Ultraviolet Inactivation Research Articles

Influence of Inactivation Treatment of Ship's Ballast Water on Corrosion Resistance of Ship Steel Plate

The effect of seawater after ultraviolet inactivation on corrosion of a shipbuilding steel plate was investigated by means of natural corrosion potential experiments and immersion corrosion test. The effects of natural seawater and treated seawater after ultraviolet inactivation on corrosion of the selected steel plate samples were compared with each other. The results showed that there was no obvious change in the chemical composition of treated seawater compared with natural seawater. The corrosion potential slightly increased by 10 mV, whereas the corrosion rate rose significantly by 20%. The experiments verified the naturally formed biofilm in the natural seawater for the inhibition of corrosion on the shipbuilding steel plate. The possible influences of ballast water treatment on biofilm by ultraviolet and electrolysis inactivation under the condition of practical usage were also investigated. And it was found that ballast water treatment methods with no continuous disinfection could protect original tank biofilm structure, reducing the intensity of tank corrosion.

UV disinfection of wastewater flocs: the effect of secondary treatment conditions

Activated sludge flocs that are carried to the final effluent can significantly decrease the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection of wastewater. This effect is detected in a typical UV dose-response curve, where at higher UV doses there is a decrease in the inactivation rate (tailing). In this study, the effect of activated sludge process conditions on the UV inactivation kinetics of flocs was investigated. The conditions compared were nitrifying vs. non-nitrifying vs. an enhanced biological nutrient removal-University of Cape Town (BNR-UCT) system. The results showed that the flocs generated in the BNR-UCT process were easier to disinfect. The final effluent from the BNR-UCT process also showed improved kinetics of inactivation and reached higher levels of disinfection. The nitrifying system's final effluent had a lower number of initial fecal coliforms, which contributed to reaching higher disinfection levels compared to the non-nitrifying system.

Occurrence and low pressure ultraviolet inactivation of yeasts in real water sources

Low pressure ultraviolet photolysis proved to be an efficient treatment to achieve inactivation of different yeast species (Candida sp., Cryptococcus carnescens, Metschnikowia viticola/Candida kofuensis, Rhodosporidium babjevae, Rhodotorula minuta, and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) isolated from water sources with very different compositions. The sensitivity degree of various yeast isolates to UV treatment varied among different genera. Species isolated from surface water gained additional photoprotective resistance as a defence mechanism to be able to survive under constant sunlight conditions compared to the groundwater isolates. Yeasts were found to be more resistant to UV treatment than E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia.

Ultraviolet irradiation: An effective inactivation method of Aspergillus spp. in water for the control of waterborne nosocomial aspergillosis

Invasive aspergillosis is the second most common cause of nosocomial fungal infections and occurring mainly by Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger. There is evidence that nosocomial aspergillosis may be waterborne. This study was conducted to evaluate the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation efficiency in terms of inactivating the most important Aspergillus species in water since these are potential sources for nosocomial aspergillosis. A continuous flow UV reactor which could be used as a point-of-use (POU) system was used to survey Aspergillus inactivation by UV irradiation. The inactivation efficiency of UV fluence (4.15–25 mJ/cm2) was measured by determination of fungal density in water before and after radiation. Because turbidity and iron concentration are two major water quality factors impacting UV disinfection effectiveness, the potential influence of these factors on UV inactivation of Aspergillus spp. was also measured. The 4 log inactivation for A. fumigatus, A. niger and A. flavus at a density of 1000 cfu/ml was achieved at UV fluences of 12.45 mJ/cm2, 16.6 mJ/cm2 and 20.75 mJ/cm2, respectively. The inactivation efficiency for lower density (100 cfu/ml) was the same as for the higher density except for A. flavus. The removal efficiency of Aspergillus spp. was decreased by increasing the turbidity and iron concentration. UV disinfection could effectively inactivate Aspergillus spores from water and eliminate potential exposure of high-risk patients to fungal aerosols by installation of POU UV systems.

Inactivation and Photorepair of Enteric Pathogenic Microorganisms with Ultraviolet Irradiation

Abstract Ultraviolet inactivation of enteric pathogenic microorganisms, including Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhimurium, and human rotavirus (HRV-Wa) and somatic coliphages (MS2 and T4), was investigated in different water samples. Significant differences in the sensitivity of the bacteria and viruses to ultraviolet radiation were observed. Viruses were more resistant to ultraviolet disinfection than all the enteric bacteria tested in this study. With the exception of S. typhimurium, which showed flattening and tailing, strong first-order relationships between the logarithm of survival and the ultraviolet dose were observed. While S. dysenteriae and S. typhimurium were found to undergo photoreactivation after ultraviolet exposure, the photoreactivation decreased significantly with higher ultraviolet doses. Moreover, the inactivated bacteria exhibited different photoreactivation rates with different water samples. Combination of a low ultraviolet dose and a low concentration of chlorine not only inh...

UV inactivation and characteristics after photoreactivation of Escherichia coli with plasmid: Health safety concern about UV disinfection

Occurrence and degree of photoreactivation after ultraviolet (UV) exposure have been widely studied. However, the characteristics of photoreactivated microorganisms were rarely investigated. Hence, in this study, Escherichia coli with plasmids of ampicillin (amp)-resistance or fluorescence was used as indicators to examine the UV inactivation efficiencies and variations of characteristics of E. coli after subsequent photoreactivation.The experimental results indicate that the amp-resistant bacteria and the fluorescent bacteria used in this study had similar trends of UV dose–response curves. 3.5-log10 and 3-log10 reductions were achieved with a UV dose of 5 mJ/cm2 for the amp-resistant and fluorescent E. coli, respectively. There was no significant difference in the UV inactivation behavior, as compared with common strains of E. coli.For the amp-resistant E. coli and the fluorescent E. coli, after exposures with UV doses of 5, 15, 25, 40 and 80 mJ/cm2, the corresponding percent photoreactivations after a 4 h exposure to photoreactivating light were 1% and 46% respectively for a UV dose of 5 mJ/cm2, and essentially negligible for all other UV doses. Furthermore, the photoreactivated amp-resistant bacteria still have the ability of amp-resistance. And the revived fluorescent E. coli showed similar fluorescent behavior, compared with the untreated bacteria. The experimental results imply that after UV inactivation and subsequent photoreactivation, the bacteria retained the initial characteristics coded in the plasmid. This reveals a possibility that some characteristics of bacteria can retain or recover through photoreactivation, and a safety concern about pathogenicity revival might need to be considered with UV disinfection and photoreactivation.

Kinetics of UV inactivation of wastewater bioflocs

Ultraviolet disinfection is a physical method of disinfecting secondary treated wastewaters. Bioflocs formed during secondary treatment harbor and protect microbes from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, and significantly decrease the efficiency of disinfection at high UV doses causing the tailing phenomena. However, the exact mechanism of tailing and the role of biofloc properties and treatment conditions are not widely understood. It is hypothesized that sludge bioflocs are composed of an easily disinfectable loose outer shell, and a physically stronger compact core inside that accounts for the tailing phenomena. Hydrodynamic shear stress was applied to the bioflocs to peel off the looser outer shell to isolate the cores. Biofloc and core samples were fractionated into narrow size distributions by sieving and their UV disinfection kinetics were determined and compared. The results showed that for bioflocs, the tailing level elevates as the biofloc size increases, showing greater resistance to disinfection. However, for the cores larger than 45μm, it was found that the UV inactivation curves overlap, and show very close to identical inactivation kinetics. Comparing bioflocs and cores of similar size fraction, it was found that in all cases cores were harder to disinfect with UV light, and showed a higher tailing level. This study suggests that physical structure of bioflocs plays a significant role in the UV inactivation kinetics.

Effect of temperature and relative humidity on ultraviolet (UV254) inactivation of airborne porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus

The objective of this research was to estimate the effects of temperature and relative humidity on the inactivation of airborne porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus by ultraviolet light (UV254). Aerosols of PRRS virus were exposed to one of four doses of UV254 under nine combinations of temperature (n=3) and relative humidity (n=3). Inactivation constants (k), defined as the absolute value of the slope of the linear relationship between the survival fraction of the microbial population and the UV254 exposure dose, were estimated using the random coefficient model. The associated UV254 half-life dose for each combination of environmental factors was determined as (log102/k) and expressed as UV254 mJ per unit volume. The effects of UV254 dose, temperature, and relative humidity were all statistically significant, as were the interactions between UV254 dose×temperature and UV254 dose×relative humidity. PRRS virus was more susceptible to ultraviolet as temperature decreased; most susceptible to ultraviolet inactivation at relative humidity between 25% and 79%, less susceptible at relative humidity ≤24%, and least susceptible at ≥80% relative humidity. The current study allows for calculating the dose of UV254 required to inactivate airborne PRRS virus under various laboratory and field conditions using the inactivation constants and UV254 half-life doses reported therein.

Sequential use of ultraviolet light and chlorine for reclaimed water disinfection

Several disinfection processes of ultraviolet (UV), chlorine or UV followed by chlorine were investigated in municipal wastewater according to the inactivation of Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae and toxicity formation. The UV inactivation of the tested pathogenic bacteria was not affected by the quality of water. It was found that the inactivated bacteria were obviously reactivated after one day in dark. Fluorescent light irradiation increased the bacteria repair. The increase of UV dosage could cause more damage to bacteria to inhibit bacteria self-repair. No photoreactivation was detected when the UV dose was up to 80 mJ/cm 2 for E. coli DH5a, and 23 mJ/cm 2 for S. dysenteriae. Nevertheless, sequential use of 8 mJ/cm 2 of UV and low concentration of chlorine (1.5 mg/L) could effectively inhibit the photoreactivation and inactivate E. coli below the detection limits within seven days. Compared to chlorination alone, the sequential disinfection decreased the genotoxicity of treated wastewater, especially for the sample with high NH 3-N concentration.

Effects of Freezing on UV Inactivation of Waterborne Microorganisms

AbstractThis work was carried out to investigate the response of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and spores of Bacillus subtilis to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation after freezing. The effect of freezing temperature and freeze thaw cycles on UV inactivation efficiency was investigated using a collimated beam apparatus. Freezing affected the response of all test microbes; overall, a lower UV inactivation was observed in the freezing-treated bacteria. The greatest UV inactivation decrease, approximately 1.0 log unit, occurred in the freezing-treated E. coli. The average inactivation level of E. faecalis after freezing was 0.3–0.5 log unit lower than that of the control, and the difference reached approximately 0.1–0.2 log for B. subtilis spores. Under certain conditions, the significantly lower UV inactivation was observed in E. faecalis after surviving freezing, and the freezing-treated spores became more resistant to UV. Freezing temperature did not have a profound effect on the response of freezing-...

Innate Immune Response to Influenza A Virus in Differentiated Human Alveolar Type II Cells

Alveolar Type II (ATII) cells are important targets for seasonal and pandemic influenza. To investigate the influenza-induced innate immune response in those cells, we measured the global gene expression profile of highly differentiated ATII cells infected with the influenza A virus at a multiplicity of infection of 0.5 at 4 hours and 24 hours after inoculation. Infection with influenza stimulated a significant increase in the mRNA concentrations of many host defense-related genes, including pattern/pathogen recognition receptors, IFN, and IFN-induced genes, chemokines, and suppressors of cytokine signaling. We verified these changes by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. At the protein level, we detected a robust virus-induced secretion of the three glutamic acid-leucine-arginine (ELR)-negative chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11, according to ELISA. The ultraviolet inactivation of virus abolished the chemokine and cytokine response. Viral infection did not appear to alter the differentiation of ATII cells, as measured by cellular mRNA and concentrations of surfactant proteins. However, viral infection significantly reduced the secretion of surfactant protein (SP)-A and SP-D. In addition, influenza A virus triggered a time-dependent activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling in ATII cells. The inhibition of this pathway significantly decreased the release of infectious virus and the chemokine response, but did not alter virus-induced cell death. This study provides insights into influenza-induced innate immunity in differentiated human ATII cells, and demonstrates that the alveolar epithelium is a critical part of the initial innate immune response to influenza.

UV Disinfection of Adenovirus: Present State of the Research and Future Directions

Adenoviruses are nonenveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses that infect humans, causing dysentery and respiratory infection. Adenovirus has become a focus of the water treatment community because of its apparent resistance to ultraviolet (UV) disinfection and is the basis for stringent new regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regarding UV disinfection of all viruses. Most of the work done so far, however, has involved the use of monochromatic (254 nm) low-pressure UV sources and assay of viral inactivation in cell culture models. Adenovirus is most likely not truly resistant to UV damage but is instead damaged and then repaired in host cells during cell culture infectivity assays. Recent research has shown that newer, polychromatic UV sources are more effective than monochromatic low-pressure UV at inactivating adenovirus. The potential for viral DNA repair in cell culture necessitates the use of alternative assay methods to measure UV disinfection efficiency: these include molecular biology and animal infectivity assays. Research to help clarify the effects of UV on adenovirus should therefore address two major issues not addressed in most studies published so far: the nature of (a) the UV source used to inactivate the virus and (b) the assays used to determine inactivation and characterize viral response. In this review, the authors discuss previous work on UV inactivation of adenovirus as well as present and ongoing work designed to address these two issues.

Ultraviolet irradiation and the mechanisms underlying its inactivation of infectious agents

We review the principles of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, the inactivation of infectious agents by UV, and current applications for the control of microorganisms. In particular, wavelengths between 200 and 280 nm (germicidal UV) affect the double-bond stability of adjacent carbon atoms in molecules including pyrimidines, purines and flavin. Thus, UV inactivation of microorganisms results from the formation of dimers in RNA (uracil and cytosine) and DNA (thymine and cytosine). The classic application of UV irradiation is the inactivation of microorganisms in biological safety cabinets. In the food-processing industry, germicidal UV irradiation has shown potential for the surface disinfection of fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. UV treatment of water (potable and wastewater) is increasingly common because the process is effective against a wide range of microorganisms, overdose is not possible, chemical residues or by-products are avoided, and water quality is unaffected. UV has been used to reduce the concentration of airborne microorganisms in limited studies, but the technology will require further development if it is to gain wider application. For bioaerosols, the primary technical challenge is delivery of sufficient UV irradiation to large volumes of air, but the absence of UV inactivation constants for airborne pathogens under a range of environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity) further compounds the problem.

Inactivation of murine norovirus, feline calicivirus and echovirus 12 as surrogates for human norovirus (NoV) and coliphage (F+) MS2 by ultraviolet light (254 nm) and the effect of cell association on UV inactivation

To determine inactivation profiles of three human norovirus (NoV) surrogate viruses and coliphage MS2 by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and the protective effect of cell association on UV inactivation. The inactivation rate for cell-free virus or intracellular echovirus 12 was determined by exposure to 254-nm UV light at fluence up to 100 mJ cm(-2) . The infectivity of murine norovirus (MNV), feline calicivirus (FCV) and echovirus 12 was determined by cell culture infectivity in susceptible host cell lines, and MS2 infectivity was plaque assayed on Escherichia coli host cells. The UV fluencies to achieve 4-log(10) inactivation were 25, 29, 30 and 70 (mJ cm(-2) ) for cell-free FCV, MNV, echovirus 12 and MS2, respectively. However, a UV fluence of 85 mJ cm(-2) was needed to inactivate intracellular echovirus 12 by 4 log(10) . Murine norovirus and echoviruses 12 are more conservative surrogates than FCV to predict the UV inactivation response of human NoV. Intracellular echovirus 12 was 2·8-fold more resistant to UV irradiation than cell-free one. Variation in UV susceptibilities among NoV surrogate viruses and a likely protective effect of cell association on virus susceptibility to UV irradiation should be considered for effective control of human NoV in water.

Extractive biofilm membrane bioreactor with energy recovery from excess aeration and new membrane fouling control

Hybrid biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) system featuring new mechanisms for recovering the excess energy from air bubbling flow in the biofilm reactor and for controlling membrane biofouling was preliminarily investigated in this study. Alternative design of the biofilm reactor was developed to utilize the bubbling flow from the lower aerobic chamber to generate a mechanical mixing in the upper anoxic chamber in the vertical biofilm reactor. Suspended solid (SS) concentration in the system was hydrodynamically controlled to be lower than 70 mg/L. The ultraviolet (UV) inactivation unit was integrated with the membrane filtration tank to limit biological activities for biofoulant productions and to decelerate the unwanted biofilm formation in the permeate tube. Membrane relaxations at various operating conditions were studied for optimum membrane fouling reductions under low SS environment. Combinations of membrane relaxation and the UV inactivation significantly prolonged sustainable operation periods of the membrane filtration in the BF-MBR process.

Detection of active E. coli after irradiation by pulsed UV light using a Q phage

The infectivity rates of Qβ phage is used as a bio-indicator of the physiological state of host cells and for the detection of active Escherichia coli irradiated by an increasing number of pulsed ultra-violet (UV) light. Indeed, the combination of a conventional method used to measure colony-forming ability of tested bacteria after exposure to an increase number of pulsed UV light, and the simulation of phage adsorption kinetic, can reveal the existence of active bacteria which lose the cultivability in usual culture media, but keep viability and phage susceptibility. Keys words: Ultra-violet inactivation, viable but non-culturable bacteria, Qβ phage, active bacteria.

ZnO films grown by pulsed-laser deposition on soda lime glass substrates for the ultraviolet inactivation of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms

We found that a ZnO film of 2 μm thickness which was laser-deposited at room temperature onto a plain soda lime glass substrate, exhibits notable antibacterial activity against a biofilm of Staphylococcus epidermidis when back-illuminated by a UVA light source with a peak emission wavelength of about 365 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the ZnO films before and after the interactions with the biofilm and the ultraviolet light, respectively. The as-deposited film was highly textured with the wurtzite (0002) in-plane orientation (c-axis perpendicular to ZnO surface) and had a surface rms roughness of 49.7 nm. In the as-deposited film, the Zn to O ratio was 1 to 0.95. After the UV and biofilm treatments, the ZnO film surface had become rougher (rms roughness 68.1 nm) and presented uniform micron-sized pitting randomly distributed, while the zinc to oxygen ratio had become 1 to 2.2. In this case, both the UV-visible and Raman spectra pointed to degradation of the structural quality of the material. On the strength of these data, we propose a model for the mediation of the bactericidal activity in which the photogeneration of highly oxidizing species and the presence of active surface defect sites both play an important role. This study is of particular interest for the acute problem of disinfection of pathogenic biofilms which form on medical device/implant surfaces.

Ultraviolet Treatment of Orange Juice to Inactivate E. coli O157:H7 as Affected by Native Microflora

The effect of yeast concentration on ultraviolet (UV) inactivation of five strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from different sources, inoculated both individually and simultaneously in orange juice, was analyzed and mathematically modeled. The presence of yeast cells in orange juice decreases the performance of UV radiation on E. coli inactivation. UV absorption coefficients in the juice increased with increasing yeast concentration, and higher UV doses were necessary to inactivate bacterial strains. UV intensities of I = 3.00 ± 0.3 mW/cm2 and exposure times (t) between 0 and 10 min were applied; radiation doses (energy, E = I × t) ranging between 0 and 2 J/cm2 were measured using a UV digital radiometer. All the tested individual strains showed higher resistance to the treatment when UV radiation was applied at 4 °C in comparison to 20 °C. UV inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 individual strain was satisfactory fitted with a first order kinetic model. A linear relationship was found between UV absorptivities and D values (radiation doses required to decrease microbial population by 90%) for each strain. The dose required to reach 5-log reduction for the most unfavorable conditions that is the most UV resistant strain, and maximum background yeast concentration was 2.19 J/cm2 at 4 °C (corresponding to 11 min of UV treatment) and 2.09 J/cm2 at 20 °C (corresponding to 10.55 min of UV treatment). When a cocktail of strains was inoculated in orange juice, the logistic equation was the best model that fits the experimental results due to the deviation from the log-linear kinetics. The UV resistance between strain cocktail and single strain were mathematically compared. Slopes of the decline curves for strain cocktail at high UV doses were lower than the slopes of the log-linear equation calculated for the individual strains, even for the most resistant one. Therefore, microbial inactivation tests using a cocktail of strains are particularly important to determine the performance of the UV inactivation treatment.

UV inactivation of Adenovirus Type 4 measured by integrated cell culture qPCR

Recent changes to water quality regulations may increase the prevalence of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection in water treatment applications. Adenoviruses currently pose a tremendous challenge to UV disinfection due to the high dose requirements for inactivation. This study validates a strategy combining cell culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for direct quantification of infectious adenoviruses in disinfection studies. Using primary liver carcinoma cell monolayers grown in well trays or flasks, post-infection washing, and a 24-hr incubation period, the time and material requirements for the infectivity assays were reduced significantly in comparison to traditional assays based on cytopathogenic effects. With this integrated cell culture quantitative PCR (ICC-qPCR) strategy, a standard curve was used to quantify infectious adenoviruses and ultimately determine relative inactivation for a disinfection study. Using ICC-qPCR, UV doses of approximately 10, 34, 69, and 116 mJ/cm2 corresponded to 1, 2, 3, and 4-log inactivation of adenovirus 4 in water, respectively. The results indicate that the new ICC-qPCR strategy represents a practical alternative for the quantification of adenoviruses in disinfection studies.

Inactivation of indigenous coliform bacteria in unfiltered surface water by ultraviolet light

This study examined the potential for naturally occurring particles to protect indigenous coliform from ultraviolet (UV) disinfection in four surface waters. Tailing in the UV dose–response curve of the bacteria was observed in 3 of the 4 water samples after 1.3–2.6-log of log-linear inactivation, implying particle-related protection. The impact of particles was confirmed by comparing coliform UV inactivation data for parallel filtered (11μm pore-size nylon filters) and unfiltered surface water. In samples from the Grand River (UVT: 65%/cm; 5.4 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) and the Rideau Canal (UVT: 60%/cm; 0.84NTU), a limit of ∼2.5log inactivation was achieved in the unfiltered samples for a UV dose of 20mJ/cm2 while both the filtered samples exhibited >3.4-log inactivation of indigenous coliform bacteria. The results suggest that particles as small as 11μm, naturally found in surface water with low turbidity (<3NTU), are able to harbor indigenous coliform bacteria and offer protection from low-pressure UV light.