UV News Note: These UV news items have been gleaned from the Internet. The UV news are partially reproduced as found. AAW takes no responsibility for their
accuracy. The links to the full UV articles were active at the time of posting.
UV Articles 2009
October 9, 2009:
STOP TB NEWS
Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, World Health Organization
Stop TB Partnership highlighted at High-level Segment of UN Economic and
Social Council
The High-level Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council in Geneva in
July focused on improving global health. At a session called "Partnerships
in health–lessons from multi-stakeholder initiatives", Dr Marcos Espinal,
Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership, addressed delegates about
the Stop TB Partnership's achievements and the challenges it faces...
The Stop TB Partnership, called the Stop TB Initiative at the time of its
inception, was established in 1998. Its aim is to realize the goal of
eliminating TB as a public health problem and, ultimately, to obtain a world
free of TB. It comprises a network of international organizations,
countries, donors from the public and private sectors, governmental and
nongovernmental organizations and individuals that have expressed an
interest in working together to achieve this goal. It is housed by the World
Health Organization.
American Air & Water, Inc. is a Partner in Stop TB Partnership since
2007.
Visit the Stop TB Partnership website:
http://www.stoptb.org
October 6, 2009:
New Orono Wastewater Facility Uses UV Light
By Jessica Bloch, Bangor Daily News, Maine
...
Orono's Water Pollution Control Facility, which is now up and running, is a
state-of-the-art plant that Superintendent Paul Wintle feels will be a model
for other Maine communities.
"We'll be getting visitors, I'm sure, once the word gets around," said
Wintle, who led the Town Council's operations committee and Town Manager
Catherine Conlow on a tour Monday afternoon.
The facility cost about $15.2 million and took about 2 1/2 years to
complete. Olver Associates of Winterport was the environmental engineer for
the project.
The old facility had the capacity to process about 3.5 million gallons of
wastewater a day, Wintle said. The new plant can take on about 5.65 million
gallons. About 52 percent of the water handled there is from the University
of Maine campus, while the other 48 percent is town waste.
It's also better positioned for overflow during heavy rain, he added.
One of the landmark improvements has been the addition of a building in
which the wastewater is disinfected with ultraviolet light instead of the
standard chlorine bleach or other chemicals.
"It's a safer way of disinfecting," said Wintle, who is sure Orono's
facility is one of few in the state with the UV system.
"I think we're heads and shoulders above other communities of our size in
the state of Maine," Councilor Lianne Harris said.
September
28, 2009:
Calgon Carbon to Provide Ultraviolet Disinfection System to Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority
StreetInsider.com
Calgon Carbon Corporation has been selected by the Massachusetts Water
Resources Authority (MWRA) to provide an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection
system for the John Carroll Water Treatment Plant in Marlboro,
Massachusetts.
Twelve Sentinel Chevron 48 reactors (Chevron 48), scheduled to be delivered
in June 2012, will treat up to 450 million gallons of drinking water per
day. The Chevron 48, which is Calgon Carbon's highest flow unit in its
Sentinel product line, can treat up to 45 million gallons of water per day.
Earlier this year, the company was awarded a contract to supply 12 similar
reactors for the treatment of San Francisco's drinking water.
Commenting on this announcement, Jim Sullivan, Calgon Carbon's vice
president of UV technologies and business development said, "We are pleased
that the MWRA selected our Sentinel® design to meet Boston's disinfection
and compliance needs. The continued success of the Chevron 48 strengthens
our position in the growing, global drinking water disinfection market."
September
7, 2009:
Wisconsin School District Uses UV Light to Fight H1N1
Kstp.com/news by Becky Nahm
A school district in Wisconsin is utilizing light in its fight to prevent
the spread of the H1N1 virus and other contagious illnesses.
The Mequon-Thiensville School District, located near Milwaukee, owns a
mobile UV sanitizer.
The machine uses ultraviolet light to scan classrooms and zap flu germs
before they spread.
The district bought the UV sanitizer a couple of years ago and found it
worked well when H1N1 hit last spring.
The district superintendent, Dr. Demond Means, said, "We were able to really
focus attention on sanitizing classrooms quickly and efficiently with the
device."
The machine only takes about 12 minutes to clean and sanitize a room. It
costs about $3,000.
August 19, 2009:
Aquionics to unveil new UV systems at WEFTEC
WaterandWasteWater.com / By Damian Corbet / Source: Aquionics, Inc. - Halma
Group
Aquionics to unveil new UV systems
Erlanger, KY -- UV disinfection specialist Aquionics will be unveiling
two new product ranges at this year's WEFTEC Technical Exhibition &
Conference in Orlando, Florida (booth # 3821). The first is its new OpenLine
range of open channel UV treatment systems for the secondary wastewater
market, employing a new type of low pressure high output (LPHO) amalgam
lamps. The second is a new range of USEPA validated closed vessels, known as
the AF-3 Series, also employing LPHO lamps. In addition, the company will be
showing its validated, closed vessel medium pressure InLine+ UV system.
The OpenLine Series has been designed to treat secondary wastewater flows
over a wide range of flows and UV transmittances. Employing a new type of
LPHO amalgam lamp that possesses a more stable output over its operating
life, the OpenLine Series offers a neatly packaged solution that is
pre-engineered for wastewater applications.
The AF-3 Series also employs high efficiency LPHO amalgam lamps, the largest
of which has a maximum output of 500W, one of the largest ever deployed in a
UV system. By employing CFD models at the start of the design process, the
AF-3 Series is able to utilize the full benefit of the lamp output,
resulting in a high flow per kW system efficiency. Validation work in
accordance with the USEPA UV Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM) has been
completed.
The two new products compliment the highly successful InLine+ Series, which
is specially optimized to treat high volume drinking water, reuse and
wastewater flows and is validated in accordance with all major guidelines,
including the USEPA UVDGM, the AwwaRF/NWRI and the German DVGW standard for
drinking water.
“It’s exciting to see our product portfolio broaden,” says Aquionics
President, Bill Decker. “In launching these two new product lines we are
able to offer our customers a full portfolio of solutions to meet their
disinfection needs.”
A selection of Aquionics' other UV systems will also be on display,
including a transparent model showing the internal workings of a UV system,
such as the lamp wiper mechanism. Experts will be on hand at all times to
provide technical expertise and answer questions.
WEFTEC - 82nd Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and
Conference, October 10-14, 2009
August 13, 2009:
World’s first medium pressure, closed vessel UV systems to gain formal
approval for wastewater reuse
Environmental-expert.com / Source: Aquionics, Inc. - Halma Group
Berson's InLine+ medium pressure, closed vessel UV systems - validated for
wastewater reuse applications
Berson's InLine+ medium pressure, closed vessel UV systems are the first
in the world to gain formal approval for wastewater reuse applications.
Having undergone extensive third party testing by Carollo Engineers in the
USA, they have been formally approved for post-filtration and reverse
osmosis applications by the California Department of Public Health (Title-22
validation) and are now validated for wastewater reuse applications in
accordance with AwwaRF/NWRI* guidelines. Berson's UV systems are sold in
North America by its sister company Aquionics Inc.
Wastewater reuse has been practiced in various forms for decades, with the
USA leading the way in reuse research. It is now a major issue worldwide,
with large areas of western and southern USA experiencing chronic water
shortages. Large-scale reuse projects are now also being considered in other
water-poor regions of the world such as Australia, Singapore, China and
southern Europe.
The most common method of wastewater disinfection for reuse has long been
chlorination. Despite chlorine’s impressive track record, concerns regarding
disinfection by-products (DBPs) and, more recently, disinfection performance
with respect to pathogen inactivation, are driving the conversion from
chlorine disinfection to other disinfection methods such as UV, which does
not produce any significant DBPs.
Closed vessel UV systems are easy to install within existing pipework, so
there is minimal disruption to plant operation. Day to day operation is
simple and maintenance is minor. The only regular requirement is changing
the UV lamps and wiper rings once a year, a straightforward operation that
can be carried out by on-site personnel.
Potential applications for wastewater reuse are extremely wide-ranging and
include any instance where water is needed for non-potable use. The most
popular and widespread use is for agricultural irrigation and for other
irrigation applications such as golf courses, parks, fountains and lawns.
Reclaimed wastewater is also used for groundwater recharge applications such
as aquifer storage and recovery or preventing saltwater intrusion in coastal
aquifers. Other uses include toilet and urinal flushing, fire fighting,
foundation stabilization in the construction industry and artificial snow
generation. In all these applications, reused wastewater relieves the burden
on existing potable supplies.
“We are extremely pleased that we have achieved this important validation,'
commented Berson's Managing Director Andrew Clark. 'Our state-of-the-art
technology uses UV sensors to actually measure how the UV systems are
performing. This permits much greater control while saving energy,
especially when compared to the existing methods of applying crude safety
factors to systems that use high numbers of lamps or are unwiped.”
August 13, 2009:
UV disinfection systems receive additional validation
Fluidhandling.com.au
THE Berson InLine+ series of UV water disinfection systems is now fully
validated in accordance with the USEPA UV Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM).
Berson says that the validation certifies the use of the systems for the
Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) released by EPA
in November 2006, and their products are no longer subject to any
Cryptosporidium or Giardia patent fees for UV disinfection applications
worldwide.
The testing was conducted by Carollo Engineers at its Portland, Oregon
validation facility in the USA and covered a three-dimensional matrix of UV
transmittance, flow and reduction equivalent dose, using both T1 and MS-2
phage test surrogates. Dose delivery equations were derived for all reactors
that predict T1 and MS-2 RED as a function of flow, UV-T, UV sensor
readings, and microbe UV sensitivity.
Berson says it is only one of a few UV system suppliers capable of providing
a complete range of UV systems with capacities between 10 – 10,000 m³/hour,
certified to the newest DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association
for Gas and Water) norm, W294, Part 1, 2 & 3 – the highest standard
currently possible in the world.
August 11, 2009:
UV treatment of choice for Maine’s twin cities
WaterTechOnline.com
AUBURN, ME — The Auburn Water District is using stimulus funds to help
finance its new $7.7 million ultraviolet (UV) water treatment plant being
built on the banks of Lake Auburn, an August 10 Sun Journal story said.
Local, state and national officials were scheduled to take part in a
ceremonial groundbreaking on August 11 at the construction site.
John Storer of the Auburn Water District said that using UV disinfection
treatment appealed to the district because “it’s not another chemical we’re
putting into the water.”
Construction, which already has started, is scheduled to wrap up in 2010.
The facility will provide treated water to the cities of Auburn and
Lewiston, the story said.
July 29, 2009:
New UVCalc Module for UV light disinfection
Water and Wastewater.com
Charlottesville, VA -- Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc. today announced the
availability of the new CFdesign UVCalc Module, an industry-first Upfront
CFD solution for simulating and validating ultraviolet (UV) reactor
performance to ensure accurate fluence rates (irradiances) for UV light
disinfection. The use of germicidal UV light is a rapidly expanding
technology that is used to ensure public safety by deactivating the DNA of
bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, removing their ability to multiply
and cause disease.
With the new partnership of Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc. and Bolton
Photosciences, Inc., design engineers developing UV applications for
drinking water disinfection, wastewater treatment, and manufacturing
processes for the food and beverage, medical device, pharmaceutical, and
semiconductors industries (among others), can now easily leverage fluid flow
and UV calculation capabilities to speed up and optimize their product
development process.
The CFdesign UVCalc Module furthers the commitment of Blue Ridge Numerics to
empower engineers with CAD-driven simulation tools that optimize product
performance during the digital design phase. The ability to validate UV
reactor performance for biodosimetry testing, while still on the digital
drawing board, is the focus of CFdesign and the UVCalc Module. Exploration
of multiple design scenarios before building prototypes for physical testing
equates to significant cost and time savings.
The Synergy of CFdesign and UVCalc
For many years, CFdesign, the leading design tool for Upfront CFD, has
successfully been used to simulate the hydraulic performance through UV
reactors. To build on existing capabilities and address the current needs of
its customers, Blue Ridge Numerics realized the importance of a reliable
solution for predicting UV fluence rates in CFdesign.
The knowledge and experience needed came from a new partnership with Dr. Jim
Bolton, a recognized expert in the UV calculation field and developer of
UVCalc, a trusted and tested UV calculation tool currently in its 3rd
generation.
“As the use of UV light disinfection rapidly expands around the world,
especially in emerging countries like China and India where infrastructure
is aggressively being developed to support population demands, companies
will be looking for cost effective solutions to help more accurately design
their products,” said Ed Williams, CEO, Blue Ridge Numerics.
“Together CFdesign and UVCalc provide a holistic and accessible solution to
help design engineers in water treatment and manufacturing industries more
easily simulate and predict accurate reactor performance.”
How Does the CFdesign UVCalc Module Work?
Histogram shows the distribution of UV Dose using 200 flow partical traces
UVCalc, developed by Dr. Bolton, is a software program that allows an
engineer to map out the fluence rate or irradiance distribution in a UV
reactor. The combination of CFdesign and UVCalc together in the CFdesign
UVCalc Module allows engineers to simulate the UV fluence rate in
combination with the flow field, to ultimately predict the fluence or UV
dose delivered.
Predicting the UV dose is vital, but even more important is studying and
understanding the sensitivity of a reactor design with respect to changing
conditions, such as piping connections, water transmittance, and flow rate.
“Validating a UV reactor’s performance for biodosimetry testing through
digital “what if” scenarios helps significantly reduce the number of
physical prototypes that a company needs to build and ensures a more
accurate design upfront in the process,” said Dr. Jim Bolton, President,
Bolton Photosciences, Inc. “CFdesign provides an easy to use software
platform that addresses geometry and flow calculations at the design
engineering level. The combination of UVCalc and CFdesign creates a
synergistic design tool that provides the data and visualization needed to
quickly determine the optimum UV reactor performance.”
July 27, 2009:
French WWTP installs LIT open channel UV-system
EnvironmentalExpert.com
Recently O.E.I. France, distributor of LIT for the French market,
installed a LIT open channel UV system in the South of France close to the
Mediterranean Sea. The system is placed in the municipal Waste Water
Treatment Plant (WWTP) of the village of Canet-en-Roussillon with 10,182
inhabitants. The capacity of the WWTP however is based on the summer season
population of 66,000 inhabitants.
The LIT UV system is part of a classical urban WWTP water line. The design
of the plant was based on an hourly peak flow of 21,000 m³ per day and
treats on average 12,250 m³ per day. The municipal waste water is first
treated by an activated sludge system including a clarifying process. Just
before the discharge into the Têt River the effluent passes through the
UV-system. The river then runs for 2 more kilometers before it reaches and
flows into the Mediterranean Sea.
The installed LIT UV system consists out of 2 banks of 3 modules with twelve
350W lamps each. The lamps are submerged and placed parallel to the flow.
The entire UV system is installed outdoor. All electrical cabinets are built
in stainless steel, to withstand the Mediterranean climate conditions.
Because in summer the outside temperature can reach up to 40°C, the cabinets
are equipped with air conditioners. An Automatic Water Level Control System
(AWLCS) including a channel slide gate assures a constant water level in the
UV channel. Integrated monitoring and control of the water level is
essential for the performance of horizontal open channel UV systems. The
UV-sensor controls continuously the applied UV intensity. An Ethernet
connection with Scada system facilitates remote logging and control of the
entire UV system.
The installation of the LIT UV system in Canet-en-Roussillon assures the
water quality to comply with the stringent European Bathing water directive.
This compliance is an essential part of the annual review by the Foundation
for Environmental Education (FEE) and allows this popular touristic area to
wave the blue flag on their beaches. The blue flag is an indication for
sustainable development at beaches/marinas through strict criteria dealing
with water quality, environmental education and information, environmental
management, and safety and other services.
July 20, 2009: Gray Water Recycling Systems 2009 "SEED" Award Winner for
Water Conservation
ReuseGrayWater.com
Gray Water Filter Array and UV Disinfection System
The South Bay Business Environmental Coalition (SBBEC) has awarded their
2009 SEED Award for Water Conservation to Gray Water Recycling Systems, LLC.
The SEED Awards, SoCal Environmental Excellence Development, are given to
Southern California businesses that have exhibited excellence in helping
improve environmental sustainability and quality of life in the greater
South Bay Area of Los Angeles.
Gray Water Recycling Systems was selected for extraordinary work in the area
of Water Conservation and their significant and notable efforts to help
reduce environmental footprints.
Ed Begley, Jr., spokesperson for Gray Water Recycling Systems, accomplished
actor, avid long time environmentalist and star of the hit TV series Living
With Ed stated, "This is the first of many awards for GWRS. The systems
technology and operation is fantastic, it will have a huge impact on water
conservation. I applaud the SBBEC for their foresight in the recognition of
this urgently needed product."
The SBBEC is comprised of representatives from the private and public
sectors of the South Bay area of Los Angeles County who sought a forum in
1991 to express common concerns for environmental issues and regulations
impacting businesses and communities.
Gray Water Recycling Systems, LLC manufacturers gray water purification and
disinfection systems for single and multi family homes, resorts, hotels and
commercial use. Units capture water from shower, bath and laundry, then
purify, disinfect, store and deliver that water to be safely reused for
irrigation and other recycled water uses.
Full text: Gray
Water Recycling Systems 2009 "SEED" Award Winner for Water Conservation
July 17, 2009:
Aquatic Centre goes UV
Coastreporter.net by Brent Richter
Sechelt – The lap pool at the Sechelt Aquatic Centre will soon have some
ultra-cool technology to keep the pool ultra-clean without the current salty
taste.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) announced Tuesday, July 14 that
it would be installing an ultraviolet (UV) light disinfecting system this
fall.
The new system, which is currently used in the leisure pool and hot tub,
works by killing bacteria and viruses that live in the water and is
extremely effective when combined with small amounts of chlorine, according
the SCRD.
Bruce Bauman, area recreation manager for the SCRD, said there was several
reasons for switching to UV from the salt system currently used for the lap
pool, but its affordability and maintenance hassles with the salt system
were key.
“The commercial salt system parts are becoming increasingly difficult to get
a hold of and as a matter of fact, in some cases, are impossible to find,”
he said.
Bauman said the SCRD is still finalizing the cost of installing the UV
system, but the operating costs would be substantially lower. The SCRD has
also applied for grant funding from the federal government that would cover
one third of the total cost. The grant application is in the approval
process now.
Public pools in B.C. must maintain a level of chlorine as disinfectant in
the water, but the UV system will give the pool a fresh water feel to it,
Bauman said.
“The UV system will allow us to keep the chlorine levels at an absolute
minimum. It’s the same system that’s presently used in many drinking water
systems,” he said.
The system is set to be installed during the annual two-week maintenance
shut down of the pool from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7 and when it reopens, the pool
will lose its distinctive salty taste.
“Really the only experience that [people] are going to find different is
that the pool is not going to taste like the Georgia Strait,” Bauman said.
July 13, 2009:
CA community turns to UV for wastewater disinfection
WaterTechOnline.com
AUBURN, CA — To meet regional water quality standards, the Auburn
wastewater treatment plant is getting an upgrade that includes the
installation of an ultraviolet disinfection system, a July 13 AuburnJournal
story reported.
The new system will replace the plant’s current chlorine disinfection
system, used to treat the water before it drains into a creek near Ophir.
According to Bernie Schroeder of the local public works agency, the
community is getting a deal on the system. It was originally priced at $10
million, but due to the struggling construction climate, the system’s price
has dropped by $2 million.
Schroeder said residents can expect that their monthly sewer rate, which is
about $55, will stay the same, the story said. Construction is expected to
begin in September.
July 10, 2009:
Cutting pool chlorine
TheStar.co.uk
A MODERN cleaning system has been brought in to cut the amount of
chlorine in the pool at the Doncaster Dome leisure centre. Managers say the
ultraviolet cleaner will make the pool one of the cleanest in the country.
It cleans almost a million litres of water every 90 minutes meaning the
amount of chlorine needed is halved - making the pool more accessible for
people who suffer from allergies and skin conditions resulting from exposure
to chlorine and similar chemicals found in swimming pools.
The new system is more energy efficient. Terry Parker, head of facilities at
The Dome, said: "The new UV system is already proving to be a success. We
are using less chlorine now and so the Lagoons smell much fresher, and that
has been noticed by both staff and customers. It also means the water is
even more accessible to children and adults who may suffer from skin
conditions."
The £32,000 unit is the latest improvement made at The Dome this year.
July 8, 2009:
Anglian Water choose UV as solution to Cryptosporidium
Approvedbusiness.co.uk
atg UV disinfection system - effective against Cryptosporidium
In June 2008, a rabbit got into the wash water tank at the Pitsford
Drinking Water Plant of Anglian Water, leading to contamination of the
treatment works with Cryptosporidum, a chlorine resistant parasitic
micro-organism.
The parasite was detected on June 24 and, following consultation with health
and local authorities, a notice to boil drinking water was issued for more
than 100,000 households and 250,000 people served by the plant. About
500,000 litres of bottled water were also distributed.
A decision to install UV led to seven systems – including two validated UV
systems from atg UV Technology – being installed by the end of the weekend
following the initial discovery. A week later, all water being produced was
free from Cryptosporidium.
The UV systems are automatically wiped and lamp output is monitored using a
specifically designed UV monitor camera. The power of the UV lamp is
adjusted automatically to ensure the correct UV dose is delivered to the
water. The units are capable of being controlled locally or remotely by
SCADA. The system adjusts automatically for lamp ageing and changes in the
transmittance of the water to deliver a constant UV dose.
The units were installed in line into a 24-inch main. The design avoids
bends that would be detrimental to system performance. Lamps can be changed
online and the automatic wipers maintain the optical path, ensuring optimum
performance, protecting Anglian Water from future Cryptosporidium outbreaks.
June 24, 2009:
Aquionics InLine+ Closed Vessel UV Disinfection Systems Get UVDGM Validation
For Drinking Water Use
Wateronline.com
Aquionics' InLine+ medium pressure ultraviolet system
Aquionics' InLine+ series of UV water disinfection systems are now fully
validated in accordance with the USEPA UV Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM).
The validation certifies the use of the systems for the Long Term 2 Enhanced
Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR) released by EPA in November 2006.
The testing was conducted by Carollo Engineers at its Portland, Oregon
validation facility and covered a three-dimensional matrix of UV
transmittance, flow and reduction equivalent dose, using both T1 and MS-2
phage test surrogates. Dose delivery equations were derived for all reactors
that predict T1 and MS-2 RED as a function of flow, UV-T, UV sensor
readings, and microbe UV sensitivity.
"We are delighted to have achieved this important validation as it confirms
our position at the forefront of UV disinfection technology," comments
Aquionics President Bill Decker. "From the time we supplied some of the very
first UV drinking water disinfection units in the USA in 1987, we have been
actively involved in providing communities with safe, reliable UV
disinfection for drinking water and this latest validation continues our
long tradition of investing in the industry. We are proud to be able to
offer communities the choice of using our state-of-the-art UV disinfection
systems, knowing that they meet the very latest and most stringent drinking
water standards. I would also like to add that Aquionics products are no
longer subject to any Cryptosporidium or Giardia Patent fees for UV
disinfection applications worldwide."
Aquionics is part of the Fluid Technology Division of Halma p.l.c. (www.halma.com).
Along with fellow Halma companies Hanovia Limited in the United Kingdom and
Berson UV-techniek in the Netherlands, Aquionics is the world leader in
closed vessel UV technology for progressive, non-chemical disinfection and
microbiological control. The company's UV systems are used in a wide variety
of applications including municipal water and wastewater treatment, high
purity water treatment in the pharmaceutical, electronics and power
generation industries, and also food and beverage processing, brewing,
winemaking and aquaculture.
June 24, 2009:
Safety retrofit nearly complete for Cupertino civic center fountain
MercuryNews.com by Matt Wilson
The dormant civic center fountains outside Cupertino Community Hall and
library could be splashing again in late July.
Installation of an ultraviolet lighting system to ward off potential
parasites is scheduled to wrap up next month, according city officials.
The fountains have been mostly inactive since early 2008, after the Santa
Clara County Public Health Department tested them for presence of a parasite
called cryptosporidium that effects the intestinal tract and shut down the
water display as a precautionary measure. The parasite is common in
interactive water fountains.
While there was no evidence of the parasite, county officials concluded that
all fountains that allow direct human and animal contact must be modified to
treat the water with ultraviolet light to kill any potential parasites.
In December, the city council awarded a contract to Pacific Water Art Inc.
to retrofit the fountains with the ultraviolet system. Ralph Qualls,
director of public works, said that work is wrapping up on the fountains
with the goal of turning the water back on sometime in late July.
City staff declined to elaborate further until the city council in July
reviews a staff report on the progress and prognosis of the fountain
retrofit and how it correlates with county regulations.
The rows of fountains, which shoot jets of water up a few feet from the
ground, are a popular play area for children on hot summer days and after
visits to the library.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, cryptosporidiosis is a
diarrheal disease that can cause severe intestinal tract distress.
The parasite is protected by a hard outer shell that allows it to survive
outside the body for extended periods. The disease is usually spread through
ingesting recreational water tainted with feces, usually from animals or
children's diapers. The hard outer shell makes the parasite resistant to
typical chlorine treatment, thus the need for the UV treatment system.
June 3, 2009:
BIO-UV to equip city of Geneva
Eurospapoolnews.com
A BIO-UV installation - medium pressure ultraviolet system
Following an assessment, BIO-UV has been selected to provide all public
swimming pools (a total of 7 establishments) managed by Geneva in
Switzerland with equipment containing medium-pressure lamps.
Benoît Gilmann, CEO of BIO-UV, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen
by the city of Geneva. With over 1,000 pools already equipped in Europe, of
which 500 are in France, dechloramination by UV light is by far the most
commonly used technique and is also to the complete satisfaction of the
swimmers, staff and management of these establishments.”
The scientific research over the last 5 years, the French and international
publications and the analysis campaign initiated by the French Ministry of
Health and the DASS have all shown that, when using UV lamps,
medium-pressure lamps have the most conclusive results on the reduction of
trichloramines. These latter are a component of combined chlorine and one of
the most harmful by-products to the health of swimmers and staff as well as
a source of numerous public health problems.
Furthermore, it is now well recognised and proven that, when properly
installed, UV lamps do not generate any additional by-products such as THM,
and this includes medium-pressure lamps.
June 1, 2009: Advanced
Biotechnologies, Inc. (ABI) Adds UV-Inactivated Purified Whole Virus Product
to Aid in Research of Human Influenza
PR.com
ABI adds (H2N2) Purified Whole Virus, UV-Inactivated for use in H2N2
subtype-specific protein-based testing. Catalog # 10-126-000
Columbia, MD --(PR.com)-- Human Influenza A/2/Japan/305/57 (H2N2) Purified
Whole Virus, UV-Inactivated was completely inactivated by ultraviolet light
irradiation. The inactivation was validated by cell culture based assay and
had no effect on the hemagglutinin titer by hemagglutination assay (HA) and
retained viral morphology by TEM. The inactivated, purified human influenza
A virus will be useful for any H2N2 subtype-specific protein-based testing.
Catalog # 10-276-000
Advanced Biotechnologies Inc. (ABI) www.abionline.com is a privately held
biotechnology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and
supply of critical products and services for the research and monitoring of
infectious disease. ABI has been a integral partner for over 27 years to
various Pharmaceutical, Laboratories, Diagnostic, and Research companies by
using unparalleled manufacturing techniques to produce
large-scale in vitro virology products and services.
For more information on other inactivated
Influenza A virus subtypes (H1N1, H3N2)
Contact Alicia Heazlitt
phone: 800-426-0764
May 24, 2009: Plan
to clean water with UV light wins business plan competition
DailyDemocrat.com
A plan for cleaning wastewater with ultraviolet light won the $15,000
first prize in the annual Big Bang! Business Plan Competition at the UC
Davis.
The funding will help the students complete a prototype of the novel
technology, which will be tested first at UCD' wastewater treatment
facility. The system has the potential to replace chlorine as a disinfectant
in swimming pools and hot tubs.
"This was the toughest deliberation in the history of this competition,"
said Roger Akers, a Sacramento venture capitalist who estimates that he has
evaluated some 10,000 business plans in his 30-year career. Akers was one of
seven volunteer judges who determined the top Big Bang! winners.
The Big Bang! competition, founded in 2000 by students at the UCD Graduate
School of Management, has become one of the best-known business plan
competitions on the West Coast.
Akers Capital and DFJ Frontier were among the 16 Northern California venture
capital firms, law practices and major firms that provided the prize money,
coaching and volunteer judges for this year's Big Bang!
MBA students run the competition without any financial support from the
university. This year's student co-chairs were Julia Barg and Adelina Ratner.
UltraV, the winning business concept, relies on technology developed by
Bassam Younis, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UCD. To
bring his technology to market, Younis relied on the UCD Energy Efficiency
Center to connect him with students in engineering and management. Those
connections led to UltraV.
Elisabetta Lambertini, a Ph.D. student in engineering with a background in
business, is chief technology officer of the incipient startup. MBA
candidates Mananya Chansanchai, Yong Kim and James Bui are vice president of
development, chief financial officer and vice president of sales and
marketing, respectively.
According to Chansanchai, 75 percent of wastewater treatment plants around
the country still disinfect water with chlorine, a toxic chemical that is
dangerous to transport and store. The other 25 percent have adopted UV
disinfection systems, but these systems use mercury lamps in direct contact
with water. Because of their toxicity, mercury lamps are expensive to
dispose of. Direct contact with water is another drawback, because the lamps
become covered with algae and require frequent cleaning.
Younis' design uses xenon lamps that do not come into contact with water.
Instead, the lamps pulse UV light at water as it circulates through an
enclosed cylinder.
UltraV has an agreement to test the technology at the UCD wastewater
treatment facility, which currently uses a mercury lamp UV disinfection
system. The test will allow direct comparisons of the xenon and mercury
systems.
The students applied for a $150,000 grant from the California Energy
Commission to complete a prototype for the campus test. They also filed an
application for a patent.
"This is an amazing opportunity," Chansanchai said after her team won the
$15,000 Big Bang! prize. "We think we have a product that will make the
world cleaner and healthier for our children."
May 14, 2009:
Construction begins on high tech water plant
San Francisco Examiner
By: Juliana Bunim
Mayor Gavin Newsom broke ground Thursday on what will be the largest
ultraviolet water treatment plant in California. Using state-of-the-art UV
disinfection technology, the $112 million Tesla Treatment Facility will
treat water from the Hetch Hetchy system. It will also create hundreds of
thousands of jobs for building and construction workers in San Joaquin and
Stanislaus counties.
“Today we break ground on more than just an innovative major new water
treatment plant,” said Mayor Newsom. “Today we begin a new partnership
between the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley that will
bring the latest technologies to protect our water supplies and create
thousands of good jobs in San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties at a time when
they’re urgently needed.”
The new facility is slated for completion in 2011.
The plant is one of 85 projects within the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission’s Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace and
retrofit aging pipelines, tunnels, reservoirs and other water-delivery
facilities. Overall, these projects will generate about 28,000 jobs
throughout the greater Bay Area and the Central Valley in the next five
years.
May 5, 2009:
Crystal IS and Sanan Optoelectronics Announce Joint Development of
Commercial UV-C LEDs
BusinessWire.com
GREEN ISLAND, NY - Crystal IS, Inc., the world’s leading developer of
ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-C LEDs) and Sanan Optoelectronics Co.
Ltd., the largest manufacturer of full color LEDs in the People’s Republic
of China, today announced they had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The MOU defines a joint development program, whose goal is to establish
pilot manufacturing of LEDs operating in the UV-C part of the
electromagnetic spectrum. During the term of this MOU, both parties intend
to negotiate a long term business agreement covering high volume
manufacturing, marketing and sales.
“Working with an experienced and dynamic company like Sanan Optoelectronics
will significantly speed up the market introduction of UV-C LEDs,” said
Crystal IS CEO Steven Berger. “Leveraging Sanan Optoelectonrics’ unique
expertise in processing and packaging will allow us to focus on making the
precision substrates required for efficient UV-C LEDs”
“The opportunity to partner with Crystal IS on a new LED technology will
help Sanan Optoelectronics maintain its leadership position for the future,”
said Sanan Optoelectronics CEO Simon Lin. “We expect downstream integrators
of UV-based products will welcome an established supply train for this new
product.
The developed UV-C LEDs will operate at the optimal germicidal wavelength,
and are ideal for use in water and air sterilization products. Initial
applications will include portable and residential point-of-use systems such
as cleantech alternatives to bottled water and in-home counter-top systems.
The technology roadmap also includes industrial and municipal applications,
where long-lasting, energy-efficient LEDs are ideal replacements for
existing mercury-based light sources.
April 21, 2009:
Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia supply UV reactors to drinking water plants
Filtration + Separation filtsep.com
Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia have supplied AQUARAY® UV reactors to
two drinking water plants in Paris - the largest drinking water UV contract
in Europe
Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia will equip the ozone drinking water treatment
plants in Joinville and Orly, Paris with AQUARAY® H20 UV reactors, bringing
them to full compliance with new regulations on pathogens and bromate
restrictions and with a capacity to treat 2 x 300 000 m³/day of drinking
water.
The UV reactors will act as a barrier in the disinfection process against
pathogenic microorganisms like viruses, bacteria and parasites, and are
particularly effective for chlorine-resistant microorganisms such as
Cryptosporidium and Giardia, even at low doses.
The AQUARAY® H20 UV water disinfection reactors (20" Mono and 20" Duplex)
are certified by the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and
Water (DVGW) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and guarantee
consistent compliance with the prescribed amount of 40mJ/cm² defined in
conjunction with the Paris Water Management company. UV treatment solutions
must also be approved by the French Ministry of Health when used in France
to prevent parasitic risks. Currently, Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia is the
only manufacturer to have obtained this approval.
April 16, 2009: S. Oregon pool to go
chlorine-free
KDRV.com by Tove Tupper
MEDFORD, Ore. - A Southern Oregon pool is the first in the area to
install a new UV water purification system.
The Rogue Valley Family YMCA pool will no longer use chlorine.
"Chlorine is good, salin is better, and UV is best," says Rogue Valley
Family YMCA Facility Director Robert Horton.
With the new system, water passes through a 2,500 UV watt light, designed to
kill 99.9 percent of all germs, bacteria, and living organisms. It will stop
itchy eyes and skin, and swimmers won't even need goggles.
Though the system cost $35,000 to install, the YMCA says it will save money
in the long run.
"We can now save on day-to-day basic money, because we're not having to
spend so much on chlorine and other chemicals," says Rogue Valley Family
YMCA Executive Director Brad Russell.
It is also more environmentally friendly, and the UV treated water will help
keep bathing suits last longer.
The World Health Organization says this water is almost clean enough to
drink.
March 30, 2009:
Council awards bid for UV filter
BandonWesternWorld.com
The Bandon City Council has awarded a bid for providing an ultraviolet
disinfection system for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
At the council’s March meeting, the bid was awarded to Spectral Innovations
Ltd., in the amount of $183,105.
The project involves upgrading the disinfection system at the wastewater
treatment plant to comply with the Department of Environmental Quality
discharge permit requirements, according to City Manager Matt Winkel.
In June 2007, the city entered into a Mutual Agreement and Order with DEQ,
under which the city was to install the UV system by May 2009. The city bid
the equipment purchase and received two bids, and awarded the bid to UV
Doctor Systems LLC, the low bidder. However, after six months the company
could not provide the required bonding, so its bid was rejected, Winkel
explained.
The city subsequently re-bid the equipment, and received two bids from
Siemens and Aquaionics. However, both bids were determined to be
non-responsive, since the city’s existing UV channels are not a standard
width (the original provider has since gone out of business), and neither
manufacturer was willing to customize its system.
“City staff and the city engineer have been working with Spectral
Innovations Ltd., who are willing to make a custom unit, the price of which
is less than the previous low bid,” Winkel said. Since the installation will
be done by an electrical contractor, and must be done during low flow
periods (August to September), part of the cost for the $268,605 project
will be paid this fiscal year, with the remaining funds included in next
fiscal year’s budget, Winkel said.
The city has been granted an extension by DEQ, since additional efforts by
the wastewater plant crew have resulted in the plant meeting its discharge
requirements.
March 17, 2009:
Ultraviolet light could beat hospital TB
Telegraph.co.uk
Installing ultraviolet lights in hospital wards and waiting rooms could
stop tuberculosis spreading, a study shows.
Ultraviolet light could help beat TB on wards in hospitals, say scientists
Photo: MARTIN POPE
The rays damage the bacteria's DNA so they cannot infect people, grow
or divide and are already used in ambulances and operating theatres as a
disinfectant.
Researchers found 35 per cent of guinea pigs given air straight from a
ward of 69 TB patients became infected themselves - compared to 9.5 per cent
of animals that breathed in the same oxygen that was first exposed to UV
radiation.
They say TB bacteria - including drug-resistant strains - can be killed
by hanging a shielded UV light from the ceiling with a fan to mix the air.
Dr Rod Escombe, of Imperial College London, said: "When people are crowded
together in a hospital waiting room, it may take just one cough to infect
several vulnerable patients.
"Our previous research showed that opening windows in a room is a simple way
to reduce the risk of tuberculosis transmission, but this is
climate-dependent - you can't open the windows in the intensive care ward of
a Siberian hospital for example."
The rate of TB infection in the UK and other western countries is relatively
low and people who are infected can be treated using antibiotics.
But people are more likely to die from the disease in developing countries
like Peru because there are limited resources for isolating patients,
diagnosing them quickly and starting effective treatment.
Dr Escombe, whose findings are published in PLoS (Public Library of Science)
Medicine, said: "Also, the prevalence of drug-resistant TB is much higher in
the developing world. Preventing infection is much easier and cheaper than
treating a patient with tuberculosis."
Plans are already underway to install upper room UV lights in the chest
clinic at St Mary's Hospital, London, which will be the first hospital to
have them in the UK.
Dr Cath Noakes, of the University of Leeds' Faculty of Engineering, said:
"The lights must be set high enough to ensure patients and health workers
are not overexposed, but if the lights only treat air at that level, there
will be little benefit.
"To be most effective, ventilation systems need to create a constant flow of
treated air down to patient level, and potentially infected air up towards
the lights."
February
24, 2009:
High Growth Reported for the UV LED Market
Reportlinker.com
UV LEDs challenge the traditional $500M UV lamp business
UV business is a market of about $500 million with traditional UV lamp
technology. Thanks to its compactness, lower cost of ownership and
environmental friendly composition, it is expected that UV LED will replace
traditional lamps and also will open the door to many new applications,
especially portable ones.
In 2008, LEDs in the UV A/B spectrum were the dominant device in the
sub-400nm applications. More than 90% of the UV LED market (outside of R&D)
was covered by UV curing, counterfeit detection, medical and instrumentation
applications requiring UV A/B sources. The remaining 10% was allocated to
Air & Water purification with again a great portion of UV A-based LED source
for photocatalytic air purification.
UVA LEDs dominate today but UVC LEDs will lead the market tomorrow
Key applications for UVA are UV curing, document/banknote verification,
photocatalyst air purifier, medical phototherapy. Among those, the most
dynamic and important UVA lamp market is the UV curing business where UV LED
can definitely compete with traditional mercury lamps:
Market size is big ($120M) and with growth of about +10 % due to the
advantage of UV curing technology over traditional technology (speed, green
coating).
Many new players have emerged over the past 5 years at the system and LED
packaging level
The power output available has greatly increased and several Watts/cm² will
be available in 2009-2010.
There were high hopes about UVC applications (disinfection, purification
market) two years ago but real applications are still missing due to
significant technical and economic challenges for UV LEDs: power output,
efficiency, lifetime and cost. Hence UVC players are now focusing on UVA
The first UVC LED applications are mostly for scientific analytical
instruments. It is expected that the first large-scale sales for the
disinfection market will appear in 2010 on existing markets and also new
Point of Use or portable applications where compactness is a key issue.
Growth of the UVC market is strongly connected to the availability of AlN
bulk substrates that could theoretically multiply by 100 the LED chip
optical power output. Several players expect to provide AlN wafers in volume
at the end of 2009. Hence, time to market for UVC applications based on AlN
would probably be in 2011-2012.
We also observe a strong trend where AlN companies are now extending their
activities to UV LEDs to capture more added-value along the supply-chain.
According to the high potential UVA LED business in UV curing, augmented by
the growing market demand in water & air disinfection, we forecast a
cumulated $250M UV LED market in 2015.
February
18, 2009:
Herschel Bathed In UV To Ensure Cleanliness
SatNews.com
The
Herschel space telescope has completed what could be called the "blue phase"
of its pre-launch preparations for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission, with
the spacecraft's mirror inspected for cleanliness using ultraviolet light.
This activity, which is part of verifications to ensure the
3.5-meter-diameter mirror is free of particles after it was cleaned earlier
this month, occurred in the S1B facility at Europe's Spaceport, where
Herschel is being readied for an April 16 liftoff from French Guiana. As the
largest space telescope of its kind ever built, Herschel will investigate
how stars and galaxies are formed, as well as provide information on how
they continue to evolve. Its large mirror was built by joining 12 pieces
into one single element, which was ground, lapped and polished to the
correct shape — and then coated with a reflective aluminum layer.
Herschel is part of the European Space Agency's space science program, and
it will be launched by the next Ariane 5 with another of the agency's
spacecraft — Planck, which will observe the Cosmic Microwave Background to
provide new data on how the universe began. The Herschel spacecraft arrived
at the Spaceport in early February, and is to be joined by Planck, which is
en-route for a landing this evening (February 18) at the country's
Rochambeau International Airport near the capital city of Cayenne. Ariane
5's April 16 flight will deploy Herschel and Planck into very elliptical
orbits, enabling both spacecraft to follow transfer trajectories for their
voyage to the second Lagrange point (L2) of the Sun-Earth system.
January
28, 2009:
Bottle disinfection — without the byproducts
WaterTechOnline.com Volume 32, Issue 1 By Marc J. Scanlon
UV can be used for primary disinfection, or as a backup for other
methods.
Until now ozone disinfection has been a popular method of disinfecting
bottled water. While ozone has a number of advantages, it is coming under
increasing scrutiny because of concerns about disinfection byproducts —
particularly bromate, a suspected carcinogen — which can form as a result of
the ozonation process.
Bromide ions occur naturally in many spring waters and are completely
harmless. However, if their levels are high, ozone can facilitate their
conversion into bromate.
An alternative method gaining acceptance across the whole spectrum of food
and beverage industries is ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. UV kills all known
spoilage microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, yeasts and molds (and
their spores) without producing any undesirable disinfection byproducts. It
is a low-maintenance, environmentally friendly technology which eliminates
the need for chemical treatment while ensuring very high levels of
disinfection.
How UV disinfection works
UV is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum between visible light and
X-rays. The specific portion of the UV spectrum between 185 and 400
nanometers (nm), also known as UV-C, has a strong germicidal effect, with
peak effectiveness at 265 nm. At these wavelengths UV kills microorganisms
by penetrating their cell membranes and destroying the DNA, making them
unable to reproduce and effectively killing them.
A typical UV disinfection system consists of a UV lamp housed in a
protective quartz sleeve which is mounted within a cylindrical stainless
steel chamber. The water to be treated enters at one end and passes along
the entire length of the chamber before exiting at the other end. Liquids
that can be effectively treated with UV include spring, surface or municipal
water; filtered process water; and clear viscous sugar syrups and effluent.
Feed liquids for UV should be sufficiently low in dissolved or suspended
particles that they allow effective penetration of the UV light.
There are two main types of UV technology, based on the type of UV lamps
used: low pressure and medium pressure. Low-pressure lamps have a
monochromatic UV output (limited to a single wavelength at 254 nm), whereas
medium-pressure lamps have a polychromatic UV output (with an output between
185 and 400 nm).
Generally speaking, low-pressure systems are best suited for small,
intermittent flow applications, while medium-pressure technology is better
suited to higher flow rates.
UV disinfection’s advantages over alternative methods include the fact that,
unlike chemical biocides, UV does not introduce toxins, residues or
byproducts into the process and does not alter the taste, odor or pH of the
water.
UV treatment can be used for primary water disinfection or as a backup for
other water purification methods such as carbon filtration, reverse osmosis
or pasteurization.
As UV has no residual effect, its best position in a treatment system is
immediately prior to the point of use. This ensures that incoming
microbiological contaminants are destroyed and there will be a minimal
chance of post-treatment contamination.
UV on a bottling line
Incoming water supplies: Although natural springs and municipal water
supplies are normally free from harmful or pathogenic microorganisms, this
should not be assumed. Surface water from wells, rivers or lakes —
particularly in livestock farming areas — can be contaminated and should be
disinfected.
CIP (Clean-in-Place) rinse water: It is essential that the CIP final rinse
water used to flush out foreign matter and disinfecting solutions be
microbiologically safe. Fully automated UV disinfection systems can be
integrated with CIP rinse cycles to ensure final rinse water does not
reintroduce microbiological contaminants. Medium-pressure lamps are ideal
for this application because of their mechanical strength, meaning they are
not affected by any sudden changes in the temperature of the CIP water, such
as when hot (80 degree C, or 176 F) liquid is instantly followed by cold (10
degrees C, or 50 F).
Filter disinfection: Stored reverse osmosis (RO) and granular activated
carbon (GAC) filtrate can be a breeding ground for bacteria. UV is an
effective way of disinfecting both stored RO and GAC filtered water and has
been used in the process industries for many years.
Dechlorination: GAC filters are also often used to dechlorinate process
water, removing the “off” flavors often associated with chlorine
disinfection. Placing UV systems ahead of GAC filters used for
dechlorination improves the performance of the filters (by reducing filter
biofouling), resulting in longer carbon runs and lower operating costs.
Other plant UV applications
Surface disinfection systems are used to reduce microbial counts on all
kinds of packaging, including glass and plastic bottles, cans, lids and
foils. By irradiating the surfaces with UV prior to filling, spoilage
organisms are eliminated, extending the shelf life of the product and
reducing the risk of contamination.
Sugar syrups used as flavorings can be a prime breeding ground for
microorganisms. Although syrups with a very high sugar content do not
support microbial growth, any dormant spores may become active after the
syrup has been diluted. Treating the syrup and dilution water with UV prior
to use will ensure any dormant microorganisms are deactivated.
Tank head space disinfection: UV systems can be used to disinfect
displacement air for pressuring tanks or pipelines holding perishable
fluids. Storage tanks are particularly susceptible to bacterial colonization
and contamination by airborne spores. To prevent this, immersible UV
treatment systems have been designed to fit in the tank head air space and
disinfect the air present.
Simple to maintain
Meeting the increasingly rigorous hygiene standards required in the
production of bottled water is becoming more of a challenge, particularly
with growing concerns about byproducts such as bromate. Customers are also
demanding a product that has not been treated with chemicals.
For those producers seeking to improve the quality of the end product, UV is
an economic, realistic option. It is a well-established method of
disinfecting drinking water throughout the world and is widely used for
high-purity applications such as pharmaceutical processing and semiconductor
manufacturing, where water of the highest quality is required.
UV disinfection systems are easy to install, with minimum disruption to the
plant. They need very little maintenance, the only requirement being
replacement of the UV lamps every 8,000 hours, depending on use. This is a
simple operation that takes only a few minutes and can be carried out by the
general maintenance staff.
January
14, 2009:
WaterHealth Lands $10M for UV Water Purification
Greentechmedia.com
The Series D funding will help the Irvine, Calif.-based company expand
sales of its combination filtration and ultraviolet light water purification
technology. Water purification is a growing business both in developed
countries and the third world.
WaterHealth International Inc., has a deal for poor rural villages around
the world – we'll help you borrow money to buy our water purification
systems, and then we'll stick around to make sure they're run properly.
The Irvine, Calif.-based company announced this week it has raised $10
million in a series D round led by previous investors Dow Venture Capital
and SAIL Venture Partners.
That brings total investment for WaterHealth to about $26 million, CEO
Tralance Addy said Wednesday. The company hopes to raise another $10 million
by March.
WaterHealth is among a number of companies, from startups to giants like
Bechtel Corp., General Electric and Siemens, that are focusing on the
looming worldwide water crisis.
An estimated 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking
water, and the United Nations has warned that population growth and water
depletion could lead to water shortages for 2.7 billion people by 2030.
January
8, 2009:
Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia launches powerful ultraviolet reactor for
drinking water treatment
Environmentalexpert.com
Degrémont Technologies-Ozonia won a big success, at the Pollutec
exhibition in France, with the presentation of its last UV reactor: AQUARAY®
H2O 36’’.
AQUARAY® UV disinfection systems offer the better compromise between the
higher efficiency and the smaller footprint with low or medium pressure UV
reactors.
To answer to the market demands for very large drinking water plants,
Degrémont Technologies- Ozonia introduces AQUARAY® H20 36’’(DN900), a
powerful UV reactor with an up to 7 000 m3/h capacity, environmentally safe
and recognized as effective for a wide range of bacteria, viruses and
parasites like Cryptosporidium Parvum or Giardia Lamblia.
The AQUARAY® H2O 36’’ inline cross flow reactor uses 10 high density medium
pressure lamps to offer compact footprint and easy integration on new or
existent water treatment lines.
Engineered with the advanced CFD (Computerized Fluid Modelling) software to
determine optimum lamp spacing and optimize its efficiency, the system
provides consistent and reliable disinfection.
UV treatment allows maintaining high quality standards of the water
delivered, reduces the risk of waterborne diseases and complies with new
regulations of pathogens and bromate limits:
• The AQUARAY® H2O reactors are used as a final barrier to disinfect water
by inactivating pathogenic microorganisms like viruses, bacteria and
parasites. UV lights are particularly effective for chlorine resistant
microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, even at low doses.
• UV treatment allows respecting the new maximal limit of bromate
concentrations lowed to 10 μg/l (against 25 μg/l) from 25 December 2008.
In addition, the AQUARAY® H20 is under the process of being validated for
the disinfection of drinking water and for the inactivation of
Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
By anticipating municipal needs with a powerful and environmentally safe UV
reactor, Degrémont Technologies–Ozonia secures its leadership position and
confirms the advanced technologies of its solutions.
January
6, 2009:
Calgon Carbon Awarded San Francisco UV Contract
PRNewswire
Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE: CCC) announced today that it has been
awarded a contract by PCL Civil Constructors, Inc. to supply Sentinel(R) UV
Disinfection Systems (UV systems) at the City of San Francisco's Tesla
Portal drinking water plant. The contract is valued at $5.0 million.
Twelve Sentinel(R) Chevron 48 reactors (Chevron 48), scheduled to be
installed beginning in early 2010, will treat up to 320 million gallons of
drinking water per day. The Chevron 48, which is Calgon Carbon's latest
addition to its Sentinel(R) product line, can treat up to 45 million gallons
of water per day. The company's ongoing product advancements support San
Francisco's goal to provide safe drinking water to its customers and to
comply with federal regulations for the control of Cryptosporidium, Giardia,
and other waterborne organisms.
Earlier in 2008, the company was awarded contracts to supply a total of 14
Sentinel(R) UV Disinfection Systems for Singapore's Johor River Water
Treatment Works and Indianapolis' White River Facility. When installation of
those systems is complete, they will have the capability of treating more
than 350 million gallons of drinking water per day.
Commenting on this announcement, Jim Sullivan, Calgon Carbon's vice
president of UV Technologies said, "We are pleased that the City of San
Francisco selected our newest Sentinel(R) design to meet their disinfection
needs. The commercialization of the Chevron 48 exemplifies our successful
product development efforts in UV technology as well as our strong position
in the growing, drinking water disinfection market worldwide."
December
12,
2008: Sharper
Image Making A Comeback At CES
CRN.com ChannelWeb, by Andrew R Hickey
Sharper Image, the struggling consumer electronics retailer that met its
demise after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February (2008),
is planning a comeback at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas
next month.
In an e-mail sent to CES attendees on Friday, Sharper Image said it will
launch more than 20 new products that will be available in a "wide range of
retail stores in 2009."
"Please join us for the much-anticipated launch of the 'New Era of Sharper
Image,'" the e-mail stated.
"Our all new electronics line brings back to the marketplace the best things
that the Sharper Image brand represents - innovation, premium performance
and unique designs," the e-mail continued. "We'll be relaunching with a
range of wireless audio, bedside audio, portable audio and speaker systems
products. "
Earlier this year, San Francisco-based Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy
after experiencing declining sales since 2004. The company recorded net
losses in fiscal 2005 to 2007, which continued into 2008. Dwindling consumer
spending and negative publicity surrounding its Ionic Breeze air purifiers
were integral to the bankruptcy filing.
At its peak, Sharper Image had 186 stores nationwide, while also selling
through a monthly catalog and a Web site. As of June 1, 2008 96 Sharper
Image stores had completed liquidation and were closed. The remaining stores
and assets were bought out by Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers
Group. Since then, all remaining stores have been shuttered.
On Friday, hinting at its pending attempt at a comeback, Sharper Image's Web
site simply read: "Sorry to keep you in the dark. But, there's something big
coming. Soon. Stay tuned."
December
8,
2008:
Disinfecting Marine Vessel Ballast Water With UV
EnvironmentalExpert.com
To assist operators of cruise ships, tankers, semi-submersibles, jack-up
rigs and other large ocean-going vessels to meet the International Maritime
Organisation’s (IMO’s) impending ballast water discharge requirements, UV
disinfection specialist Hanovia has partnered with three of the world’s
leading systems integrators to provide validated, on-board water treatment
systems that are easy to install and use.
All ocean-going vessels take on water to provide ballast and stability. It
is usually taken on in coastal port areas and transported to the next port
of call – sometimes on the other side of the world – where it may be
discharged. Much of this water contains marine microorganisms such as
zooplankton, algae, bacteria and the eggs, cysts and larvae of various
species. While many die in transit, some survive and invade the local marine
environment, out-competing native species and causing serious damage to
native ecosystems. Environmental damage caused by ballast water is now
regarded as one of the greatest threats to the world’s oceans.
Two methods have been proposed to combat this problem: onboard ballast water
treatment and ballast water exchange. As the name suggests, ballast water
treatment involves treatment of ballast water prior to discharge, while
ballast water exchange involves ballasting and de-ballasting in the open
ocean before coming into ports and coastal waters. This open ocean exchange
is not an ideal solution as it is potentially unsafe and can destabilise the
vessel. Also, because existing ballast water exchange systems do not
completely drain the tanks, sediment and a residual amount of water can
remain, leaving behind non-indigenous species which could be discharged in
port later.
As well as being unsafe, open ocean ballast water exchange is difficult to
regulate and monitor, so many operators simply do not do it. Because of this
the IMO is setting much tougher standards to control ballast water practices
and has published two Conventions to tackle the problem. The first is the
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),
dealing with waste and sewage discharge from ships (ratified in 2003), and
the second is the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, to control the
spread of alien species (due for ratification in 2009). Under the BWM
Convention, vessels will have to treat all ballast water so that discharges
contain less than 10 viable organisms per cubic metre equal to or greater in
size than 50 µm in size.
To help operators confront these requirements Hanovia, in tandem with the
leading systems integrators, has devised a UV disinfection system that, in
conjunction with a filter, kills or removes virtually all microorganisms
present in ballast water. The combined system comprises a high intensity,
medium pressure UV disinfection unit and an automatic back-flush filter.
After passing through the filter to remove larger organisms, the ballast
water flows into the UV chamber to destroy smaller organisms. During
de-ballasting, the water bypasses the filter but again flows through the UV
chamber where further irradiation kills any remaining microorganisms.
The entire system has a very small footprint and can be mounted at any
angle, making it easy to install even in the confined spaces of a vessel’s
equipment room. Once installed, the system requires little effort to operate
by the crew. It can be controlled by a master PLC unit which can be
integrated into the vessel’s machinery automation network. The UV unit is
equipped with automatic wipers to keep the UV lamps clean, and the only
maintenance required by the crew is the replacement of the UV lamps once a
year and occasional preventative maintenance procedures.
November
25,
2008:
Crystal IS, Inc. Wins $800,000 Department of Defense Grant to Develop UV-LEDs
Finchannel.com
Crystal IS, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of ultraviolet light
emitting diodes (UV LEDs) based on aluminum nitride (AlN) substrate
technology, today announced it will receive an $800,000 appropriation from
the U.S. Department of Defense to advance development of large AlN crystals
for effective deep ultraviolet sources.
"Our unique technology allows us to manufacture UV LEDs with unsurpassed
performance at truly commercially viable costs," said Crystal IS CEO Steven
Berger. "This grant serves as yet another validation of using AlN-based UV-LEDs
to enable cleaner water and air for consumer, industrial and government
customers."
As part of the program, Crystal IS will partner with the Army Research
Laboratory in Adelphi, MD as well as the Electro-Optics Center (EOC) at Penn
State University. The program will leverage the recent development of large
single-crystal AlN substrates into robust semiconductor sources of deep
ultraviolet light as well as other high power, high temperature applications
of great importance to the military.
AlN has been demonstrated to be superior for deep UV light-emitting
applications. The primary applications of UV-LEDs are as long-lasting,
energy efficient, water and air disinfection devices. Crystal IS Inc is
developing its deep UV-LEDs at 265nm, the peak germicidal wavelength.
November
3,
2008:
LUKOIL Upgrades Environmental Complex At Perm Refinery
Finchannel.com
Vagit Alekperov, President of OAO LUKOIL, and Grigory Rapota,
Plenipotentiary of the RF President in the Volga Federal District,
participated in the festive ceremony held in Perm on October 31 to honor the
50th anniversary of OOO “LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez”.
As part of the ceremony held at the refinery, newly constructed and
renovated facilities of the environmental complex, which incorporates
facilities for mechanical, chemical and biochemical treatment, mechanical
and sorption filters, ultraviolet disinfection units and a surplus sludge
dehydration unit, were presented.
According to LUKOIL , the complex is designed for deep purificaiton of the
industrial sewage generated by “LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez” and dozens of
other plants and enterprises which form the Osentsovsk industrial hub
located in Perm. The complex capacity is 68 thousand cu.m. of purified
industrial sewage per day.
Cutting-edge technologies and equipment allow to remove hydrocarbons,
nitrogen- and phosphorus-containing pollutants, thus making the quality of
the purified industrial sewage compliant with fishery requirements.
Application of filters with coal sorbents prevents discharge of over 40 tons
of petroleum products per annum into surface water bodies. Application of
the ultraviolet disinfection method instead of classic chemical treating
methods to purify the sewage from pathogenic microorganisms is a
characteristic feature of the complex. Application of new technologies for
industrial sewage purification also allows to cut river water consumption of
the enterprise by 10 %.
Since 2006, over RUR 500 million has been invested into construction of new
facilities and reconstruction of the existing ones at OOO
“LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez” environmental complex.
October
22,
2008:
Municipality adding UV disinfection facility
PiqueNewsMagazine.com /by Claire Piech
Construction on an ultra violet (UV) disinfection facility is expected to
begin this fall, as part of the municipality’s $12 million upgrades to
Whistler’s 21 Mile Creek water system.
Council is expected to award the construction contract within the next
month, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler has budgeted $1.7 million for
the UV system, which has been on the books since 2006, according to capital
projects manager John Nelson.
“We still chlorinate both our surface source and our ground water source,
but the UV is just an added level of treatment that is necessary on surface
sources,” Nelson explained.
The 900 square foot UV facility will be built next to the Whistler cemetery
and will be accessed via the cemetery’s road off Alta Lake Road.
Residents can expect some disruption while construction of the facility and
road repaving are underway, but the cemetery will be open for internment
services and visitors, said an RMOW press release.
The municipality will also make sure burial area boundaries and the
scattering garden are both marked and protected throughout the construction
period. And contractors will stop building during any burial services.
Currently, the 21 Mile Creek water is disinfected by chlorination and piped
to the village under Alta Lake.
The UV disinfection facility is part of four upgrades to Whistler’s 21 Mile
Creek water system, which provides about 75 per cent of the town’s water
supply. The upgrades are intended to improve the safety and capacity of the
municipality’s water system, said RMOW staff.
The municipality is tapping into a new groundwater source at Rainbow Park
that will connect to the village’s water grid through a pipeline along
Lorimer Road. Both the pipeline installation and the pump station
construction are underway. Each is expected to cost $5.2 million, said
Nelson.
An upgrade to the 21 Mile Aquifer Wells is also scheduled to take place
between 2010 and 2012.
Both the Alpine Meadows and Emerald Estates neighbourhoods have their own
water systems, and the Benchlands is serviced by the Blackcomb system, which
is connected to the main system.
The RMOW is also looking to develop a new groundwater source at Function
Junction to supply the athletes’ village.
Whistler’s water is continually checked by the municipality, which spends
$1.19 million per year on water operations. The sampling and testing program
involves 33 different sample points where the water is tested for
bacteriological contamination like E. coli and coliform.
In 2007, E. coli and coliform tests showed there were no bacteria in the
water.
October 1,
2008:
Larne sewage works leads the way with UV technology
LarneTimes.co.uk
REGIONAL Development Minister Conor Murphy officially opened Larne's new
£14m wastewater treatment works last Wednesday.
The plant is the first to use ultra violet light technology - new
eco-friendly technology which removes bacteria from the treatment process
without the use of chemical disinfectants, leading to improvements in water
quality in the area.
The new NI Water site caters for a population of 33,000, and will provide a
state of the art facility ensuring the level of treatment meets European
standards.
Mr Murphy said: "This investment will ensure that this facility supports the
growth and ongoing development within the area, while protecting the local
environment. Protection of the lough's eco-system is particularly important
in this designated Area of Special Scientific Interest. The use of this
technology will ensure that NI Water is doing all it can to safeguard the
wetland environment, the shellfish and the bird wildlife.
"Investment of approximately £1million per day is taking place in upgrading
the water and sewerage system infrastructure. This facility is just one
example of the scale of investment required to provide cleaner beaches and
rivers, meet European standards, respond to increasing demand and provide
the region with a modern service."
Chris Mellor, Chairman and Chief Executive of NI Water added: "NI Water is
committed to investing in projects that will deliver the best innovative
solutions and benefit the local economy, community and environment.
Extensive research was conducted into sourcing environmentally friendly
technology with a proven track record that could meet the standards set by
the Northern Ireland Environment Agency for this area.
"Using UV technology is better for the environment as there are less
chemicals used in the treatment processes and it also allows an increase in
the capacity of water which can be treated, reducing the likelihood of
flooding in the area.
"I would like to pay tribute to the expertise of the team involved in this
scheme and congratulate our project managers and contractors on achieving
our compliance standard on schedule."
September
24,
2008:
Bottled water to be given to people affected by aqueduct leak
Daylyfreeman.com
WAWARSING - The New York City Department of Environmental Protection will
cover the cost of bottled water for residents of the U.S. Route 209/Smith
Road area who have been affected by leaks in the city's Delaware Aqueduct,
town Supervisor Edward Jennings announced on Wednesday.
Jennings said the water will be provided by the Leisure Time Bottled Water
Co. in Monticello and will go to 34 families. The Ulster County Health
Department has taken water samples from the Route 209/Smith Road area and
discovered high levels of E. coli, especially in dug wells. Jennings said
he, in turn, negotiated an agreement with New York City DEP Regional Manager
Ira Stern for the city to reimburse the town for the cost of the bottled
water until ultraviolet treatment systems can be installed in each
affected home. The ultraviolet systems, which eliminate bacteria in water,
also will be paid for by New York City.
September
19,
2008:
Germicidal UVC Lights Improve Clinical Pregnancy Rates For IVF Lab, New
Study Finds
MedicalNewsToday.com
A seven and a half-year study conducted in the In Vitro Fertilization
Cleanroom Laboratory of the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network found
that the use of ultraviolet C or "UVC" lights installed in the HVAC system
had a clinically significant impact on clinical pregnancy rates (CPR). In
presenting the findings at the annual meeting of the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Kathryn C. Worrilow, Ph.D. reported that the +
beta and CPR increased by an average of 17.8% and 18.2%, respectively,
following 10 of the 13 change-outs of the Steril-Aire UVC EmittersT over the
test period.
Clinical success in an IVF lab is critically dependent upon the quality of
the ambient air, which in turn, is directly dependent upon the HVAC system.
The study led by Dr. Worrilow tracked three key components in the HVAC
system - particulate filters, gas phase filters and UVC lights - and the
timing of their replacement - to determine whether these individual
components affected markers of preimplantation embryogenesis and clinical
pregnancy rates.
According to the findings, "There were no statistically significant
differences associated with the replacement of the particulate or gas phase
filters in Testing Quarters 1-48. In contrast, immediately following 10 of
the 13 UVC Emitter change-outs, the + beta hCG and clinical pregnancy rates
increased 17.8% and 18.2%, respectively."
The study goes on to say: "UVC energy will destroy 90 - 99% of airborne
microbial contaminants. By targeting the DNA and RNA of microorganisms, UVC
degrades and abates the proliferation of airborne and surface embryotoxic
organics. Of equal significance to the developing embryo is the suggested
impact of UVC irradiation on the degradation of VOCs. Our work has
demonstrated that VOC levels as low as 2.2 ppb can be embryotoxic to the
embryo cultured in vitro."
The authors conclude: "Although the use of UVC light represents a departure
from the standard HVAC design used in many IVF laboratories, the current
study suggests that the use of UVC germicidal technology in the HVAC system
serving the IVF laboratory may play a critical role in providing optimal
ambient air towards improved clinical outcomes. The current study
demonstrated that a clinically significant relationship existed between the
replacement of the UVC Emitters and the associated clinical pregnancy
rates."
Robert Scheir, Ph.D., president of Steril-Aire, Inc., states: "This new data
provides scientific evidence of the germicidal benefits of UVC technology.
The potential benefits are far-reaching: not only for the potential to
improve CPR in IVF clinics, but also for enhancing infection control in
hospitals and healthcare environments, and for maintaining better ambient
air in medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing clean rooms."
Scheir adds: "The study also confirms the importance of adequate UVC output
and changeout frequency in achieving desired results. The study used
high-output Steril-Aire UVC lamps with a changeout schedule of 6-9 months.
In the 3 of 13 UVC replacement test quarters that did not result in improved
clinical pregnancy rates, outside factors may have played a role in the
outcomes. As long as the lamps were functioning properly and were changed on
schedule, results were consistently positive. The message to anyone using
UVC is that it is critical to select a device with adequate output and to
replace the device consistently at required intervals to maintain that
output. Otherwise, germicidal effectiveness will be diminished."
September 1,
2008: UV Light Solutions
for Emerging Ballast Water Treatment Systems
WCPonline.com, by Jon McClean
High-power, compact UV systems are now being used to prevent the transit
across the globe of a wide variety of organisms in ships’ ballast water.
Ballast water is taken on board in ports of call to maintain stability when
the vessel is not laden and discharged as the vessel becomes laden with
cargo.
This small system discharge is often released thousands of miles from the
port of embarkation and relocates microscopic plants, mussels, crabs and
recently, the fish pathogen viral hemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS)1 far from
their native range.
UV systems are being incorporated in packages that use separation technology
to prepare the ballast water to be disinfected using UV light prior to
discharge. The UV systems are compact, use high power polychromatic lamps,
have automatic wiping mechanisms and are generally configured with lamps at
right angles to the flow. This orientation saves space and eliminates bends,
which are detrimental to flow profiles before and after the UV chambers.
Medium-pressure lamps are most often used in this application, as their
compact size permits a small treatment footprint, allowing skid mounting and
safe lamp removal.
The problem
More than 46,0002 commercial vessels—tankers, cruise liners, bulk carriers,
RO/RO ferries, container ships and barges— travel across the oceans carrying
cargo and passengers for transport, leisure and commerce. Between three to
four billion metric tons of ballast water move across the oceans annually.
Approximately 75 percent of these vessels are involved in intercontinental
trade. The asymmetric nature of this trade means that occasionally container
vessels arrive laden into US ports from China and embark empty, ballasted
with water taken on board in the US.
Likewise, coal and iron ore carriers arrive empty into Australian or South
American ports fully ballasted with water. And they discharge this ballast
water prior to taking cargo on board. Ballast water is also often used as a
trim aid in port when loading or unloading cargo.
It is estimated that 7,000 species are transported in ships ballast water.
The majority of these species do not survive the ballasting/de-ballasting
cycle, as the environment within the ballast tanks is hostile and not
conducive to permit colonies of organisms to survive. Those that do survive,
however, are usually hardy. And they frequently out-compete indigenous
species, surviving to establish a reproducing population.
Invasive threat
Over 100 non-native species of marine organisms are known to have been
introduced globally by ballast water. While some appear benign, others are a
threat to biodiversity, fisheries and aquaculture.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) views the
threat of invasion by these species as “the greatest immediate threat to
most coastal state ecosystems.” Some introduced species severely deplete
native populations or deprive them of food. Others form colonies that can
damage
other existing fauna.
Introduced toxic dinoflagellates cause red tides and algal blooms that can
affect or even kill shellfish, fish and sea birds. When eaten by humans,
these contaminated shellfish can cause paralysis or even fatality. In
southern Australia and along the west coast of the US, the Asian kelp
Undaria pinnatifida is rapidly
invading new areas, displacing the native seabed communities. Shipments of
the European oyster Ostrea edulis were brought from Washington to France to
supplement a low native stock. The virus Bonamia ostrea accompanied these
shipments and ended up destroying the remaining native stock of the European
oyster in France.
In the Black Sea, filter-feeding North American jellyfish (Mnemiopsis leidyi)
have on occasion reached densities of two lbs of biomass per nine cubic ft.
This culprit has depleted native zooplankton stocks to such an extent that
it contributed to the collapse of entire Black Sea commercial fisheries in
the 1990’s.
Salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) once used as packing material
for Atlantic oysters (Crassostrea virginica), has been introduced into
Oregon. The cordgrass continues to spread along the Oregon coast, taking
over mudflats and disrupting bird migrations. The fish pathogen VHS was
reported in the Great Lakes
area in 20036. The rapid transfer of the virus through all of the waterways
frequented by vessels dumping ballast is no coincidence.
The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) was banned for importation and
aquaculture in the US in the late 1980s; however, the crab was discovered in
San Francisco Bay in 1994. Introduction by ballast water is the probable
source. The crab burrows into riverbanks, dykes and levees causing erosion
and siltation.
The solution
The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) has a number
of initiatives underway at this time to address the issue of non-indigenous
species transit and invasion and to address pollution of the ocean and fresh
water areas. The Ballast Water Management (BWM) convention was published in
2004 and has a target implementation date of 2009. MARPOL 73/78
(International Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships) covers the
discharge of sewage at sea and came into force in 2003.
Two methods are proposed to mitigate the threat of species transfer: either
ballast water treatment (BWT) or ballast water exchange (BWE). BWE is
available only to those non-coastal vessels that can exchange ballast water
mid-ocean. This is a time-consuming and potentially hazardous exercise, as
it involves the vessel stopping or slowing considerably and exposes hull
structures to stress. A number of ship designers are now developing ‘no
stop’ BWE systems or vessel designs that eliminate the need for ballast
water altogether. For BWE regimes, a 95 percent volumetric exchange of
ballast water is required. This is
measured as three times the volume of the ballast tank exchange. From the
date of implementation (2009),
ships will be required to treat ballast water discharge to achieve less than
100 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL of intestinal enterococci and less
than 250CFU/100mL of Escherichia coli. Vibrio cholerae (O1,O139) should be
less than one CFU/100mL or less than one CFU/per one gram (wet weight) of
zooplankton samples. MARPOL 73/78 has been in force since 2003 and by 2006,
113 countries or
75 percent of active tonnage had signed the convention. In 2016, all vessels
will be required to treat their ballast water to comply with these microbial
levels.
In April 2008, the US House of Representatives approved regulations
requiring all saltwater ships entering US ports to treat their ballast water
by 2016. The bill (HR 2830) sets a more demanding disinfection standard than
the IMO protocol and requires that the number of organisms greater than 50
microns in
minimum dimension be reduced to fewer than 10 living organisms per cubic
meter of water in the discharged ballast water. Chemical or biocide-based
methods of disinfecting ballast water are unattractive from a number of
perspectives. The proximity of bulk chemicals poses handling and storage
risk to the ships
crew and often a de-chlorination process is required to ensure that no
active substance or residual is discharged. A number of innovative suppliers
are enhancing the production of hydroxyl radicals with the exposure of an
accelerant such as titanium dioxide to UV light. A dedicated joint group of
experts on the
scientific aspects of marine environmental protection (GESAMP)7 now has a
ballast water technical work group (Work Group 34) in place.
The focus of Work Group 34 is to determine what risk is posed by the
discharge of a variety of active substances. Hydroxyl species are a novel
addition to their usual list of chemical residuals to investigate. These
reactive species are very short lived and the ballast water has a high
hydroxyl demand.
How does UV work?
The ballast water is prepared for UV disinfection using a variety of filters
or cyclonic separators. The systems are usually skid mounted and automated;
the UV systems have automatic wiping and the filters automatic backwashing.
UV works by permanently damaging the DNA of all living organisms. The
damaged (or dimerized) DNA is no longer able to support normal cell function
and the organism is rendered non viable.
The sizing of the UV system is determined by: (a) flow rate; (b)
transmittance of the fluid to ultraviolet light and (c) the dose
requirement. The method is non- intrusive and does not alter the chemistry,
color or physical property of the ballast water.
Different organisms have demonstrated varied resistance to UV. A growing
number of organisms are being found to be highly resistant to chlorine and
many of these emerging pathogens are effectively disinfected using UV. UV
dose is expressed in mJ cm-2. Most of the leading UV manufacturers use CFD
(computational fluid dynamics) models to predict the performance of the UV
systems. Working in partnership with BWT system providers, they use a
variety of validation techniques to determine the actual UV system
performance in the BWT process. Preparation of ballast water is very
important, as color,
suspended solids and particulates would render the UV ineffective.
CFD modeling expertise and accuracy has advanced significantly in the last
five years. And leading UV system manufacturers such as Sollux, Trojan and
ATG use proprietary software models to integrate flow and radiation
profiles.
Flow profile
The flow profile is produced from the chamber geometry, flow rate and
particular turbulence model selected.
The radiation profile is developed from inputs such as water quality, lamp
type (power, germicidal efficiency, spectral output, arc length) and the
transmittance and dimension of the quartz sleeve.
Proprietary CFD software simulates both flow and radiation profiles. Once a
3-D model of the chamber is built, it is populated with a grid or mesh that
comprises thousands of small cubes. Points of interest (such as at a bend)
or the quartz sleeve surface or around the wiper mechanism use a higher
resolution mesh, while other areas within the reactor use a coarse mesh.
Once the mesh is produced, hundreds of thousands of virtual particles are
‘fired’ through the chamber.
Each particle has several variables of interest associated with it and the
particles are ‘harvested’ after the reactor. Discrete phase modeling
produces delivered dose, head loss and other chamber specific parameters.
System analysis
For system approval, on-shore and ship-based process validation is conducted
to ensure that the system is capable of performing as required. Fouling of
quartz sleeves can occur and prevent the UV light from penetrating into the
water. Iron is often present in ballast/bilge water, as the marine
environment is aggressive and materials coming into contact with it need to
be carefully selected. In addition to iron, ballast water can often contain
oils and lubricants and has a high oxygen demand. Effective wipers are
critical to the UV system performance. BWT systems are now also being
evaluated as part of the US Coast Guard STEP8 program in the US and are
undergoing IMO-type approval through the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency
(MCA) in cooperation with Lloyd’s Register.
Conclusion
Much damage has been done by the inadvertent transit through ballast
discharge of a great many nuisance
species. However, it does seem that this area is finally getting the
attention it deserves.
UV systems are rapidly gaining acceptance as part of small system ballast
water treatment packages. Performance of the UV system depends critically on
the ability of the upstream filters and separators to adequately treat the
ballast water. Ratification and implementation of the IMO ballast water
management
convention will soon make it a criminal act to discharge untreated ballast
water. Neither the very international nature of the shipping business, nor
the intense competitive pressures caused by high
and rising fuel costs will be acceptable reasons for non-compliance. Nor
will the absence of a global regulation for such small systems be
acceptable.
August,
2008:
Bottled water to be given to people affected by aqueduct leak
Trojan Technologies, a leading manufacturer of advanced water treatment
solutions, has acquired R-Can Environmental Inc. R-Can is a leading
manufacturer of ultraviolet equipment in residential water disinfection
applications. The combined entity will operate as a strategic business unit
of Trojan Technologies. "We are combining two of the strongest residential
teams in advanced water disinfection treatment?this is exciting for us,"
says R-Can president. "Our greatest asset is our skilled group of water
treatment professionals and strong customer base, while Trojan brings to the
table advanced research and development capabilities; the combination will
result in the best of technology and the highest quality customer support."
According to Trojan President "We are facing increasing demand for
residential water treatment due to escalating water quality issues and
concerns. This newly combined residential business, with over 50 years of UV
water treatment experience, will position us to expertly meet those
demands." He added that Trojan has chosen one of their senior leaders, Ron
Braun to lead this business unit. R-Can will operate under the Trojan
Technologies name in its current location in Guelph, Ontario and will be
focusing on their strong experience in the Residential business. Trojan's
current residential business will be fully integrated into Guelph
operations. Trojan Technologies is a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation.