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Pilot-scale evaluation of UV-LED treatment systems for disinfection of secondary municipal wastewater effluent
Citation:
Kim, H., S. Kim, S. Byun, H. Ryu, Y. Oh, H. Woo, AND Y. Shim. Pilot-scale evaluation of UV-LED treatment systems for disinfection of secondary municipal wastewater effluent. Presented at IUVA Americas Conference, Cincinnati, OH, September 26 - 28, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
Our observation reveals the high adaptability of UV-LEDs as a game changer for compliance with bio-stability goals. The results with practical applications provide information that will be useful to the water and wastewater industries and for practitioners in UV disinfection science and engineering.
Description:
In this study, we attempted to evaluate the feasibility of using ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) for the disinfection of municipal wastewater effluent. Multiple wavelength UV-LEDs, organic reflective materials, and innovative hydraulic designs for better performance of UV disinfection were employed. The on-site evaluation was conducted over 6 months using secondary treated wastewater from a local wastewater treatment plant in Seoul, Korea. The UV transmittance of the wastewater was constant (83±1%) during the evaluation period. Modularized UV-LED plates and custom reactors were designed and constructed. The active power draw required for UV-LEDs was 107 W, and the operating flow rate varied up to 100 m3/d. A dramatically improved performance was achieved with patented devices and designs for the UV-LED water treatment systems. Our results show a robust inactivation of total coliforms by 97¿99%, which successfully complies with discharge permit standards of 1,000 CFU/mL total coliforms in the effluent. The calculated energy consumption of UV-LEDs in the on-site evaluation was 0.025 kWh/m3, which was comparable to the lowest value of conventional low¿pressure lamps (0.026 to 0.066 kWh/m3) and was much lower than that of medium-pressure lamps (0.122 to 0.148 kWh/m3).