PORTABLE OZONE GENERATOR AND USE THEREOF FOR PURIFYING WATER

• US 20090114605A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O3 Water Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ozomax Inc.
• Inventors: Salama, Marianne, Salama, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 8,440,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/748.190
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4672 by electrooxydation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46119 Cleaning the electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46152 characterised by the shape or form electrodes in particulate form or with conductive or non-conductive particles between them C02F1/46114
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46157 Perforated or foraminous electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46155 Heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46165 Special power supply, e.g. solar energy or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/782 Ozone generators
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/06 Mounted on or being part of a faucet, shower handle or showerhead
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/20 Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 1/13 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: C25B 9/00 Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/208 Off-grid powered water treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/36 Hydrogen production from non-carbon containing sources, e.g. by water electrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable device for generating ozone in water, purifying the water and making it drinkable. The device comprises a housing; at least two electrodes, including an anode and a cathode extending from the housing into the water and each having semi-rough or rough surfaces in contact with the water. The device also comprises a power supply operatively connected to the electrodes for generating between them a difference of potential creating a current and the hydrolysis of the water creating ozone that purifies the water. The electrodes may have a plate or a rode and tube configuration with a plurality of holes with rough edges. The roughness of the surfaces and of the edges of the holes leads to a coalescence of tiny hydrogen bubbles into larger hydrogen bubbles. The hydrogen may be also removed by absorption in a conductive material and regenerated for reuse.

Claims

1. A portable ozone generator device for purifying water by producing ozone in situ, said device comprising:

a housing;

two electrodes, including an anode and a cathode that extend from the housing into the water and each have semi-rough or rough surfaces in contact with the water, said electrodes being separated by a first gap;

a power supply operatively connected to said electrodes for generating between them a difference of potential creating a current; and

a heating element operatively connected to said power supply,

whereby, in use, the cathode produces hydrogen gas and the anode produces mixed oxidants including ozone.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said two electrodes are in the form of plate, perforated plate, rod, perforated rod, tube, perforated tube, wire, perforated wire, or mesh.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said two electrodes are flat shaped and parallel to each other.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein one of said two electrodes is an inner electrode (i) having a rod shape and the other of said two electrodes is an outer electrode (ii) having a tubular shape, said outer electrode (ii) surrounding the inner electrode (i) and having an inner and/or outer semi-rough or rough surface in contact with the water.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said inner electrode (i) is the anode and said outer electrode (ii) is the cathode.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein said inner electrode (i) is the cathode and said outer electrode (ii) is the anode.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a third electrode extending from the housing into the water and having rough surfaces in contact with the water, said third electrode being separated from one of said two electrodes by a second gap and being an anode when placed close to the cathode or a cathode when placed close to the anode.

8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising a fourth electrode extending from the housing into the water and having rough surfaces in contact with the water, said fourth electrode being separated of one of said electrodes by a third gap and being an anode when placed close to one of said electrodes that is a cathode or a cathode when placed close to one of said electrodes that is an anode.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said electrodes comprise a plurality of holes.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said holes have rough edges.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes are made of or plated with activated or non-activated carbon fibres.

12. The ozone generator device according to claim 1, wherein said cathode or anode are made of or plated with metals or alloys of said metals selected from columns 3 to 13 of the Periodic Table.

13. The ozone generator device according to claim 12, wherein said cathode is made of or plated with palladium, palladium alloys, magnesium alloys, or titanium alloys, whereby-in use, the cathode has a property of absorbing the hydrogen produced by the cathode.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein said power supply is an external power supply connected to said electrodes via electric wires, or wherein said housing incorporates said power supply.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein said power supply is at least one battery, an electrical transformer supplied with external electricity, at least one silicon solar panel or a small turbine.

16. The device according claim 1, further comprising a ultra-sound generator device operatively connected to the power supply device, whereby, in use, the ultra-sound generator device produces ultra-sounds in order to remove impurities present on the surfaces of the electrodes and to help said mixed oxidants to dissolve in water.

17. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one light or light emitting diode fixed on the device and also connected to said power supply.

18. A method for purifying water comprising the steps of:

a) plunging into water to be purified at least one portable ozone generator device as defined in claim 1;

b) turning on the power supply device; and

c) waiting for an adequate period of time in order to let said at least device producing ozone and purifying the water.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said at least one device has a power, and the water to be purified has a volume and a quality, and wherein said adequate period of time varies according to said power of said device and said volume and/or quality of water to purify.