LED-UV Technology Explained

Main Benefits of UV Water Purification Systems

Eliminates 99.9% of Microorganisms

So long as the system is correctly applied and sized, UV water purification is capable of destroying 99.9%

of microorganisms in water, including viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

One example of such a virus is COVID-19 which UVC light effectively destroys.

Chemical Free Treatment

UV provides physical treatment without the use of harmful chemicals.

As a result, there is no risk of harmful disinfection byproducts being generated as with some forms of chemical treatment.

Efficient Pathogen Inactivation

UV is very effective against a wide range of waterborne pathogens such as coliform and E.coli bacteria.

This includes chlorine-resistant organisms such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Does not Affect the Colour or Taste of Water

UV treatment has no effect on the pH, taste, colour or smell of water.

It doesn’t add anything to it like chemical treatment processes do.

This makes it ideal for treating potable water as part of a single or multi-stage process.

Differences in UV Technology

UV Disinfection Systems are Based on Two Fundamental Principles

The Efficiency of the Ultraviolet Lamp

The Efficiency of the UV Chamber (Reactor) Design

Traditional UV Disinfection Technology

Conventional UV Systems use a mercury-based UV Lamp which generates heat when dosing UV Rays. The lamp generates radiation that creates UV light by striking an electric arc through low-pressure mercury vapor. These types of UV lamps emit a broad spectrum of radiation disinfecting bacteria and viruses in water rendering them inactive. An important part of this process is that the UV Lamp is protected by a Quartz Sleeve which prevents the water travelling through the UV Chamber from coming into contact with the electrically charged lamp. A second equally important process is that the UV rays properly pass through the quartz sleeve into the water. If the sleeve is fouled due to calcification, discoloration, hazing or sediment adherence, the impact of the ray can be diminished hindering the disinfection capacity of the UV system.

UV-LED UV Disinfection Technology

UV-LED water disinfection systems utilize deep-UV light-emitting-diodes (LED) instead of the mercury-based UV Lamp and are powered with a direct electrical current. Since a diode is the source for the UV Ray, there is no requirement for a UV Lamp or Quartz Sleeve as with traditional UV technology. Due to the unique properties of UV-C LEDs, fouling is much less of a concern as heat discharge is managed at the back of the system and not on the quartz lamp or sleeve where fouling occurs. “Instant on” LED technology allows for powering the LEDs only when water is flowing, thereby eliminating the heat build-up that results in the fouling often found in systems using permanently powered mercury lamps.