What is active oxygen and how is it used?
Active oxygen is a generic term describing material which has been altered from atmospheric oxygen molecules into a chemical compound with more reactive characteristics. Generally speaking, active oxygen is divided into four types: superoxide anion radical (superoxide), hydroxyl radical (OH radical), hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen. Furthermore, superoxide and OH radicals are categorized as free radicals. In particular, the OH radical has the highest oxidizing capacity among all chemical components on earth. Technically it is able to dissolve any existing type of organic material.
The graph below shows a breakdown of the types of industrial waste reported in 2004 per volume. Sludge takes up about 40% of overall waste. Within this 40%, sewage sludge comprises a large part, taking nearly 20% of the overall percentage.
Living organisms have chosen a path of sustaining life by means of oxygen intake, but this path also posed a major risk with the production of active oxygen. Active oxygen is thought to be a cause of health risks such as aging, cancer formation, and various diseases. By taking oxygen into our system, we gain life-sustaining energy. But at the same time, large amounts of active oxygen are produced in our system as well. The history of organic life has always included the battle with these harmful chemicals and it is still a major topic in contemporary medical science. Polyphenol is one chemical known to provide great health benefits due to its high potency in neutralizing active oxygen.
Recently active oxygen, and particularly the OH radical, has drawn great attention from environmental fields. Issues of water pollution in developed countries seem to have been minimized, however it is also reported that the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in such water sources has gradually increased. As long as microbes can decompose materials present in the water, there are no problems. However, more and more non-biodegradable waste produced by humans is being discharged into water, which is causing a rise of COD. The majority of such materials that resist decomposition also have carcinogenic properties. The problem poses a serious threat, as our lives depend on these water sources.
Since active oxygen is virtually the only chemical that can decompose such resistant materials, tremendous efforts have been focused on inventing a new technology to generate high volumes of active oxygen that can effectively decompose harmful chemicals.