Does industrial water treatment need ultraviolet technology?
With the advancement of industrialization, the importance of water treatment in protecting the environment and maintaining the production process has become increasingly prominent. Industrial water treatment not only requires the removal of pollutants in the water, but also requires ensuring that the water quality meets strict hygiene standards. Among the many water treatment technologies, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection technology has become an important part of industrial water treatment with its high efficiency and environmental protection.
This article will discuss in detail the application of ultraviolet technology in industrial water treatment and its disinfection principle.
What is ultraviolet disinfection technology?
Ultraviolet disinfection technology uses the powerful bactericidal ability of ultraviolet radiation to remove microorganisms in water. Ultraviolet radiation has a short wavelength and can effectively destroy the DNA or RNA of microorganisms, making them lose their reproductive ability, thereby achieving a disinfection effect. Compared with traditional chemical disinfection methods, ultraviolet disinfection has the advantages of no need to add chemicals and no secondary pollution.
Does industrial water treatment need ultraviolet technology?
In the field of industrial water treatment, ultraviolet technology is mainly used in the following aspects:
Industrial wastewater treatment
Many industrial processes produce wastewater containing a large number of harmful microorganisms and pathogens. If these wastewaters are discharged directly, they will cause serious pollution to the environment. Ultraviolet disinfection technology can effectively remove bacteria, viruses, protozoa and other microorganisms in wastewater, ensuring that wastewater meets environmental standards before discharge.
Production water disinfection
Many industrial production processes have strict requirements on water quality, such as food and beverage production, pharmaceutical industry, etc. Ultraviolet disinfection can remove microorganisms in water, ensure the sanitation and safety of production water, improve product quality, and prevent production accidents or product contamination caused by water quality problems.
Cooling water treatment
Industrial cooling systems use a large amount of circulating water, which is prone to microbial growth during operation, leading to system scaling, corrosion and other problems. Through ultraviolet disinfection, the growth of microorganisms in cooling water can be effectively controlled, the service life of equipment can be extended, and the system operation efficiency can be improved.
Pretreatment and deep treatment
In some complex water treatment systems, ultraviolet technology is often used in combination with other water treatment technologies (such as reverse osmosis and activated carbon filtration) as the last line of defense for water treatment. It can be used as a pretreatment step to remove residual microorganisms in the water, or as a deep treatment step to further ensure water quality safety.
What is the principle of ultraviolet disinfection?
The core of ultraviolet disinfection technology lies in the bactericidal effect of ultraviolet radiation. The basic principle is as follows:
1. Classification of ultraviolet radiation
Ultraviolet radiation is usually divided into three categories according to its wavelength:
● UVA (320-400 nm): This type of ultraviolet light has a poor bactericidal effect on microorganisms and is mainly used for surface disinfection and air purification in industry.
● UVB (280-320 nm): It has strong bactericidal ability, but poor water penetration ability and is usually used to treat shallow water bodies.
● UVC (200-280 nm): This wavelength of ultraviolet light has the strongest bactericidal ability and is the type of ultraviolet light commonly used in water treatment. UVC can penetrate the cell wall of microorganisms, destroy their genetic material and prevent them from reproducing.
2. Working process of ultraviolet disinfection
(1) Ultraviolet irradiation of microorganisms: In the ultraviolet disinfection system, water passes through a reaction tank or pipe equipped with an ultraviolet lamp, and the ultraviolet radiation emitted by the ultraviolet lamp will irradiate the water. When the microorganism is exposed to ultraviolet light, its DNA or RNA is destroyed by ultraviolet light, thus losing its ability to reproduce.
(2) Destruction of microbial DNA: The short wavelength of ultraviolet light gives it high energy, which can penetrate the cell wall of microorganisms and react with DNA or RNA molecules in the cells. Ultraviolet light can cause chain breaks or cross-links in DNA molecules, making it impossible for microorganisms to replicate their genetic material, causing them to lose their biological activity, thereby achieving the effect of sterilization.
(3) Evaluation of disinfection effect: The effect of ultraviolet disinfection is usually evaluated by measuring the number of remaining microorganisms in the water. The design and operating parameters of the disinfection system (such as ultraviolet dose, irradiation time, light intensity, etc.) directly affect the disinfection effect. Generally, the ultraviolet disinfection system needs to ensure that a certain ultraviolet dose (in mJ/cm²) is reached to effectively kill microorganisms in the water.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of ultraviolet disinfection?
1. Advantages of ultraviolet disinfection
● High efficiency sterilization: Ultraviolet disinfection can quickly and effectively kill bacteria, viruses, protozoa and other microorganisms in water with high disinfection efficiency. Compared with other disinfection methods, ultraviolet disinfection does not rely on chemical agents and can complete the disinfection process in a short time.
● No secondary pollution: No harmful byproducts are produced during ultraviolet disinfection, and no secondary pollution is caused to the water quality. It is an environmentally friendly disinfection technology that meets the environmental protection requirements of modern water treatment.
● Simple operation: The UV disinfection system has a simple structure and is relatively easy to operate and maintain. You only need to regularly replace the UV lamp and clean the reaction pool to keep the system running normally.
2. Disadvantages of UV disinfection
● High water quality requirements: The effect of UV disinfection is greatly affected by water quality. Suspended matter, colloids or organic matter in the water may block UV light and affect the disinfection effect. Therefore, the UV disinfection system usually needs to be used in conjunction with pretreatment equipment to ensure that the water quality meets the requirements.
● No removal of chemical pollutants: UV disinfection only targets microorganisms and does not affect chemical pollutants in the water such as heavy metals and pesticide residues. For the removal of these pollutants, other water treatment technologies are still needed.
● Exposure time and dosage requirements: UV disinfection requires sufficient exposure time and UV dosage to achieve the ideal sterilization effect. These parameters need to be precisely controlled during the design and operation process to ensure the disinfection effect.
Application examples of UV disinfection in industrial water treatment
Food and beverage industry
In the food and beverage industry, the sanitation and safety of water quality is crucial. UV disinfection is used to remove microorganisms in water to ensure that the water used in the production process meets hygiene standards. This not only helps improve product quality, but also prevents production accidents caused by water quality problems.
Pharmaceutical Industry
The water quality requirements in the pharmaceutical industry are more stringent. The UV disinfection system can effectively remove microorganisms in the water and prevent contamination caused by water quality problems during the production of drugs. For the pharmaceutical industry, UV disinfection is a reliable water treatment solution.
Cooling Water Treatment
In industrial cooling systems, microbial contamination of water quality can cause equipment scaling and corrosion. UV disinfection technology can effectively control the growth of microorganisms in cooling water, improve the operating efficiency of the system, and reduce maintenance costs.