Water Reuse through UV Water Treatment

Although the Earth is rich in fresh water resource, it is not inexhaustible. Moreover, the distribution of fresh water resources is uneven in time and space. The vast majority of fresh water is found in the North and South poles of the Earth. The fresh water that can be used by us mainly comes from rivers, lakes and groundwater. Urbanization, a growing population and climate factors are all contributing to the increased demand for fresh water. According to statistics, 30% of the world’s population lives in areas of water shortage. On the other hand, a variety of industries and our daily life will produce a large amount of wastewater every year. We are no strangers to the phenomenon of industrial waste water polluting the environment at all. According to some estimates, the United States alone releases more than 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated wastewater from sewers and industries into the oceans each year. Domestic wastewater can also cause pollution if it is not properly treated. All these will cause huge pollution to our ecological environment. And UV water treatment can realize the reuse of water and let the treated water meet the use in both countless industries and our daily life.

Advantages of UV Water Treatment

UV kills harmful pathogenic microorganisms by damaging cell walls, proteins, or mutating DNA to prevent them from functioning properly and reproducing. Chlorination treatment of water can also achieve the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms, but compared with ultraviolet treatment, this traditional treatment method does have some disadvantages. Since the 1970s, it has been recognized that traditional chlorination and chloramination of water can produce byproducts such as haloalkanes, which can lead to malformations, cancer and genetic mutations. UV sterilization has strong comparative advantages which are mainly reflected in no use of chemicals, no change to the smell or taste of water, no production of harmful by-products, no affection by water temperature or pH value, high sterilization efficiency, simple equipment operation, easy management, etc. For more information on UV water treatment and chlorination, please visit our Blog: UV Water Treatment and Chlorination Treatment

UV water treatment first appeared in the United States, and now has been widely used in the United States, Canada and many other countries, become a mainstream sterilization means. UV sterilization is a mature wastewater treatment technology that has been proven many years ago. It can be used for the effective treatment of wastewater and realize the reuse of wastewater.

Design Features of UV Water Treatment Equipment

In recent years, UV solution has been more and more applied partially because of its design features. The basic structure of UV equipment is relatively simple, which is why they tend to be compact. Common treatment equipment can be divided into closed-vessel Ultraviolet Sterilizers and Ultraviolet Sterilizers for Open Canal. The structure of a typical closed-vessel UV water treatment equipment usually includes: several UV lamps, a stainless steel vessel, sensors, and a power module. The wastewater to be treated enters the vessel from the water inlet and flows out through the water outlet after the sterilization. Open channel UV water treatment equipment can be directly used in open channels environments. The difference between them and closed-vessel equipment lies in the absence of stainless steel vessels. The water to be treated will be sterilized when it flows by the UV lamps placed into the water in the open channel.

UV solution can be widely applied in aquariums, swimming pools, beverage production enterprises, food production industry and many other fields by virtue of its advantages.

Some Drawbacks of UV Solution

In addition to the advantages of UV solution, it also has some drawbacks. Understanding these drawbacks allows us to better control the effectiveness of the sterilization when it is applied. Firstly, compared with chlorination treatment, UV solution lacks sustained bactericidal ability. Sterilized water can quickly be re-contaminated if it encounters new contaminants. Secondly, the dose of UV radiation needs to be properly controlled. If there is insufficient radiation, then it will be difficult to achieve the desired sterilization. Finally, minerals or suspended particles present in wastewater can accumulate on the surface of the UV lamp sleeves, which can affect uv radiation by blocking it. Therefore, the surface of the UV lamp sleeves needs to be periodically cleaned to ensure that it works well. For a detailed introduction of the advantages and disadvantages of UV water treatment, you can also go to: Advantages and Disadvantages of UV Water Treatment

Development Prospect of UV Solution

With the research of UV technology, the applications in UV water treatment are developing all the time. Various UV water treatment equipment has been designed to overcome their own shortcomings in their applications. The bactericidal effect has significantly been improved. The economic advantages of UV solution over chlorination are gradually understood by more and more people. The switching from an existing chlorination environment to a UV sterilization environment is simple, with no construction work needed. Combined with the above-mentioned advantages, the low investment and low cost in UV water treatment will make it possible for it to gradually replace the traditional sterilization methods.