Protection against UV disinfection of E. coli bacteria and B. subtilis spores ingested by C. elegans nematodes

Nematodes, which occur abundantly in granular media filters of drinking water treatment plants and in distribution systems, can ingest and transport pathogenic bacteria and provide them protection against chemical disinfectants. However, protection against UV disinfection had not been investigated to date.In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes (wild-type strain N2) were allowed to feed on Escherichia coli OP50 and Bacillus subtilis spores before being exposed to 5 and 40 mJ/cm² UV fluences, using a collimated beam apparatus (LP, 254 nm). Sonication (15 W, 60 s) was used to extract bacteria from nematode guts following UV exposure in order to assess the amount of ingested bacteria that resisted the UV treatment using a standard culture method. Bacteria located inside the gut of C. elegans were shown to benefit from a significant protection against UV. Approximately 15% of the applied UV fluence of 40 mJ/cm² (as typically used in WTP) was found to reach the bacteria located inside nematode guts based on the inactivation of recovered bacteria (2.7 log reduction of E. coli bacteria and 0.7 log reduction of B. subtilis spores at 40 mJ/cm²). To our knowledge, this study is the first demonstration of the protection effect of bacterial internalization by higher organisms against UV treatment, using the specific case of E. coli and B. subtilis spores ingested by C. elegans.     

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

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

Anatoxin-a degradation by Advanced Oxidation Processes: Vacuum-UV at 172 nm, photolysis using medium pressure UV and UV/H2O2

Two Advanced Oxidation Processes, namely vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photolysis at 172 nm and ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H₂O₂) were investigated for the degradation of anatoxin-a in aqueous solutions. Solutions of anatoxin-a-fumarate were treated with VUV light at 172 nm with a UV dose of 200 mJ/cm², where fumaric acid served as a reference compound for a competition kinetics analysis. The second-order rate constant for the reaction between anatoxin-a and the hydroxyl radical was found to be (5.2 ± 0.3) × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹ and was independent of pH, temperature, and initial concentration of anatoxin-a. The direct photolysis of anatoxin-a using a medium pressure (MP) UV lamp was also investigated, in which case a UV dose of 1285 mJ/cm² was required to degrade anatoxin-a by 88% and 50% at concentrations of 0.6 mg/L and 1.8 mg/L of toxin, respectively. Treatment of anatoxin-a with a low pressure (LP) UV lamp in the presence of 30 mg/L of H₂O₂ was examined, where it was found that more than 70% of toxin could be degraded at a UV dose of 200 mJ/cm². The degradation arises from the oxidation of the toxin by hydroxyl radicals. The addition of H₂O₂ clearly enhanced the degradation of anatoxin-a, up to a concentration of 40 mg/L, after which addition of more H₂O₂ had little effect on the degradation kinetics of anatoxin-a. The effect of background constituents in the water on the degradation of anatoxin-a was also investigated using natural and synthetically produced model waters.     

Inactivation of environmental mycobacteria by free chlorine and UV

The resistance of environmental mycobacteria (EM) against chlorine and ultraviolet (UV) was evaluated for determination of the Ct value and UV dose to inactivate EM. Chlorine disinfection experiments were done on Mycobacterium fortuitum in oxidant demand-free buffered water at the worst condition (pH 8.5, 4 °C) and normal condition (pH 7.0, 20 °C). The Ct value for 3 log inactivation of M. fortuitum was 600 times greater than that of Escherichia coli. UV experiments were performed for various species of Mycobacterium avium, M. fortuitum, Mycobacterium intracellulare, and Mycobacterium lentiflavum. A UV collimated beam device was used for irradiation of four species suspended in phosphate buffered saline with doses of 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mJ/cm². UV sensitivity of mycobacteria was species-specific. More than 3 log of M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. lentiflavum could be inactivated at 20 mJ/cm², whereas M. fortuitum was so resistant that 3 log inactivation required a dose of more than 50 mJ/cm². Mycobacteria were found 2-10 times more resistant to UV than E. coli for 3 log inactivation. There was no significant difference in the inactivation of mycobacteria with either low-pressure or medium-pressure UV irradiation.     

Effect of pre- and post-UV disinfection conditions on photoreactivation of fecal coliforms in wastewater effluents

Photoreactivation of microorganisms following UV disinfection can represent a disadvantage to using UV technology for wastewater treatment since recovery may, in some cases, reach several logs. Thus, decreasing photoreactivation can lead to considerable savings in capital and operating costs. Objectives of this study were to determine pre- and post-UV irradiation conditions which could decrease fecal coliform (FC) photoreactivation in wastewater effluents. Results indicated that delaying exposure to photoreactivating light for 3 h suppressed photoreactivation after relatively low UV doses of 10 and 20 mJ/cm². Moreover, at least 440 lux (0.065 mW/cm²) of visible light was needed to initiate photoreactivation. Additionally, photoreactivation decreased significantly when samples were exposed to visible light simultaneously or prior to UV irradiation. This was more significantly observed for winter samples, where photoreactivation decreased by nearly 50%. Finally, summer FC populations were more sensitive to inactivation and less able to photoreactivate than winter populations. The effect of visible light on photoreactivation levels may be explained by several photo-mechanisms of FC photolyase, such as photodecomposition of the MTHF co-factor and reduction of FAD.     

The effect of inorganic precursors on disinfection byproduct formation during UV-chlorine/chloramine drinking water treatment

Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is being increasingly used in drinking water treatment. It is important to understand how its application to different types of water may influence finished water quality, particularly as anthropogenic activity continues to impact the quality of source waters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of inorganic precursors on the formation of regulated and unregulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during UV irradiation of surface waters when combined with chlorination or chloramination. Samples were collected from three drinking water utilities supplied by source waters with varying organic and inorganic precursor content. The filtered samples were treated in the laboratory with a range of UV doses delivered from low pressure (LP, UV output at 253.7 nm) and medium pressure (MP, polychromatic UV output 200-400 nm) mercury lamps followed by chlorination or chloramination, in the presence and absence of additional bromide and nitrate. The regulated trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were not affected by UV pretreatment at disinfection doses (40-186 mJ/cm²). With higher doses (1000 mJ/cm²), trihalomethane formation was increased 30-40%. While most effects on DBPs were only observed with doses much higher than typically used for UV disinfection, there were some effects on unregulated DBPs at lower doses. In nitrate-spiked samples (1-10 mg N/L), chloropicrin formation doubled and increased three- to six-fold with 40 mJ/cm² MP UV followed by chloramination and chlorination, respectively. Bromopicrin formation was increased in samples containing bromide (0.5-1 mg/L) and nitrate (1-10 mg N/L) when pretreated with LP or MP UV (30-60% with 40 mJ/cm² LP UV and four- to ten-fold increase with 40 mJ/cm² MP UV, after subsequent chlorination). The formation of cyanogen chloride doubled and increased three-fold with MP UV doses of 186 and 1000 mJ/cm², respectively, when followed by chloramination in nitrate-spiked samples but remained below the World Health Organization guideline value of 70 μg/L in all cases. MP UV and high LP UV doses (1000 mJ/cm²) increased chloral hydrate formation after subsequent chlorination (20-40% increase for 40 mJ/cm² MP UV). These results indicate the importance of bench-testing DBP implications of UV applications in combination with post-disinfectants as part of the engineering assessment of a UV-chlorine/chloramine multi-barrier disinfection design for drinking water treatment.     

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

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

Effect of particles and bioflocculation on ultraviolet disinfection of Escherichia coli

Presence of particles is known to decrease the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection by shielding the targeted microorganisms from UV light. This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding on the effect of particles and flocs on UV disinfection by using a stable, well-defined and well-controlled synthetic system that can simulate the bioflocculation of particles and microorganisms in water and wastewater samples. The synthetic system was created by using Escherichia coli, latex particles (1, 3.2, 11, 25, and 45 μm), alginate, and divalent cations; and the bioflocculation of particles was achieved naturally, as it would occur in the environment, without using chemical coagulants. E. coli was quantified before and after UV disinfection using membrane filtration. Even in the absence of particles, some of the self-aggregated E. coli could survive a UV dose of 90 mJ/cm². E. coli inactivation levels measured in the presence of particles were lower than the inactivation levels measured in the absence of particles. At low UV doses (<9 mJ/cm²), neither particle size nor degree of flocculation had a significant effect on the inactivation of E. coli. Particle size had a significant effect on the inactivation of E. coli only at high UV doses (80 mJ/cm²), and larger particles (e.g., 25 μm) protected bacteria more compared to smaller particles (e.g., 3.2 and 11 μm). What size of particles flocs were made of (3.2, 11, and 25 μm) did not make a significant difference on the inactivation levels of E. coli. For 3.2 μm particles, there was no significant difference in E. coli inactivation between non-flocculated and flocculated samples at any UV dose. For 11 and 25 μm particles, there was a significant difference in E. coli inactivation between non-flocculated and flocculated samples at 80 mJ/cm². Degree of flocculation became a significant factor in determining the number of surviving bacteria only at high UV doses and only for larger particles.     

Inactivation and potential repair of Cryptosporidium parvum following low- and medium-pressure ultraviolet irradiation

This study investigated the level of inactivation and the potential for Cryptosporidium parvum to repair following low doses (1 and 3mJ/cm(2)) of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation from both low- and medium-pressure UV lamps. Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts suspended in phosphate buffered saline were exposed to UV using a bench-scale collimated beam apparatus. Oocyst suspensions were incubated at 5 degrees C or 25 degrees C under light and dark conditions up to 120 h (5 days) following exposure to UV irradiation, to examine photoreactivation and dark repair potential, respectively. Cryptosporidium parvum infectivity was determined throughout the incubation period using an HCT-8 cell culture and an antibody staining procedure for detection. No detectable evidence of repair was observed after incubation under light or dark conditions following either LP or MP UV lamp irradiation.     

UV inactivation and resistance of rotavirus evaluated by integrated cell culture and real-time RT-PCR assay

Rotaviruses are double-stranded RNA viruses which are among the most resistant waterborne enteric viruses to UV disinfection. An integrated cell culture and real-time RT-PCR (ICC real-time RT-PCR) assay was developed to detect the infectivity of rotaviruses in water, which uses real-time RT-PCR to detect RNA produced by infectious rotaviruses during replication in host cells. Detection of rotaviral RNA in host cells provides direct evidence of the presence of infectious rotavirus rather than just the presence of rotavirus RNA. Using this newly developed method, the inactivation and resistance of rotavirus to UV treatments at various doses was evaluated. With an initial concentration of 2 × 10⁴ PFU/ml simian rotavirus (SA11), a first-order linear relationship was obtained at UV dose range of 0-120 mJ cm⁻², and the inactivation rate constant was estimated to be 0.0343 cm² mJ⁻¹ (R² = 0.966). The dose-inactivation curve tailed off and reached plateau as the UV dose increased from 120 to 360 mJ cm⁻², indicating resistance phenomena of sub-populations of SA11 at very high UV doses. A maximal reduction of 4.8 log₁₀ was observed. Through parallel comparison with traditional culture assay, the ICC real-time RT-PCR method demonstrated more effective, sensitive and faster infectivity detection of rotavirus and, the results reveal that rotaviruses are more resistant to UV irradiation than previously reported with traditional cell culture assays.     

Infectivity of Giardia lamblia cysts obtained from wastewater treated with ultraviolet light

Several waterborne outbreaks of giardiasis have been linked to discharge of wastewater effluents into surface water. Little is known about the infectivity of Giardia lamblia cysts present in UV treated wastewater effluents. In this study, the infectivity of G. lamblia cysts, recovered from primary effluent and secondary effluent, both upstream and downstream of operating full-scale UV reactors at four wastewater treatment plants, was assessed using the Mongolian gerbil model. Infectivity of cysts obtained from the primary effluents was scored as either strong or moderate for induction of infection in gerbils at three out of four wastewater treatment plants. G. lamblia recovered from secondary effluent both upstream and downstream of the UV reactors caused weak infections in the gerbils. The probability of weak infections caused by inoculums of 50-1400 cysts per gerbil was, on the average, reduced by approximately 10% at the four wastewater UV installations with coliform reduction equivalent doses ranging from 6 to 18 mJ/cm². The UV systems provided considerably less inactivation of the parasite than expected based on the UV dose response of Giardia reported in the literature.     

Comparison of the action spectra and relative DNA absorbance spectra of microorganisms: Information important for the determination of germicidal fluence (UV dose) in an ultraviolet disinfection of water

The action spectra of Bacillus subtilis spores (ATCC6633) and Salmonella typhimurium LT2 were characterized using physical radiometry for irradiance measurements and a multiple target model to interpret the inactivation kinetics. The observed action spectrum of B. subtilis spores deviated significantly from the relative absorbance spectrum of the DNA purified from the spores, but matched quite well with the relative absorbance spectrum of decoated spores. The action spectrum of B. subtilis spores determined in this study was statistically different from those reported in previous studies. On the other hand, the action spectrum of S. typhimurium bacteria matched quite well with the relative absorbance spectrum of DNA extracted from vegetative cells, except in the region below 240 nm. It is concluded that the common use of the relative DNA absorbance spectrum as a surrogate for the germicidal action spectrum can result in systematic errors when evaluating the performance of a polychromatic UV light reactors using bioassays. For example, if the weighted germicidal fluence (UV dose) calculated using the relative DNA absorbance spectrum as the germicidal weighting factor is found to be 40 mJ cm⁻² for a medium pressure lamp UV reactor, that calculated using the relative action spectrum of B. subtilis spores, as determined in this study, would be 66 mJ cm⁻².     

Synergistic effect of the sequential use of UV irradiation and chlorine to disinfect reclaimed water

The effectiveness of UV and chlorination, used individually and sequentially, was investigated in killing pathogenic microorganisms and inhibiting the formation of disinfection by-products in two different municipal wastewaters for the source water of reclaimed water, which were from a microfilter (W1) and membrane bioreactor (W2) respectively. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC), total bacteria count (TBC), and total coliform (TC) were selected to evaluate the efficiency of different disinfection processes. UV inactivation of the three bacteria followed first-order kinetics in W1 wastewater, but in W2 wastewater, the UV dose-response curve trailed beyond approximately 10 mJ/cm² UV. The higher number of particles in the W2 might have protected the bacteria against UV damage, as UV light alone was not effective in killing HPC in W2 wastewater with higher turbidity. However, chlorine was more effective in W2 than in W1 for the three bacteria inactivation owing to the greater formation of inorganic and organic chloramines in W1 wastewater. Complete inactivation of HPC in W1 wastewater required a chlorine dose higher than 5.5 mg/L, whereas 4.5 mg/L chlorine gave the equivalent result in W2 wastewater. In contrast, sequential UV and chlorine treatment produced a synergistic effect in both wastewater systems and was the most effective option for complete removal of all three bacteria. UV disinfection lowered the required chlorine dose in W1, but not in W2, because of the higher chlorine consumption in W2 wastewater. However, UV irradiation decreased total trihalomethane formation during chlorination in both wastewaters.     

Adsorption, sedimentation, and inactivation of E. coli within wastewater treatment wetlands

Bacteria fate and transport within constructed wetlands must be understood if engineered wetlands are to become a reliable form of wastewater treatment. This study investigated the relative importance of microbial treatment mechanisms in constructed wetlands treating both domestic and agricultural wastewater. Escherichia coli (E. coli) inactivation, adsorption, and settling rates were measured in the lab within two types of wastewater (dairy wastewater lagoon effluent and domestic septic tank effluent). In situ E. coli inactivation was also measured within a domestic wastewater treatment wetland and the adsorption of E. coli was also measured within the wetland effluent.Inactivation of E. coli appears to be the most significant contributor to E. coli removal within the wastewaters and wetland environments examined in this study. E. coli survived longer within the dairy wastewater (DW) compared to the domestic wastewater treatment wetland water (WW). First order rate constants for E. coli inactivation within the WW in the lab ranged from 0.09 day⁻¹ (d⁻¹) at 7.6 °C to 0.18 d⁻¹ at 22.8 °C. The average in situ rate constant observed within the domestic wetland ranged from 0.02 d⁻¹ to 0.03 d⁻¹ at an average water temperature of 17 °C. First order rate constants for E. coli inactivation within the DW ranged from 0.01 d⁻¹ at 7.7 °C to 0.04 d⁻¹ at 24.6 °C. Calculated distribution coefficients (K_d) were 19,000 mL g⁻¹, 324,000 mL g⁻¹, and 293 mL g⁻¹ for E. coli with domestic septic tank effluent (STE), treated wetland effluent (WLE), and DW, respectively. Approximately 50%, 20%, and 90% of E. coli were “free floating” or associated with particles <5 μm in size within the STE, WLE, and DW respectively. Although 10-50% of E. coli were found to associate with particles >5 μm within both the STE and DW, settling did not appear to contribute to E. coli removal within sedimentation experiments, indicating that the particles the bacteria were associated with had very small settling velocities.The results of this study highlight the importance of wastewater characterization when designing a treatment wetland system for bacterial removal. This study illustrated the level of variability in E. coli removal processes that can be observed within different wastewater, and wetland environments.     

紫外消毒出水的微生物光复活及其控制技术

污水厂出水经紫外线（UV）消毒后在排放过程中会出现微生物的复活现象，为此考察了采用UV-氯和UV-过氧乙酸（PAA）控制光复活的效果。经研究发现：在UV照射剂量为5．4mJ／cm^2、投氯量为2．5mg／L、反应时间为10min和UV照射剂量为5．4mJ／cm^2、过氧乙酸投量为10mg／L、反应时间为10min的条件下，对大肠菌群的灭活率均可达4个对数级以上，并能控制光复活现象。从消毒稳定性、经济适用性、安全毒副性等方面考虑，可采用UV—PAA作为污水厂出水消毒及抑制光复活的技术。     

UV/H2O2 treatment of drinking water increases post-chlorination DBP formation

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has become popular as a primary disinfectant because it is very effective against Cryptosporidium and does not directly form regulated disinfection by-products. Higher UV doses and UV advanced oxidation (UV/H₂O₂) processes are under consideration for the treatment of trace organic pollutants (e.g. pharmaceuticals, personal care products). Despite the disinfection effectiveness of UV light, a secondary disinfectant capable of maintaining a distribution system residual is required to meet current U.S. regulation. This study investigated changes in disinfection by-product (DBP) formation attributed to UV or UV/H₂O₂ followed by application of free chlorine to quench hydrogen peroxide and provide residual disinfectant. At a UV dose of 1000 mJ/cm², trihalomethane (THM) yield increased by up to 4 μg/mg-C and 13 μg/mg-C when treated with low and medium pressure UV, respectively. With the addition of hydrogen peroxide, THM yield increased by up to 25 μg/mg-C (5 mg-H₂O₂/L) and 37 μg/mg-C (10 mg-H₂O₂/L). Although no changes in DBPs are expected during UV disinfection, application of UV advanced oxidation followed by chlorine addition was assessed with regard to impacts on DBP formation.     

Validation of medium-pressure UV disinfection reactors by Lagrangian actinometry using dyed microspheres

Lagrangian actinometry (LA) has been demonstrated to represent an alternative to conventional biodosimetry for validation of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems used in drinking water treatment. However, previous applications of LA for this purpose have all involved monochromatic (λ = 254 nm) UV reactor systems. To address this issue, dyed microspheres (DMS) were applied for quantification of dose distribution delivery by field-scale UV reactor systems based on medium-pressure Hg lamp (MP) technology. These MP reactor systems are characterized by polychromatic output. Dose distribution estimates developed by LA for these reactors were reported as equivalent 254 nm distributions. When combined with the UV₂₅₄ dose-response behavior for challenge organisms used in simultaneous or parallel biodosimetry experiments, the dose distribution estimates developed from the microspheres yielded estimates of challenge organism inactivation that were in agreement with measured values. For one of the reactors tested, biodosimetry tests were conducted with two challenge organisms that had different UV dose-response behavior; UV dose distribution estimates from LA yielded predictions of microbial inactivation that were in agreement with measured inactivation responses for both challenge organisms for all test conditions. It is likely that the agreement between LA results and biodosimetry data was related, in part, to the agreement between the action spectra of the microspheres and the challenge organisms. Because LA yields a measure of the UV dose distribution delivered by a reactor, the information from LA assays will eliminate many sources of uncertainty in the design and operation of UV systems, thereby allowing for implementation of UV reactor systems that are less expensive than their predecessors, yet more reliable.     

Evaluating UV/H2O2 processes for methyl tert-butyl ether and tertiary butyl alcohol removal: effect of pretreatment options and light sources

In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of UV/H₂O₂ process to remove methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE) and tertiary butyl alcohol (tBA) from a drinking water source. Kinetic models were used to evaluate the removal efficiency of the UV/H₂O₂ technologies with different pretreatment options and light sources. Two commercial UV light sources, i.e. low pressure, high intensity lamps and medium pressure, high intensity lamps, were evaluated. The following pretreatment alternatives were evaluated: (1) ion exchange softening with seawater regeneration (NaIX); (2) Pellet Softening; (3) weak acid ion exchange (WAIX); and (4) high pH lime softening followed by reverse osmosis (RO). The presence or absence of a dealkalization step prior to the UV/H₂O₂ Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) was also evaluated for each pretreatment possibility.Pretreatment has a significant impact on the performance of UV/H₂O₂ process. The NaIX with dealkalization was shown to be the most cost effective. The electrical energy per order (EEO) values for MtBE and tBA using low pressure high output UV lamps (LPUV) and 10 mg/L H₂O₂ are 0.77 and 3.0 kWh/kgal-order, or 0.20 and 0.79 kWh/m³-order, respectively. For medium pressure UV high output lamps (MPUV), EEO values for MtBE and tBA are 4.6 and 15 kWh/kgal-order, or 1.2 and 4.0 kWh/m³-order, for the same H₂O₂ dosage.     

Degradation of 40 selected pharmaceuticals by UV/H2O2

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in source waters is increasing. Although UV advanced oxidation is known to be an effective barrier against micropollutants, degradation rates are only available for limited amounts of pharmaceuticals. Therefore, the degradation of a large group of pharmaceuticals has been studied in this research for the UV/H₂O₂ process under different conditions, including pharmaceuticals of which the degradation by UV/H₂O₂ was never reported before (e.g., metformin, paroxetine, pindolol, sotalol, venlafaxine, etc.). Monochromatic low pressure (LP) and polychromatic medium pressure (MP) lamps were used for three different water matrices. In order to have well defined hydraulic conditions, all experiments were conducted in a collimated beam apparatus. Degradation rates for the pharmaceuticals were determined. For those compounds used in this research that are also reported in literature, measured degradation results are in good agreement with literature data. Pharmaceutical degradation for only photolysis with LP lamps is small, which is increased by using a MP lamp. Most of the pharmaceuticals are well removed when applying both UV (either LP or MP) and H₂O₂. However, differences in degradation rates between pharmaceuticals can be large. For example, ketoprofen, prednisolone, pindolol are very well removed by UV/H₂O₂, whereas metformin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide are very little removed by UV/H₂O₂.     

MBR出水的紫外线消毒试验研究

考察了紫外线（UV）对MBR出水中微生物的灭活情况，以及光活化和暗修复对细菌灭活效果的影响。结果表明：UV对MBR出水中的微生物具有良好的灭活效果，当UV剂量为16mJ／cm^2时，对细菌的对数灭活率为3-lg；在相同的UV剂量下，不同UV强度对细菌的灭活效果无显著影响；经UV消毒后的细菌在3h内未出现明显的暗修复现象，但在日光灯和太阳光辐射下可发生明显的光活化现象，且不同光源下的光活化速率和达到饱和的时间有所不同。