Today I found a story about a pen that produces ozone to purify water in small volumes for travelers, campers, or people in countries with poor water quality.
I have not seen this pen myself, and certainly have no valid test data, therefore I cannot testify to the effectiveness to actually produce sufficient ozone to purify water. However, this is a fascinating product and proves the use of ozone for water treatment continues to become more mainstream.
From article:
The concept of using ozone to treat drinking water isn’t a new one, dating back to the late 1800s. The US EPA’s Drinking Water Treatability Database identifies ozone as “one of the strongest disinfectants and oxidants available in drinking water treatment,” and the US Food and Drug Administration recognizes ozone’s use for both water and food.
Ozone has tended to be used for larger applications, such as municipal drinking water systems and household purification. Roving Blue specializes in portable systems, including the MVP-A carry case kit and the all-new O-Pen, possibly the most portable ozone-based purifier out there. The Wisconsin-based company says the stainless steel pen is TSA-approved and markets it at world travellers, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
The O-Pen weighs just over an ounce (30 g) and purifies 16 oz (0.5L) of water in less than a minute. You simply drop the tip into the water, turn it on and let it do its thing. It bubbles while in use, providing a visual cue that clean water is on the way. In addition to taking care of all sizes of dangerous microorganisms, from tiny viruses to larger bacteria and protozoa, the O-Pen removes unpleasant tastes and odors, leaving a clean, fresh taste, one of the advantages that ozone offers over other treatment options, such as chlorine.
While there are many ozone generators on the market that are small, low cost, and compact. This Ozone pen appears to be a very portable device that could work anywhere. This is certainly worth a look.
The use of ozone to treat water is not new. Ozone is used for treating drinking water, wastewater, and provide water re-use. The use of ozone is not well known. As the use of ozone gets in the hand of more consumers the use of ozone will become more accepted in more industrial applications also.