Medium-pressure UV Lamps Research Articles

Effects of low or medium-pressure UV irradiation on the release of intracellular microcystin

UV irradiation could be an alternative growth inhibition treatment against toxic Microcystis blooms in lakes. This study examined the effect of UV irradiation on the release of toxic intracellular microcystin. Conventional algicidal treatment (e.g. copper sulfate) was known to cause rapid release of intracellular microcystin and additional problems, but no studies have examined the case of UV treatment. A pure culture of Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 was exposed to monochromatic low-pressure or polychromatic medium-pressure UV lamps. Irradiated pure culture suspension was subsequently incubated for 14 days under white light fluorescent lamps. During incubation, profiles of the number of cells, intracellular and extracelluar microcystin concentration were determined. After the UV exposure, the number of cells gradually diminished; the net log cell reduction after 6 days of incubation was 1.6 log or 2.0 log for 600 mJ/cm 2 of LP or MP UV irradiation, respectively. There were three findings for UV irradiation effects on the release of intracellular microcystin. First, because UV exposure can inhibit increases in the number of cells for about 6 days, it inhibited the increase of microcystin concentrations in water. Second, intracellular microcystin was gradually released into the surrounding water through a gradual reduction in the number of cells, preventing a rapid increase of microcystin concentration in water. Microcystin concentration in water was not significantly higher in UV-irradiated samples than non-UV-irradiated sample. Third, UV irradiation was able to degrade intracellular microcystin; it was reduced from 24.6 to 7.06 or 7.16 fg/cell by 600 mJ/cm 2 of LP or MP UV irradiation, respectively. This contributed to reduce increases in microcystin concentrations in water. UV treatment can inhibit Microcystis growth and reduce intracellular microcystin content without rapid release of intracellular microcystin.

Effects of low- or medium-pressure ultraviolet lamp irradiation on Microcystis aeruginosa and Anabaena variabilis

A pure culture of Microcystis aeruginosa or Anabaena variabilis, the representatives of water blooming algae, was exposed to low-pressure (LP) or medium-pressure (MP) UV lamps. Irradiated pure culture suspension was subsequently incubated for 7 d under white light fluorescent lamps. During incubation, profiles of the number of cells, DNA damage and photosynthetic activity were determined. When UV fluence was 600 mJ/cm 2, M. aeruginosa cell numbers decreased throughout the 7-d incubation period, to produce 1.5 log reduction (LP) or 1.2 log reduction (MP) compared with control. The amount of DNA damage was 2.02×10 −4 ESS/base (LP) and 3.42×10 −4 ESS/base (MP) just after UV irradiation, which became 0.05×10 −4 ESS/base and 0.23×10 −4 ESS/base, respectively, after 3 d incubation. However, cell number kept decreasing, even after DNA repair. Photosynthetic activity decreased by 1.5 log within 1 d (LP) or 3 d (MP). Thus, reduction in photosynthetic activity could contribute to the reduction in M. aeruginosa cell numbers. A. variabilis cell numbers reduced by 2.3 log (LP) or 2.2 log (MP) during the 7-d incubation period; however, after DNA damage repair, cell number began to increase. The amount of DNA damage was 6.07×10 −4 ESS/base (LP) and 4.48×10 −4 ESS/base (MP) just after UV irradiation, which became 0.23×10 −4 ESS/base and 0.40×10 −4 ESS/base, respectively, after 3 d incubation. No reduction was observed in photosynthetic activity/cell. Therefore, DNA damage is the main contributor of the reduction in cell number of A. variabilis.

THM, HAA and CNCl formation from UV irradiation and chlor(am)ination of selected organic waters

The formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs), including chloroform, dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), trichloroacetic acid (TCAA), and cyanogen chloride (CNCl) after sequential exposure of four organic waters to UV irradiation via either low- or medium-pressure lamps and free chlorine (or preformed monochloramine) under practical conditions was simulated. Statistically significant changes in the DBP formation from chlorination due to the additional UV irradiation are commonly observed under testing conditions, although some of these changes are not practically significant. The impacts from UV exposure were found to be most significant in chloroform formation (up to 40 μg/L) among the four tested DBPs. Organics from rivers were more sensitive to UV alteration than was the organic drawn from soil. This difference could not be explained by the specific UV absorbance (SUVA) values. In most cases, irradiation with the medium-pressure UV lamp gave similar or slightly larger changes in DBP yields, compared with the corresponding trials using the low-pressure lamp. Different application sequences could significantly change the relative quantities of DBPs but no general trend was identified. Case-specific evaluation of the formation of chloroform and CNCl is necessary.

Application of Medium Pressure UV Lamp for Wastewater Disinfection of Milk Production Industry

Application of Medium Pressure UV Lamp for Wastewater Disinfection of Milk Production Industry

低圧・中圧紫外線ランプ照射によるダム湖水中の藻類の増殖抑制

Ultraviolet irradiation could be one of the alternatives to conventional treatments against algal bloom. In this study, the efficacy of UV treatment was investigated against the growth of indigenous Microcystis collected from the Terauchi reservoir, which was suffering from algal bloom on the day of sampling. Surface water from the reservoir was subjected to lab-scale UV exposure using a low-pressure UV (LP UV) lamp or a medium-pressure UV (MP UV) lamp. UV-irradiated samples were compared with non irradiated control samples to determine the growth inhibitory effect of UV irradiation. Several exposure conditions were adopted by varying UV fluence and UV fluence rate to investigate their effects on algal growth. The growth inhibition observed after MP UV irradiation was about 3-fold higher than that after LP UV irradiation, up to 50 [mJ · cm-2]. In the case of MP UV irradiation, growth inhibition was almost constant regardless of UV fluence rate at constant UV fluence. A 1.35 [mW · cm-2] UV fluence rate resulted in a growth inhibitory effect 4.6-fold higher than that of a 0.37 [mW · cm-2] UV fluence rate at constant UV fluence in the case of LP UV irradiation. The results of this study indicate that UV irradiation is effective in inhibiting the growth of indigenous Microcystis.

Effects of medium-pressure UV lamps radiation on water quality in a chlorinated indoor swimming pool

The aim of our study was to determine the impact of medium-pressure UV lamps radiation on water quality in a chlorinated indoor swimming pool. An indoor swimming pool was equipped with two medium-pressure UV lamps. We collected eight samples of water daily over a four-weeks period and measured total and free chlorine, pH, water temperature, bacteriological parameters, total organic carbon and trihalomethanes. During the first week, which served as control, medium-pressure UV lamps were turned off. During the next three weeks, medium-pressure UV lamps were kept on 24 h per day. The third week, we reduced the level of the injected chlorine into water, and the last week we also reduced the water renewal volume by 27%. Our results showed that bacteriological parameters remained within allowable french limits. When medium-pressure UV lamps were kept on, total, free and active chlorine levels were significantly increased ( P < 0.001), whereas combined chlorine level were significantly decreased ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). The levels of chloroform and bromodichloromethane were significantly increased when medium-pressure UV lamps were kept on ( P < 0.001), whereas chlorodibromomethane and bromoform levels significantly decreased ( P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). The additional formation of chloroform and bromodichloromethane may be explained by the increase in active chlorine and by radicalizing mechanisms initiated by UV radiation.

By-product formation during ultraviolet disinfection of a pretreated surface water

A low-pressure (LP-UV) and medium-pressure UV lamp (MP-UV) were compared for the formation of nitrite, assimilable organic carbon (AOC), and genotoxicity using pretreated surface water in a bench UV unit. The results have been compared with the by-products formed in pretreated surface water using a pilot unit equipped with four medium-pressure lamps identical to the one used in the bench unit. It was found that although significant nitrite formation occurred in the MP-UV bench tests, it remained well below the European standard (0.1 mg/L NO2–) in the pilot unit. The LP-UV gave no or very low amounts of nitrite (bench unit). The AOC and genotoxicity increase with LP-UV was negligible. The AOC content and genotoxicity after MP-UV irradiation in the bench unit was significant as well, whereas AOC was formed limitedly in the pilot unit. Genotoxicity was elevated but not significant. Key words: AOC, biodosimetry, by-products, disinfection, genotoxicity, LP-UV, MP-UV, nitrite, UV.

Photoreactivation of Legionella pneumophila after inactivation by low- or medium-pressure ultraviolet lamp

Photoreactivation of Legionella pneumophila after the inactivation by low-pressure (LP) or medium-pressure (MP) UV lamp was investigated in comparison with that of Escherichia coli. An endonuclease sensitive site (ESS) assay was used to determine the number of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in the genome DNA of L. pneumophila or E. coli, while the survival ratio of each bacterium was also investigated by cultivation methods. L. pneumophila performed photoreactivation with almost complete repair of pyrimidine dimers associated with the quick recovery of survival ratio. A 3 log inactivation of L. pneumophila by LP or MP UV lamp was, respectively, resulted in 0.5 log or 0.4 log inactivation when photoreactivation was completed. Interestingly, L. pneumophila performed equivalent photoreactivation after LP and MP UV lamp exposures while photoreactivation of E. coli was significantly repressed after the inactivation by MP UV lamp. This study indicated that an attention would be required to design and operate a UV disinfection system targeting L. pneumophila. It was further implied that E. coli would not correctly indicate the fate of L. pneumophila in UV disinfection systems when photoreactivation takes place.

Effect of medium-pressure UV irradiation on bromate concentrations in drinking water, a pilot-scale study

This study investigated the potential for bromate removal from drinking water on irradiation with medium-pressure UV lamps—a technique gaining considerable interest for drinking water disinfection. Waters from two different sources were spiked with 20 μg/L of bromate and irradiated with UV fluences up to 718 mJ/cm 2 utilizing a pilot-scale reactor (Calgon Carbon Corp.) at a flow of 76 L/min (20 gallon/min). Essentially no removal was observed in one of the source waters. Limited bromate removal, up to 19%, was observed in the second source water at high UV fluences (696 mJ/cm 2) and a fluence-response relationship was clearly evident. All removals would be negligible at UV fluences anticipated for drinking water disinfection (⩽40 mJ/cm 2). Different water characteristics, in particular competitive absorption by nitrate and possibly DOC, were most likely responsible for the differences in bromate removal in the waters tested. The source water that did not show any removal had a higher nitrate concentration (4 vs. 0.1 mg N/L) and also a higher DOC concentration (4.1 vs. 3.1 mg C/L) than the other source water which showed 19% bromate removal.

Studies on photo-degradation of 2,4-dinitro toluene in aqueous phase

The efficiency of different photo-degradation processes was evaluated for degrading 2,4-dinitro toluene (DNT) in aqueous phase. The rate and extent of DNT degradation and removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents were compared for direct photolytic and photo-oxidative reactions using various concentrations of H 2O 2 and Fenton’s reagent with a 125 W medium pressure UV lamp. DNT was degraded rapidly under photo-oxidative conditions. Complete destruction was obtained using Fenton’s reagent, wherein 100 ppm of DNT was degraded within 60 min of irradiation time. Removal of TOC and TN contents in the photo-Fenton system was 96% and 57%, respectively, after 2 h of UV irradiation. Degradation of DNT followed first order reaction kinetics. Photo-Fenton oxidation is found to be the most suitable technique to degrade DNT in aqueous phase.

Endotoxin inactivation in water by using medium-pressure UV lamps.

Deionized water was spiked with various concentrations of endotoxin and exposed to UV irradiation from medium-pressure UV lamps to assess endotoxin inactivation. It was found that endotoxin inactivation was proportional to the UV dose under the conditions examined. The inactivation rate was determined to be approximately 0.55 endotoxin unit/ml per mJ/cm(2) of irradiation delivered.

Inactivation differences of microorganisms by low pressure UV and pulsed xenon lamps

UV disinfection has been applied to water treatment in recent years with low-pressure and medium-pressure UV lamps mainly used as the light source. In general, UV disinfection is considered to be inefficient with water of high turbidity because of inhibition of light penetration. Additionally, photoreactivation may be a problem that should be considered in case a disinfected water is discharged to the environment where sunlight causes reactivation. Recently, other types of lamps have been proposed including a flush-type lamp (such as a pulsed-xenon lamp) that emits high energy and wide wavelength intermittently. In this study, the difference between inactivation efficiencies by low-pressure UV (LPUV) and pulsed-xenon (PXe) lamps was investigated using two coliphage types and three strains of Escherichia coli. PXe had a suppressive effect on photoreactivation rate of the E. coli strains even though there was no significant effect on inactivation rate and maximum survival ratio after photoreactivation. PXe also had a benefit when applied to high turbidity waters as no tailing phenomena were observed in the low survival ratio area although it was observed in LPUV inactivation. This efficiency difference was considered to be due to the difference in irradiated wavelength of both lamps.

Photoreactivation of Escherichia coli after low- or medium-pressure UV disinfection determined by an endonuclease sensitive site assay.

Photoreactivation of Escherichia coli after inactivation by a low-pressure (LP) UV lamp (254 nm), by a medium-pressure (MP) UV lamp (220 to 580 nm), or by a filtered medium-pressure (MPF) UV lamp (300 to 580 nm) was investigated. An endonuclease sensitive site (ESS) assay was used to determine the number of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers in the genomic DNA of E. coli, while a conventional cultivation assay was used to investigate the colony-forming ability (CFA) of E. coli. In photoreactivation experiments, more than 80% of the pyrimidine dimers induced by LP or MPF UV irradiation were repaired, while almost no repair of dimers was observed after MP UV exposure. The CFA ratios of E. coli recovered so that they were equivalent to 0.9-, 2.3-, and 1.7-log inactivation after 3-log inactivation by LP, MP, and MPF UV irradiation, respectively. Photorepair treatment of DNA in vitro suggested that among the MP UV emissions, wavelengths of 220 to 300 nm reduced the subsequent photorepair of ESS, possibly by causing a disorder in endogenous photolyase, an enzyme specific for photoreactivation. On the other hand, the MP UV irradiation at wavelengths between 300 and 580 nm was observed to play an important role in reducing the subsequent recovery of CFA by inducing damage other than damage to pyrimidine dimers. Therefore, it was found that inactivating light at a broad range of wavelengths effectively reduced subsequent photoreactivation, which could be an advantage that MP UV irradiation has over conventional LP UV irradiation.

Effect of UV irradiation on organic matter extracted from treated Ohio River water studied through the use of electrospray mass spectrometry.

Ohio River water was treated by settling, sand filtration, and granular activated carbon filtration. It was then irradiated by low-pressure (monochromatic) and medium-pressure (polychromatic) UV lamps to investigate the effects of UV irradiation on the extracted organic matter (EOM). When the EOM, collected by solid phase extraction cartridges, was analyzed by conventional UV spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography (SEC), no significant changes in the EOM were revealed for various UV doses. Positive and negative electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) of the EOM produced mass spectra that vary significantly with UV dose. The UV dosage conditions also appear to affect the reactivity of the EOM to subsequent chlorination. The magnitude of the spectral changes is generally greater for medium-pressure lamps than for low pressure and increases with UV exposure. Based on the observed MS peaks, the changes may be due to the presence of lignin, resulting perhaps from photooxidation and/or photo rearrangement of macromolecules in the sample. When chlorination is used for secondary disinfection, these results suggest that it may be important to consider the effects of UV irradiation on the organic matter in the water before applying UV disinfection technology to a particular source water.

Potential repair of Escherichia coli DNA following exposure to UV radiation from both medium- and low-pressure UV sources used in drinking water treatment.

The increased use of UV radiation as a drinking water treatment technology has instigated studies of the repair potential of microorganisms following treatment. This study challenged the repair potential of an optimally grown nonpathogenic laboratory strain of Escherichia coli after UV radiation from low- and medium-pressure lamps. Samples were irradiated with doses of 5, 8, and 10 mJ/cm(2) from a low-pressure lamp and 3, 5, 8, and 10 mJ/cm(2) from a medium-pressure UV lamp housed in a bench-scale collimated beam apparatus. Following irradiation, samples were incubated at 37 degrees C under photoreactivating light or in the dark. Sample aliquots were analyzed for up to 4 h following incubation using a standard plate count. Results of this study showed that E. coli underwent photorepair following exposure to the low-pressure UV source, but no repair was detectable following exposure to the medium-pressure UV source at the initial doses examined. Minimal repair was eventually observed upon medium-pressure UV lamp exposure when doses were lowered to 3 mJ/cm(2). This study clearly indicates differences in repair potential under laboratory conditions between irradiation from low-pressure and medium-pressure UV sources of the type used in water treatment.

UV disinfection of wastewater coagulated with ferric chloride: recalcitrance and fouling problems

Collimated beam and pilot tests using low pressure or medium pressure UV lamps were conducted to assess the disinfection performance of a municipal wastewater which had been pretreated by ferric chloride coagulation followed by sedimentation. The feed to the UV systems contained high levels of Fe (often above 3 mg/l); suspended solids and UV254 transmission values were also not ideal (mean approximately 30 mg/l and 32% respectively). The collimated beam tests indicated that the target level of 2,500 coliform forming units/100 ml often could not be reached, and the pilot tests revealed significant fouling after only a few hours. Thus physicochemical effluents of this nature likely require upstream filtration (or a relaxation of the target level) and a continual, automated cleaning system to ensure that performance levels can be maintained.

UV disinfection of wastewater coagulated with ferric chloride: Recalcitrance and fouling problems

Collimated beam and pilot tests using low pressure or medium pressure UV lamps were conducted to assess the disinfection performance of a municipal wastewater which had been pretreated by ferric chloride coagulation followed by sedimentation. The feed to the UV systems contained high levels of Fe (often above 3 mg/l); suspended solids and UV254 transmission values were also not ideal (mean approximately 30 mg/l and 32% respectively). The collimated beam tests indicated that the target level of 2,500 coliform forming units/100 ml often could not be reached, and the pilot tests revealed significant fouling after only a few hours. Thus physicochemical effluents of this nature likely require upstream filtration (or a relaxation of the target level) and a continual, automated cleaning system to ensure that performance levels can be maintained.