There are many benefits of using UV water purification systems, here are just a few:
No need to handle potentially dangerous chemicals (chlorine)
Virtually immediate disinfection (no contact tanks like chlorine)
Low power consumption Environmentally friendly (no disinfection by-products)
No moving parts to wear out or replace UV does not change the taste or odour of the water
Lower equipment investment verses other disinfection options Simple maintenance (with proper pre-treatment).
Chemical vs. Physical Disinfection of Contaminated Water
Disinfection is defined as “The act of disinfecting, using specialized cleansing techniques that destroy or prevent growth of organisms capable of infection.”
Disinfection is a considered a 4-log reduction or equivalent to a 99.99% reduction
There are generally two methods specifically for the disinfection of water:
CHEMICAL Disinfection: chlorine, ozone, iodine, bromine
PHYSICAL Disinfection: UV light, boiling, fine filtration
In theory UV disinfection is a simple process. The 254nm energy coming from the UV lamp needs to reach the target microorganism in the water supply. However, many barriers affect UV performance. These include:
Suspended Solids, both visual and not visual particulate matter (turbidity).
Scale, fouling caused by physical scale deposits on the quartz sleeve from iron, manganese or calcium carbonate covering the quartz sleeve
UV Absorbing Compounds, UV absorption in water is almost entirely caused by dissolved substances. Certain organic substances such as humic or fumic acids (tannins), and certain inorganic substances such as iron and manganese absorb UV.
These contaminants MUST be addressed for UV Treatment to be effective
UV is NOT a stand-alone treatment process and is always accompanied by other water treatment processes
Effect of UVC Light on Microorganisms
Once microorganisms are exposed to UVC light they are rendered ‘inactive’ and can no longer replicate – meaning they can no longer produce colonies
In the above picture on the left an agar plate is smeared with an untreated water sample, incubated & analyzed for colony growth
The agar plate on the right has been smeared with a water sample that has been exposed to UV treatment – no colony growth occurred following incubation
Treatment Options
The Result = Pure, Safe, Environmentally Friendly Water with UV Disinfection
