Depending on the respective country involved, various requirements are demanded for the quality of water and air in swimming pool centres. For example, France. Regulations here recommend a value of
0.5 mg/m3 for airborne trichloramine, for health reasons. This view is also supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The reason: Employees of swimming pools have been shown in some cases to develop asthma as an occupational illness caused by exposure to trichloramines.
However, these guideline values are all in a day's work for ProMinent France S.A., as the swimming pool water supply for the Olympic swimming pool in Dijon is disinfected with ozone technology. With a total of seven ozone generation systems, the company provides for environmentally compatible, hygienic water treatment in all of the warm-up, diving and competitive swimming pools at the Piscine Olympique du Grand Dijon. This results in germ-free, crystal clear water, without trichloramines!
The Piscine Olympique du Grand Dijon is a very special swimming pool facility. Collectors ensure that heat from the sun can be used to heat water for the showers and the electricity requirements are significantly reduced through the use of photovoltaic systems mounted on the roof of the swimming pool centre. In addition, rain water is fed down from the roof and is used as so called grey water for watering the green spaces and for flushing the toilets.
The swimming pool water supply is also based on a high-quality, sustainable equipment concept at Dijon's Olympic swimming pool. Instead of chlorine, ozone is used for disinfection for the swimming pool water.
With chlorine-based swimming pool water disinfection systems, the by-product trichloramine is produced through reactions with urea (sweat, flakes of skin, cosmetics, urine, etc.).
Because swimmer's behaviour and therefore the introduction of impurities by guests can, in practice, only be influenced in a very minor way, the French affiliated company of ProMaqua offers an effective water treatment system using ozone. Some 4,500 cubic metres of water in the Olympic event pool, diving pool and warm-up pools are disinfected in an environmentally compatible and yet safe manner, using a total of seven ozone systems.
The compactly designed Bono Zon® systems are also safe and easy to use thanks to their stored-program control concept and clear display and operating panels. The ozone generators have been optimised for low-power and minimal cooling water consumption, making them extremely environmentally friendly.
Ozone is the strongest known oxidation agent and disinfectant, and exhibits an outstandingly broad biocidic spectrum. It acts very rapidly and efficiently with almost all known bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. The major advantage of ozone is that it does not generate any undesirable by-products and decomposes into oxygen. This makes it a highly efficient and environmentally friendly method for water disinfection.
Over and above using ozone to disinfect the water, the oxidation causes organic substances, such as humic acids, trihalomethanes and chloramines, to be decomposed as well.
Solenoid metering pumps of series Beta® together with hose pumps of series DULCO®Flex DF4a in combination with multi-channel measurement and control devices DULCOMARIN® II and nine controllers DULCOMETER® D1C all serve to ensure precise dosing of disinfectants, chemicals for balancing the pH values and flocculants. All of the relevant water parameters required for this are recorded with DULCOTEST® sensors.
By way of example, ozone systems are required by law for German therapeutic pools, as this is the only way that sensitive patients can be protected from potentially disease-causing germs. Ozone is also used in all Olympic pools. The reason: germ-free water in combination with a unique level of water clarity is the prerequisite for successful underwater filming.