Aqueous Ozone Generator

Aqueous ozone is a useful disinfectant... think hydrogen peroxide or bleach, but you can synthesize it in your own home and it decays into harmless oxygen, leaving no residue. Ozone can kill bacteria and fungal spores as well as deodorize surfaces. This Instructable will show you how to create a corona discharge plate encased in a glass tube for the purpose of dissolving ozone in water. The uses for this device are diverse. Imagine connecting it inline with a pressure washer to sanitize as you spray. In remote communities this could be used at clinics to generate antiseptic or to treat potable water. It can be connected to a sprayer to treat plants for fungal and bacterial leaf diseases. Ozone can be an irritant to the respiratory tract, so take proper precautions and only activate the device in a well ventilated space. The fluorescent lamp driver produces high voltage, so be aware and proceed with caution.

Tools:

• Soldering Iron
• X-Acto knife or razor blade
• Wire Cutters

Materials:

• 30mm Glass testtube with side arm
• Silicone Gasket maker
• 12v fluorescent lamp driver
• 20 AWG silicone sleeved high voltage wire
• 24mm by 50mm glass coverslips
• 1/4 in copper adhesive tape
• Brass pipe fitting 3/4 in by 1/2 in MIP
• Brass pipe fitting 1/2 in by 1/4 in MIP
• Brass pipe fitting 1/4 in MIP by 3/16 barb

Line up 3 coverslips on a solid surface with 1cm overlap over each adjacent coverslip.

Cut Copper Tape into thin strip 1 cm shorter than the length of coverslips

Apply copper tape to slide starting 5 mm from the end, centering the straightest edge of the copper tape along the center line of the glass slides.

Flip the glass slides and apply the second copper tape on the opposite side of the glass aligning the straight edge of the copper tape along the center line of the glass, along the edge of the other piece of copper tape.

Thread two wires one and a half times the length of the glass tube through the tube arm and out the opening and tin the ends with solder.

Tin the end of the copper tape where the wire will be attached, and then solder one wire to the copper tape on each side of the coverslips.

Gently pull the wires through the glass arm as you push the glass corona assembly into the glass tube being careful not to crack the coverslips.

Cut two holes on opposing sides of an 8 inch section of silicone tubing about 1.5 inches from the end of the tubing. Holes should be just larger than the diameter of the wires.

Thread wires through the silicone tube and out of the holes in the tubing wall.

Pull wires through the holes in the silicone tubing and insert the tubing over the glass arm of the glass tube.

Apply silicone gasket material to seal the holes where the wires come through the silicone tubing.

Apply gasket material over the threads of the largest brass fitting to create a uniform and smooth layer. It may take several applications to build the gasket up enough to form a snug fit into the glass tube, drying between applications.

Push the brass fitting into the end of the glass tube and you are ready to test your corona discharge tube.

Attach the two wires from the corona discharge tube to the two output wires on the high voltage fluorescent lamp driver and attach the fluorescent lamp driver to 10 volts of DC power and observe a glowing purple corona form at the interface of the two copper strips.

Tubing can be connected to the opening of a venturi (in black) for water injection. In this photo water movement through the black venturi creates suction that draws air through the silicone tube attached to the corona discharge tube. This constantly draws produced ozone into the water column where it is mixed. In recirculating systems, return air enters the brass barb. These modular tubes can be linked in series or in parallel to increase ozone concentration. Because ozone is corrosive, glass, metal, and silicone are used in place of plastics.

These same instructions can be viewed on my website at: https://www.democratek.org/aqueousozone.html

A completed corona discharge tube is available at Etsy