'll recommend the right system.
More guides
- What is ozone and how does it work?How ozone (O3) is made, and how ozone is used in commercial odour control equipment such as the Garbage Doctor.
- Corrosion from ozone generators in garbage chutesHow the wrong kind of ozone generator can corrode a garbage system, particularly a steel chute base.
- Si-Zone ultraviolet ozone generatorsThe UV ozone generator inside every Garbage Doctor, with a long history of use against garbage odours.
- Electrical testing requirements for odour control equipmentWhy your supplier should be testing and tagging your odour control or scenting system, as local law requires.
- Duty of care surrounding the garbage systemWhy the owners corporation, strata committee or body corporate has a duty of care for the garbage system.
- How germicidal UV-C is used in garbage systemsHow germicidal UV-C differs from ozone, and where UV-C is used in garbage systems.
- What is photocatalytic oxidation?How photocatalytic oxidation breaks down garbage odours inside an air purifier.
- Using scented vapour for garbage odour controlHow scenting adds a pleasant fragrance once the odour is neutralised, in a chute, bin room or public space.
- Garbage chute cleaning: why a clean chute can still smellWhy a freshly cleaned chute can still smell, and how chute cleaning and odour control work together.
- Why air fresheners alone don't fix bin room odourWhy sprays mask bin room odour for a while, why the odour comes back, and what neutralises the odour.
- Do extraction fans stop bin room odour?Why an extraction fan moves bin room odour around rather than removing the odour, and what works instead.
- Air conditioning in bin rooms: why it spreads odourWhy air blowing over the bins spreads more odour, how to set the air conditioning, and what neutralises the odour.