The International Ozone Association (IOA) has appointed Astro Pak’s Robert Schuck as Vice President of its Municipality Committee. The IOA is a not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to sharing information on ozone technology. The Municipality Committee’s purpose is to act as a resource to assist municipalities and other water district entities with their challenges and questions regarding ozone systems used to treat water for consumption. While using ozone to disinfect municipal water is now commonplace, there are still agencies which have yet to convert older treatment plants from the more traditional method of using chlorine or bromine. As part of its role, the committee offers guidance on troubleshooting extant systems, best practices for maintenance, budgetary advice, and contacts for specialist contractors.

Together, the committee members keep up with current trends and applications. The committee members themselves come from diverse industry backgrounds. Mr. Schuck, who is a Sr. Technical Sales Manager, brings Astro Pak’s deep experience in precision cleaning and passivation, which are essential services needed to keep ozone systems operating properly and safely. He notes the company’s extensive work with municipal water systems as being useful when being presented with questions from water agencies. “There are many considerations that the operators aren’t aware of.” he says. “When their systems are first built they meet certain standards, but when they shut down for maintenance or make modifications to the system, they often overlook how to bring the system back up to those standards.”

The Municipality Committee is currently working on a maintenance manual which will include “how-to’s” and other guidance. “We’re also going to show them what to expect when they open up a system that has been in operation. Ozone is an oxidizer and the interior surface of the gas transport lines will likely need to be derouged and cleaned.” Mr. Schuck also notes that the cleaning is for more than just cosmetic reasons, but it is also critical for cost-savings and, more importantly, safety as well. “If something wasn’t properly cleaned before being added to the system, it can damage expensive parts, such as meters. But leaving grease or debris in a line that is pumping highly enriched oxygen can create a situation where it spontaneously combusts. We want to make sure they know how to safeguard their systems to mitigate such ignition events.”