Waste water disinfection inactivates or kills (pathogenic) microorganisms to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
The microorganisms commonly found in waste water, such as species of E.coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Enterovirus, Hepatitis, are sensitive to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light.
Exposure to UV light prevents the multiplication of the microorganisms, meaning the microorganism is ‘killed’ according to the definition of microbiology.
It is important to adequately treat waste water prior to ultraviolet disinfection. The effectiveness of disinfection relates directly to the concentrations of suspended and colloidal solids in the waste water.
Advantages of UV disinfection compared to disinfectants, include:
- short contact times (no reaction tanks)
- user and environmental (no storage, no residuals)
- small footprint (especially when using closed reactors)
The type and size of UV systems required depends on the characteristics of the waste water, such as:
- flow rate (peak, average, daily)
- chemical parameters (UV transmittance, inorganics)
- suspended and colloidal solids (mg/L)
- amounts and type of microorganisms (influent, effluent)
The UV system itself can differ in:
- shape (‘open’ and ‘closed’ reactors for gravity and pressurized flows)
- lamp types (low (LP) and medium-pressure (MP) technology)
- cleaning devices (mechanical and/or chemical)
bestUV offers UV systems for treatment of all kinds of waste water, using state-of-the-art low- and medium-pressure UV lamp technologies. All units are modelled by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for each specific site.
Contact the ‘experts in ultraviolet light’ to fully optimise your new or existing water treatment system with bestUV technology.