Medium Pressure UV Research Articles

Global transcriptional analysis for molecular responses of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in drinking water after low- and medium-pressure ultraviolet irradiation

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can effectively disinfect water contaminated with pathogens. However, the biological mechanisms of inactivation by different types of UV irradiation are unknown. The present study investigated the inactivation mechanisms of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris spores in water by low-pressure UV (LPUV) and medium-pressure UV (MPUV) using a quasi-collimated beam apparatus. Global transcriptomic data obtained by RNA-seq revealed 291 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that damaged DNA, reduced biofilm formation, and had other reactions. The individual downregulated DEGs (n = 123) mainly related to cell motility, membrane transport, and metabolism were induced by LPUV, and in turn contributed to energy-saving and metabolic activity inhibition, forcing bacteria into a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. The individual upregulated DEGs (n = 244) following MPUV treatment were mainly enriched in cell motility, membrane transport, metabolism, DNA replication and repair, and spore germination pathways. This results in high-energy consumption, severe damage to genetic material, and enhanced spore germination accelerated cell death. Additionally, hub genes in the protein-protein interaction network were mainly involved in transcription and translation. These findings contribute to the comprehensive understanding of the inactivation mechanisms of different types of UV irradiation, and will improve applications of UV disinfection in the treatment of water.

Inactivation efficacy and mechanisms of wavelength-specific UV sources for various strains of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1

Infections of Legionnaires' disease in the United States caused by Legionella have increased ninefold between the years 2000–2018. Legionella harbored in biofilms or inside amoeba within premise plumbing can be more resistant to disinfectants, thus causing treatment challenges. Ultraviolet-light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) are an emerging water disinfection technology with several advantages over conventional UV lamps. In this study, we evaluated the effects of UV-LEDs (255, 265, and 285 nm), a low-pressure (LP) mercury UV lamp (254 nm), and a bandpass filtered medium-pressure (MP) mercury UV lamp (220 nm) on properties and inactivation of three strains of L. pneumophila serogroup 1. The UV-LEDs emitting at 255 and 265 nm showed greater inactivation performance against all the strains compared to the UV-LED at 285 nm and the LP UV lamp at 254 nm. Our results showed that strains of the same serogroup exhibited different UV sensitivities. Analyses of DNA and protein damage revealed that UV exposure using 254, 255, and 265 nm predominantly causes DNA damage, while protein damage is predominant at 220 nm. Both DNA and protein damage were observed at 285 nm, but the extent of DNA damage was relatively less significant compared to the other wavelengths. Electric energy consumption analysis showed that water treatment using UV-LEDs is currently unsatisfactory compared to conventional LP UV lamps due to the mediocre wall plug efficiency (WPE) of UV-LEDs. However, recent studies indicate that the WPE of UV-LEDs is continuously improving. Overall, our study highlights that UV-LEDs are a promising technology for inactivating waterborne pathogens and have the potential to replace existing UV mercury lamps for water disinfection applications.

Comparative Evaluation of Low- and Medium-Pressure UV Lamps for Photo-degradation of RDX Wastewater

Comparative Evaluation of Low- and Medium-Pressure UV Lamps for Photo-degradation of RDX Wastewater

Photoinduced Reductive C-C and C-Heteroatom Couplings from Bis-cyclometalated Pt(IV) Alkynyl Complexes.

Unsymmetrical dicarboxylato complexes [Pt(tpy)2(O2CR)2] [tpy = cyclometalated 2-(p-tolyl)pyridine, R = Me, CF3] react with the terminal alkynes 4-methoxyphenylacetylene, phenylacetylene, 4-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetylene or 3,5-difluorophenylacetylene in the presence of a base to produce complexes mer-[Pt(tpy)2(O2CR)(CCAr)], in which the metalated carbon atoms are in a meridional arrangement. Irradiation of the trifluoroacetato derivatives with a 365 nm LED source leads to isomerization to the facial complexes, which can be converted to chlorido derivatives upon reaction with NH4Cl. In contrast, irradiation of the acetato derivatives leads to four different processes, namely, reduction to cis-[Pt(tpy)2], annulations involving one of the tpy ligands and the Cα and Cβ atoms of the alkynyl to give benzoquinolizinium derivatives, isomerization to the facial geometry, or C-O couplings between the acetato ligand and one tpy. The first two processes are favored by the presence of electron-donating groups on the alkynyl, whereas electron-withdrawing groups favor the last two. Irradiation of complexes fac-[Pt(tpy)2(O2CCF3)(CCAr)] with a medium-pressure Hg UV lamp leads to a reductive C-C coupling involving the alkynyl Cα atom and one of the tpy ligands to give pyridoisoindolium derivatives, except for the methoxyphenylacetylide derivative, which is photostable. On the basis of TDDFT calculations, the photoreactivity of the mer complexes is attributed to 3LLCT [π(alkynyl) → π*(tpy)] excited states for annulations or 3LMCT [π(alkynyl) → dσ*] excited states for the rest of the processes, which are accessible through thermal population from 3LC(tpy) states. The C-C couplings from the fac complexes are attributed to photoreactive pentacoordinate intermediates.

Transformation of organic carbon through medium pressure (polychromatic) UV disinfection of wastewater effluent during wet weather events

An observed decrease in total organic carbon (TOC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations following wastewater disinfection with medium pressure (MP, polychromatic) ultraviolet (UV) irradiation during wet weather flows is investigated. When antecedent rainfall in the previous 7-days was >2 in (5 cm), TOC and DOC concentrations decreased dramatically following MP-UV disinfection. Organic carbon surrogate measurements of biological oxygen demand (BOD), TOC, DOC, turbidity, UVA – 254 nm, SUVA (specific UVA), scanning UV–Visible spectra (200–600 nm), fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectra, and light scattering data are presented for wastewater resource recovery facility (WRRF) influent, secondary effluent (pre-UV-disinfection), and MP-UV-disinfected (final effluent) samples. TOC and DOC in wastewater influent and secondary effluent (i.e., pre-UV disinfection) correlated with antecedent rainfall conditions. The percent TOC and DOC removal through secondary treatment (i.e., from influent to effluent pre-UV) and the percent TOC and DOC removal through MP-UV disinfection (i.e., from effluent pre-UV to effluent post-UV) were compared and the latter approached 90 % through MP-UV disinfection during high antecedent rainfall conditions. Spectroscopy (UV, visible, or fluorescence) was performed on samples after filtration through 0.45 μm filters, i.e., the operationally defined DOC fraction of aquatic carbon. Scanning UV–visible spectra indicated transformation of an unidentified wastewater component into light-scattering entities regardless of antecedent rainfall conditions. The types of organic carbon (diagenetic, biogenic, or anthropogenic) and the significance of wet weather are discussed. An organic carbon contribution via infiltration and inflow was attributed as a source-of-interest in this research.

Which UV wavelength is the most effective for chlorine-resistant bacteria in terms of the impact of activity, cell membrane and DNA?

The widespread use of chlorine disinfectants in drinking water has accelerated the selection of chlorine-resistant bacteria (CRB). The presence of CRB in drinking water (during treatment, distribution, and consumption) has a profound impact on public safety. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is an effective control technology for CRB. Nevertheless, the relative efficacies of different UV light wavelengths (traditional mercury lamps, ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LED 265 nm and 285 nm), and 222 nm krypton-chlorine excilamps) in the control and inactivation of various CRB have not been investigated. In this study, the impacts of different UV light sources on the inactivation rate and microbial cell structure of CRB were evaluated. The results showed that the order of inactivation efficacy was as follows: UV-LED 265 nm > low-pressure ultraviolet (LPUV) ≈ medium-pressure ultraviolet (MPUV) ≈ 222 nm > UV-LED 285 nm. CRB was inactivated via DNA damage and additional ATP decline under UV-LED 265 nm, UV-LED 285 nm and LPUV irradiation, of which UV-LED 265 nm was the most effective based on fluence and inactivation rate constants. The inactivation mechanisms revealed that the 222 nm wavelength was significantly different from other wavelengths; it stimulated the production of a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which resulted in bacterial cell membrane damage, ATP direct decline, and a small number of DNA lesions. Multispectral MPUV induced both of the foregoing mechanisms but mainly damaged DNA. The present study provides empirical evidence for the reasonable application of UV disinfection technology in the treatment of water and wastewater and their conduits and delivery systems.

UV inactivation of sewage isolated human adenovirus

Adenoviruses are known to be one of the most resistant viruses to UV disinfection. This study determined the inactivation kinetics of adenovirus freshly isolated from sewage samples, and compared the results with reference adenovirus stocks grown in the laboratory. Human adenoviruses were isolated from sewage samples using the HEK 293 cell line. Inactivation kinetics for UV irradiation was determined for monochromatic low pressure (LP) mercury UV lamp (254 nm) and polychromatic medium pressure (MP) mercury UV lamp for each sewage isolate. Eleven (11) isolates were obtained from nine (9) different sewage samples with most isolates belonging to the enteric adenovirus group, specifically adenovirus 41. The average dose required for 4 log inactivation using LP UV lamps for sewage isolates (220 mJ/cm2) was not significantly different (p > 0.1) from the average dose reported for lab-grown enteric adenovirus (179.6 mJ/cm2). Interestingly, the average dose required for 4 log inactivation using MP UV lamps was significantly higher (p = 0.004) for sewage isolates (124 mJ/cm2) when compared to the average dose reported for laboratory stocks of adenovirus 40 and 41 (71 mJ/cm2). Viral capsid analysis using the propidium monoazide (PMA)-qPCR method showed that adenovirus isolates from group F were less affected by exposure to MP UV Lamps than adenoviruses from group D and C. Adenovirus isolates obtained from sewage samples showed greater resistance to UV irradiation compared to laboratory grown strains, although required doses for MP UV were still considerably lower than LP UV. These data suggest that the required fluence for inactivation of adenoviruses in real-world waters may be higher than previously understood.

Application and enhancement of mediumpressure ultraviolet activated peroxydisulfate in treating incineration leachate

Herein, a special medium-pressure ultraviolet (MPUV) reaction device was designed, in which MPUV-activated peroxydisulfate system (MPUV/PDS) was used to treat incineration leachate, and the treatment performance and mechanism after introducing catalysts were also investigated. The results indicated that organic pollutants were efficiently degraded, and the degradation regularity was similar when incineration leachate at different concentrations was treated in MPUV/PDS system. In addition, different transition metal ions diversely affected MPUV/PDS system, among which Cu2+ exhibited the most excellent activation property, and in view of this result, copper-loaded activated carbon (Cu-GAC), which was successfully synthesized by using dipping method, was applied to further enhance the treatment effect as a heterogeneous catalyst. The results showed that under optimal operation conditions, CODcr and DOC removal rates in Cu-GAC/MPUV/PDS system respectively reached 91.83% and 93.67%, which were 11.65% and 16.86% higher than those in MPUV/PDS system under the same reaction conditions, and almost all dissolved organic matters in incineration leachate were mineralized or decomposed into lower molecular weight organics within 180 min. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that Cu-GAC maintained a high catalytic performance throughout the four repetitive experiments. As revealed by mechanism analysis, three pollutants removal pathways (adsorption, radical-based and non-radical oxidation) existed in Cu-GAC/MPUV/PDS system, and various reactive species, including HO·, SO4∙-, O2∙- and 1O2, exerted important contributions in organics removal.

Effective UV wavelength range for increasing aflatoxins reduction and decreasing oil deterioration in contaminated peanuts

Many studies have demonstrated that UV radiation can degrade aflatoxins (AF) in contaminated foods. However, the effective wavelength ranges for AF decomposition and their impacts on the quality of foods have not been elucidated. This study investigated the AF reduction and oil quality change in peanuts subjected to three types of 17 W low-pressure (LP) UV lamps covering UV-A (Max. emission: 365 nm), UV-B (Max. emission: 310 nm), and UV-C (Max. emission: 254 nm) ranges and a 2000 W medium-pressure UV lamp covering from UV-A to UV-C. We used peeled-kernels for this study since the peanut skin represented an ability to protect AF from being degraded by UV. LP UV-A lamp treatment has shown the highest AF reduction in artificially spiked peeled-kernels and no detectable oil deterioration. With the same delivered UV dosage as LP lamp, MP lamp has shown the same level of AF reduction as LP UV-A lamp did, indicating such treatment was energy inefficient. Treating Aspergillus nomius inobulated peeled-kernels by two LP UV-A lamps (2.76 mW/cm2) for 1.0 h reduced 40% of AF if the kernels were milled into 1 mm-diameter particle, implying that exposing the interior part of kernels to UV radiation is necessary for an AF decontamination process. In the oil deterioration test, we found that UV-C strongly induced the oil oxidation of peanuts. Accordingly, we concluded that UV-A is the effective wavelength range to degrade AF as well as maintain the oil quality in foods allowing UV radiation to well penetrate the sample, such as liquid foods with low turbidity or solid foods in the particle form. These results also justify the use of solar radiation as an AF decontamination method, rendering this method to be employed in in areas that lack infrastructure.

Organic pollutant degradation by UV/peroxydisulfate process: Impacts of UV light source and phosphate buffer

In recent years, ultraviolet (UV) based advanced oxidation processes have been extensively studied for degradation of refractory organic pollutants in water and wastewater, and selection of an appropriate UV light source is an important issue. In this study, bench-scale tests were conducted on a mini-fluidic photoreaction system (MFPS) to determine the degradation kinetics of methylene blue (MB) by UV/peroxydisulfate (UV/PDS) process equipped with a low-pressure UV (LPUV), vacuum UV (VUV)/LPUV, or medium-pressure UV (MPUV) mercury vapor lamp. Results indicate that MB degradation by UV/PDS with various light sources all followed the pseudo-first order kinetics, and the photon fluence-based rate constant (kp,λ′) had a descending order of: VUV/LPUV/PDS ≫ MPUV/PDS > LPUV/PDS. Moreover, it is noted that phosphate buffer (PB) notably inhibited MB degradation: the kp,LPUV′, kp,VUV/LPUV′ and kp,MPUV′ decreased by 35.0%, 44.9% and 37.5% with the PB concentration increasing from 0 to 20 mM, respectively. The maximal decrease in kp,VUV/LPUV′ was ascribed to a strong competition of PB for VUV photons. Thereafter, pilot-scale tests were conducted to evaluate the practical performance of UV/PDS in terms of the electrical energy consumption per order (EEO). It was found again that the VUV/LPUV lamp was the optimal light source in UV/PDS for organic pollutant degradation. This study helps optimize the UV/PDS process for its practical application to water and wastewater treatment.

Formation of nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in MP UV-based water treatments of natural organic matters: The role of nitrate

UV-based water treatment processes have been reported to induce genotoxicity during the treatments of surface water, drinking water and artificial water with natural organic matters (NOMs), causing genotoxicity concerns for the drinking water safety. Nitrogenous disinfection byproducts (N-DBPs) were generally reported to be much more genotoxic than their non-nitrogenous analogues, and might be responsible for the genotoxicity in UV processes. Although nitrate-rich water was getting attention for the possibility of genotoxicity and N-DBPs during UV treatments, the impact mechanism of nitrate on the degradation of NOMs, the formation of N-DBPs and genotoxicity has not been explicated. Here simulation experiments of NOM degradation under medium-pressure (MP) UV and MP UV/H2O2 treatments were conducted to explore the effect of nitrate on the molecular characteristics of NOM, the nitrate-derived N-DBPs and the potential genotoxicity through non-targeted analysis and CALUX® reporter gene assays. The results showed that nitrate can accelerate the degradation of NOMs in the MP UV process but inhibit the degradation of NOMs in the MP UV/H2O2 process. During the degradation of NOMs, the molecular compositions varied by the effect of nitrate on oxygen atoms, molecule analogs, and saturation. A total of 105 and 374 nitrate-derived N-DBPs were identified in the MP UV and MP UV/H2O2 treatment, respectively. Most of these N-DBPs contain one nitrogen atom, and the representative features are nitro-, methoxy- (or hydroxyl-) and ester- groups on benzene. No genotoxicity was observed without nitrate spiking, whereas genotoxicity was induced after both MP UV and MP UV/H2O2 treatments when nitrate was spiked, which is worthy of attention for the drinking water safety management.

Degradation and transformation of norfloxacin in medium-pressure ultraviolet/peracetic acid process: An investigation of the role of pH

Given that fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) are frequently detected in aquatic environments, there is an urgent need for the development of efficient water treatment technologies for their removal. Peracetic acid (PAA)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have increasingly attracted attention as promising technologies for water decontamination in this regard. In this study, a novel PAA-based AOP (the medium-pressure ultraviolet (MPUV)/PAA process) was employed to degrade norfloxacin (NOR), which is an extensively applied FQ that is widely present in water. Mechanistic and kinetic aspects of the role of pH on this NOR degradation process were investigated. The results obtained showed that the MPUV/PAA process could effectively degrade NOR (pH = 5–9), and the degradation efficiency was significantly enhanced at pH 7 and 9 compared with that at pH 5. This observation could be attributed to the effect of pH on the ionic forms of NOR and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further, the rate of PAA photolysis, which resulted in the formation of reactive radicals, increased with pH, as evidenced by the observed increase in the molar absorption coefficient of PAA (εPAA). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests also indicated that the generation of ROS was significantly enhanced when the pH increased from 5 to 7, and at pH 9, a large amount of •OH were possibly consumed by PAA to form organic radicals, leading to a decrease in the •OH signal. Furthermore, it was observed that •OH is primarily responsible for NOR degradation in the MPUV/PAA process at pH 5, whereas organic radicals were primarily responsible for the degradation at pH 7 and 9. The identification of the transformation products (TPs) led to the observation of different NOR transformation pathways owing to the MPUV/PAA process under different pH conditions. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of pH on the MPUV/PAA degradation behavior of FQs.

UV/sulphite as alternative for UV/H2O2 for micropollutant degradation in drinking water

Abstract The UV/SO32– process can be applied to convert organic micropollutants (OMP). The reaction is induced by UV photolysis of sulphite (preferably using a medium pressure (MP) UV lamp). Although in general it is assumed that the UV/SO32− process is an advanced reduction process, our results show degradation of OMP under both anoxic and oxic conditions. Several recalcitrant OMP even show higher degradation rates under oxic conditions than under anoxic conditions. This conversion is affected by the presence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), HCO3− and NO3−, and thus was more effective in drinking water than in Milli-Q water. The reaction rate constants of the oxic UV/SO32− process in general are lower than those of a UV/H2O2 process, but in cases where the use of H2O2 is not preferred, the UV/SO32− process may be an interesting alternative.

Comparison of the Efficiency of Ultraviolet/Ultrasonic (UV/US) and Ultraviolet/Zinc Oxide (UV/ZnO) Technologies as Advanced Oxidation Processes in the Removal of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS), an Anionic Detergent, from Aqueous Media

Surfactants are one of the most commonly found xenobiotics in municipal and industrial wastewater. The purpose of this study was to compare ultraviolet/ultrasonic (UV/US) and ultraviolet/zinc oxide (UV/ZnO) processes in the removal of LAS from aqueous media.In this study, a medium-pressure UV lamp (125 W), an ultrasonic device (400 W and 42 kHz), and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were used. The concentration of LAS was 0.5, 14, and 21 mg/L in all experiments. Contact time of 8, 16, and 24 minutes, pH of 3, 7, and 11, and NP concentrations of 50, 100, 150 mg/L were selected. Detergent extraction was performed using methylene blue active substances.The results showed that the efficiency of UV/US process in the removal of LAS was 89.35%, while the removal efficiency of UV/ZnO process was 81.27%. In both processes, the rate of detergent removal increased by elongating the contact time from 8 to 24 minutes. The efficiency of UV/US process in LAS removal was greater than that of the UV/ZnO process. The findings showed that the removal efficiency of UV/US process was directly correlated with pH, while it had an inverse correlation with the removal efficiency of UV/ZnO process.

Colour Changes during the Carbamazepine Oxidation by Photo-Fenton

The oxidation of aqueous solutions of carbamazepine is conducted using the Fenton reagent, combined with the photolytic action of a 150 W medium pressure UV lamp, operating at T = 40 °C. The effect of acidity is analysed at an interval pH = 2.0–5.0, verifying that operating at pH = 5.0 promotes colour formation (Colour = 0.15 AU). The effect of iron is studied, finding that the colour of the water increases in a linear way, Colour = 0.05 + 0.0075 [Fe]0. The oxidising action of hydrogen peroxide is tested, confirming that when operating with [H2O2]0 = 2.0 mM, the maximum colour is generated (Colourmax = 0.381 AU). The tint would be generated by the degradation of by-products of carbamazepine, which have chromophoric groups in their internal structure, such as oxo and dioxocarbazepines, which would produce tint along the first minutes of oxidation, while the formation of acridones would slowly induce colour in the water.

Emerging investigator series: rapid defluorination of 22 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in water using sulfite irradiated by medium-pressure UV

The removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water supplies is crucial to protect the public and the environment.

Virus and Bacteria Inactivation Using Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes

The control of infectious diseases is a critical challenge in developing and developed nations alike. Humans can be exposed to pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria through numerous routes of transmission, including waterborne transmission. Accordingly, effective water disinfection processes are paramount for public health protection. In this study, the inactivation efficacy of P22 virus and Escherichia coli bacteria was tested using ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs), which provided effective disinfection of both waterborne microorganisms. Using a peak wavelength emission of 255, 265, or 285 nm, the batch-test, UV LED collimated beam system demonstrated high inactivation potential for both microorganisms at all wavelengths, suggesting that it could be an effective alternative to typical, low-pressure (LP) or medium-pressure (MP), mercury-based UV systems. Increased inactivation kinetics for both microorganisms was observed with decreasing wavelength (255 > 265 > 285 nm). However, the trend reversed when accounting for energy efficiency of the systems (255 < 265 < 285 nm) due to the currently lower wall plug efficiency for lower UV LED wavelength emissions. Substantial improvements in LED efficiency are needed to make them energetically competitive with current LP and MP UV technologies.

Mechanism and efficacy of virus inactivation by a microplasma UV lamp generating monochromatic UV irradiation at 222 nm

This study evaluated the potential of a microplasma UV lamp as an alternative UV source to the current mercury-based (Hg-based) UV lamp for water disinfection. We developed a set of PCR-based molecular assays (long-range qPCR, DNase, and binding assay) to quantify the adenovirus genome, capsid, and fiber damage with a wide detection range (100.5-106.5 PFU/mL). We used these molecular assays to characterize adenovirus (AdV) inactivation kinetics by microplasma UV that produced monochromatic UV at 222 nm. We found that the inactivation rate constant (0.142 cm2/mJ) due to microplasma UV was 4.4 times higher than that of low-pressure Hg UV (0.032 cm2/mJ). This high efficacy was attributed to monochromatic UV wavelength at 222 nm damaging the AdV capsid protein. The results of these molecular assays also proved that microplasma UV and medium-pressure Hg UV with a bandpass filter at 223 nm (MPUV223nm) have a similar influence on AdV (p>0.05). We then estimated the relative energy efficiency of MPUV and microplasma UV to LPUV for 4 log reduction of the viruses. We found that the microplasma UV resulted in higher inactivation rate constants for viruses than the current Hg-based UV. Consequently, microplasma UV could be more energy efficient than low-pressure Hg UV for water disinfection if the wall-plug efficiency of the microplasma UV lamp improved to 8.4% (currently 1.5%). Therefore, the microplasma UV lamp is a promising option for water disinfection.

Peracetic acid (PAA) and low-pressure ultraviolet (LP-UV) inactivation of Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) in municipal wastewater individually and concurrently

Domestic wastewater (WW) contains a large number of pathogenic viruses that are not significantly reduced in most WW treatment processes and are found in high numbers in the effluent of conventionally disinfected WW. In this study, secondary WW effluent bench-scale disinfection efficacy experiments with two different peracetic acid (PAA) formulations (15 and 22% peracetic acid) and low-pressure ultraviolet irradiation (LP-UV) were carried out using Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) as a clinically relevant surrogate for enteric viruses and Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the disinfection efficacy control. Efficacy experiments were done in a test matrix of medium-pressure UV (MP-UV) decontaminated secondary WW effluent under representative PAA doses and LP-UV fluences used at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Membrane filtration technique was used to determine Log10 CFU reductions of E. coli and a tissue culture infectious dose 50% assay (TCID50) for Log10 TCID50 reduction of CVB3. The CVB3 proved to be quite resistant to PAA with ≤1 Log10 TCID50 reduction to concentrations ≤50 mg/L at a contact time of 15 min, and highly susceptible to LP-UV at 20 mJ/cm2. Concurrent use of both formulations of 3 mg/L PAA with 20 mJ/cm2 LP-UV achieved ∼4 Log10 TCID50 reduction. The E. coli results showed ˃5 Log10 CFU reductions at a contact time of 15 min with both 3 mg/L PAA formulations, 20 mJ/cm2 LP-UV treatment alone, and combined with both 1.5 mg/L PAA formulations. The E. coli efficacy data were consistent with that reported in the literature and showed to be comparable to conventional chlorine disinfection. The CVB3 efficacy data has shown that PAA alone may not be suitable for the reduction of enteric viruses in secondary wastewater effluent, but this is also the case for chlorine-based disinfectants. The results from this study showed that the use of PAA with LP-UV at reasonable concentrations (1.5 mg/L) and fluence (20 mJ/cm2) can significantly reduce the PAA use and meet wastewater disinfection goals for both E. coli and CVs. However, the concurrent use of PAA with LP-UV did not lead to significant synergy in disinfection efficacy in wastewater.

Influence of medium pressure UV lamp in hot tub water treatment on disinfection by-products concentration

Influence of medium pressure UV lamp in hot tub water treatment on disinfection by-products concentration