Ozone and ORP

Posted by Joel Leusink on March 4, 2011 under Wastewater Treatment, Water Remediation | Be the First to Comment

What is ORP and what does it have to do with ozone?

First, let’s start with the basics. ORP is not a word, it is a set of initials that stands for Oxidation Reduction Potential.  ORP is also known as Redox Potential.

ORP is normally measured in millivolts (mV).  ORP readings in water are a measurement of oxidation potential of that water.  Ozone is an oxidant that can be dissolved in water, as is chlorine, and bromine.  Any of these oxidizers consist of electron potentials that can be reduced.  A higher level of oxidizers in the water will create a higher ORP reading.

Most water will have a positive ORP reading due to the dissolved oxygen level in the water.  Wastewater and other contaminated water may have lower ORP levels (close to 0 mV).  As more ozone is dissolved in the water the ORP level will increase.  These ORP readings can be correlated to an Ozone reading using a hand held test kit.

It is important to note that any contaminates dissolved in the water will alter the ORP level in the water, so there is no direct correlation between ORP and Ozone levels in water.  It is necessary to test the dissolved ozone level of your specific water and correlate that to the ORP reading of your water.

For more information on Ozone and ORP see our website.