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UV disinfection uses ultraviolet radiation to kill microorganisms in water, making it safe to drink. Mercury arc lamps or banks of UV lamps surrounded by Teflon® tubing are used. It is preferable to chemical disinfection, but less effective on cloudy water and requires proper equipment maintenance. The cost is comparable to chlorine disinfection and may decrease as technology improves.
UV disinfection is a method of using ultraviolet radiation to kill microorganisms that may be living in water, thus making it safe to drink. To purify water in this way, mercury arc lamps are often used to generate ultraviolet light. The light penetrates the cell walls of living bacteria, parasites, viruses and other contaminants, altering their DNA. Depending on the intensity of the radiation and the duration of exposure, this either kills them or prevents them from reproducing. The same technique can be used to sanitize wastewater.
In one UV disinfection method, UV lamps are housed inside quartz tubes and placed over or around flowing water. Quartz is one of the few solids that ultraviolet radiation can penetrate, allowing the surrounding water to be exposed to the purifying rays. The disadvantage of this system is that substances dissolved in the water tend to collect on the exposed walls of the quartz tube, preventing radiation from escaping into the water.
Another method of UV disinfection uses banks of UV lamps surrounded by Teflon® tubing. Teflon® is an excellent conductor of ultraviolet radiation, so the water flowing through these pipes is exposed to light from all sides and sanitized. Often, these Teflon® tubing systems are surrounded by an aluminum casing, which reflects UV light that is not absorbed into the water. Unlike quartz, Teflon® usually does not collect impurities that can block radiation.
Both methods are preferable to disinfection with hydrogen peroxide or chlorine because they do not use chemicals. This means that no chemical residues are left in the purified water and the environment is not exposed to harmful chemicals. However, due to the chemicals they leave behind, these more traditional methods of disinfecting water offer some residual sanitization, which UV disinfection does not.
UV disinfection is not as effective on cloudy water, because bacteria and other contaminants can hide in larger particles and avoid radiation exposure. This type of disinfection also depends on properly functioning equipment. The water must flow continuously to avoid overheating the system, which could shift the radiation frequency out of the antimicrobial range. Similarly, lamps need to be replaced on a regular basis to ensure they are emitting the right amount of radiation.
The cost of UV disinfection is comparable to that of chlorine disinfection. As the technology for UV lamps and sanitization systems improves, the cost will likely drop further, encouraging more people to use ultraviolet water purifiers. This, in turn, can increase competition between manufacturers and distributors of these systems, keeping the price low and making UV disinfection one of the best methods of sanitizing water.
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