Users avoid expensive modifications to bring systems in line with current guidelines

The International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA) working group has released a new communication related to low wavelength, medium pressure disinfection. Current users of Berson UV systems have found that their equipment is already in compliance, while other installations have selected Berson to help them avoid the uncertainty factors to account for low UV wavelengths.

Berson UV Systems Comply with IUVA, AWWA and DVGW Guidelines for Municipal Water

According to the document, legislators and engineers are now recommending the application of a correction factor for municipal drinking water medium-pressure UV systems to compensate for the effects of wavelengths less than 240nm. Pathogen surrogates used for testing have proven to react differently than actual target pathogens to these low wavelengths. Therefore, previous validation testing and modelling may have overestimated inactivation of harmful target pathogens.

While Berson systems have always blocked wavelengths less than 240nm with the use of type-240 quartz sleeves, users of similar medium pressure systems not in compliance will be required to re-evaluate system sizing and possibly make costly modifications or purchase new equipment. Berson’s 240-type quartz sleeves also comply with DVGW (Germany) standards requiring low wavelength blockage to prevent nitrite formation.

Since the Low Wavelength Document was published, Berson has won a number of new medium pressure UV system projects where owners are adding UV treatment for disinfection of cryptosporidium and giardia.

Berson’s type-240 quartz sleeves are used in the company’s InLine+ medium pressure, closed vessel UV disinfection system. The InLine+ is simple to install and features virtually maintenance-free operation with a standard automatic quartz sleeve wiping system and variable power ballast output. It is 3rd party–validated and conforms to the DVGW standards, the USEPA drinking water guidelines, the NWRI reuse guidelines and has also has NSF approval.

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Berson helping Bathurst Regional Council recover up to 10% of its water supply

Berson has supplied an InLine+ UV disinfection system to a supernatant recycling system used in the filtration plant of Bathurst Regional Council’s recycling system in New South Wales, Australia.

Berson Supplies UV Disinfection Technology to Australian Supernatant Recycling System

Photo: http://www.halmapr.com/berson/bathurst-uv.jpg

Supplied by Berson’s Australian distributor CST Wastewater Solutions and installed by TWS (Ted Wilson & Sons) of Blayney, the recycling system recovers and disinfects the filter backwash water at the plant and will help the town conserve its potable water supplies as well and provide substantial water savings over the long term.

Serving a population of about 37,000, Bathurst’s water filtration plant currently has a water treatment capacity of 60,000 m3 per day. The filter backwash water, a by-product of the reverse flushing of the sand filters in the filtration plant, is discharged into the system’s three sludge lagoons, along with sludge from the sedimentation tank. Previously the supernatant from the sludge lagoons was eventually decanted from the lagoons and discharged.

Disinfection of backwash supernatant, which is the clear liquid that collects above the sediment, can recover up to 10% of raw water supply while also avoiding the need for discharge flows into river systems.

The new system involved the construction of a supernatant pumping station to enable the automatic recycling of supernatant from the sludge lagoons into an in-ground well, and then into the first chamber of the rapid mix tank.

The water to be recovered at the present annual water consumption of about 6,000,000 m3 could be as much as 192,000 m3 per year with overall water to be saved estimated to be 13,000,000 m3 over 50 years.

The contractor installed two submersible motor pumps for the pumping station at the in-ground well in addition to an electrical switchboard at the pumping well and other associated equipment, including a level control for the pumps and lifting chains for raising and lowering them for maintenance.

The Berson UV disinfection system was fitted between the pumping station and the rapid mix tank to disinfect the recycled water from the sludge lagoons before returning it to the rapid mix tank. The system fully disinfects up to a flow rate of 0.06 m3 per second and has a variable power control to enable the UV dosage to be adjustable to suit operating conditions. A PLC/SCADA telemetry system was installed to automatically or remotely control the operation of the recycle pumps and the UV system.

According to Michael Bambridge, Managing Director of CST Wastewater Solutions, though the process is not widely used in Australia, backwash supernatant disinfection can help recover up to 10% of the raw supply, which reduces the demand on the water storage system and avoids the need for waste flows into the river system.

Importantly, UV disinfection is effective against Cryptosporidium and Giardia, which could be present in the backwash water. Mr Bambridge adds that the new generation Berson SUMMIT lamps are more efficient than earlier lamps and a have a longer life with Berson’s power control system.

The supernatant recycling project at Bathurst Regional Council was partially funded by the Australian Government’s Water for the Future initiative through the National Water Security for Cities and Towns programme.

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UV disinfection specialist Berson UV-techniek (www.bersonuv.com) will be represented at the Netherland Pavilion at this year’s IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition in Busan, South Korea. Organised by the International Water Association (IWA), the high-profile event attracts thousands of water professionals and organisations from across the globe.

“The IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition attracts some of the most influential figures in the global water industry,” comments Berson’s Managing Director Paul Buijs. “Over 5,000 delegates and 1,500 trade visitors are expected to attend the Busan event, and as we are leaders in the use of UV for water and wastewater treatment, we consider it important to be there. We believe that the unique combination of congress and trade fair makes IWA 2012 the ideal platform for us to present our UV technologies and latest research findings, particularly in the areas of water and wastewater reuse,” added Paul.

Berson’s booth will be located in the Netherlands Water Pavilion, which will also feature many of Holland’s other leading water companies. Holland is one of the nations most at risk from the environmental effects of climate change so, not surprisingly, it is also one of the most forward-thinking in terms of environmental technology.

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UV disinfection specialist Berson UV-techniek recently won the “2011-2012 Top Ten Brand in Water Disinfection Equipment” award at a ceremony in Beijing, China. It is the second time Berson has won the award.

Mr Mark Cui, Berson’s China Sales Manager, with the Top Ten Brand award

(Mr Mark Cui, Berson’s China Sales Manager, with the Top Ten Brand award)

Based on the Annual Satisfaction Index of Water Disinfection Equipment, it is widely regarded as one of the most authoritative and influential awards in the water treatment industry in China.

Based in the Netherlands with installations worldwide, Berson is world leader in water disinfection technology. Its closed-vessel UV systems are now capable of treating water and wastewater flows as high as 8,000 m3/hour.

The company manufactures UV disinfection systems for municipal drinking water, wastewater and reuse applications and is one of the few non-German UV system suppliers capable of providing a complete range of UV systems certified by the German DVGW* norm, the highest standard currently possible in the world. The company’s UV systems are also certified by USEPA** and NWRI*** and NSF****.

Commenting on the award, Mr. Mark Cui, Berson’s China Sales Manager, said: “With the improvement of water quality standards in China, the importance of UV disinfection for water treatment has become much more important. The technology now widely recognized within the industry and has become popular for waterworks renovation projects in China.”

* DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water – www.dvgw.de) is the body responsible for industry self-regulation in the German water and gas and water supply industry and its technical rules are the basis for safety and reliability.

** USEPA UV Disinfection Guidance Manual (http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/disinfection/lt2/pdfs/guide_lt2_uvguidance.pdf).

*** National Water Research Institute (www.nwri-usa.org).

**** NSF International (www.nsf.org) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides standards development, product certification, auditing, education and risk management for public health and the environment.

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UV disinfection specialist Berson UV-techniek is celebrating 40 years at the forefront of UV technology at the IFAT Entsorga trade fair in Munich this May. IFAT Entsorga is the world’s leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management. Berson will be located at booth number A3.401.

Berson’s compact new Cyclops UV system

On show will be a transparent model of Berson’s InLine 1000+ UV system, showing the UV lamp and the automatic wiper system. Also on show will be the compact Cyclops UV unit, which is designed to be installed in tight spaces or where piping is mounted close to a wall, such as ground water treatment stations or mobile disinfection stations. The company will also be showing new UV technology for drinking water and wastewater disinfection.

Berson specialises in UV disinfection technology for municipal water and wastewater applications. Its closed-vessel UV systems are capable of treating water and wastewater flows as high as 8,000 m3/hour.

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Berson UV-techniek is celebrating 40 years at the forefront of UV technology at the Aqua Nederland Vakbeurs exhibition in Gorinchem, between on March 20-22. The company will be located at booth number 245.

Sylvester the owl, representing 40 years of wisdom in UV from Berson

(Photo caption: Sylvester the owl, representing 40 years of wisdom in UV)

On show will be a transparent model of Berson’s InLine 1000+ UV system, showing the UV lamp and the automatic wiper system. Also on show will be the compact Cyclops UV unit, which is designed to be installed in tight spaces or where piping is mounted close to a wall, such as ground water treatment stations or mobile disinfection stations.

The booth will also be graced by Sylvester the owl. Representing 40 years of ‘wisdom in UV’, he is very friendly and visitors are invited to come along and met him!

Berson specialises in UV disinfection technology for municipal water and wastewater applications. Its closed-vessel UV systems are capable of treating water and wastewater flows as high as 5000 m3/hour.

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Berson UV systems disinfect effluent before discharge into Desna River

Berson has supplied two of its InLine+ UV disinfection systems to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the city of Chernihiv (population 350,000), north-east of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital. The Berson UV systems disinfect effluent prior to its discharge into the Desna River.

Berson supplies UV disinfection technology to Ukrainian wastewater treatment plant

“Disinfection is necessary to meet Ukrainian bathing water standards and also to prevent effluent with high microbial loads of pathogenic viruses, parasites and bacteria entering the Desna River, which is also the main water supply for many communities downstream, including Kiev,” commented Chernihiv’s waterworks director, Sergey Shkin.

“Chemical disinfection with chlorine was not an option as we wanted to avoid unpleasant disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and Halogenated Acetic Acids (HAAs), which are produced when chlorine reacts with the organic compounds in wastewater. Furthermore, as chlorine is a dangerous gas, additional safety measures are required to comply with rules for its transport and storage and for worker safety – these all carry additional costs.  These factors, together with the fact that many dangerous bacteria and parasites, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, are resistant to chlorine, meant we opted for UV technology instead”, he added.

UV disinfection has none of the drawbacks of chlorination – it is completely chemical-free, and produces no unpleasant by-products. It is also simple to operate and maintain.

Chernihiv waterworks selected two Berson InLine 16000 systems, operating in parallel mode. Each UV chamber is equipped with 12 automatically-wiped medium pressure Multiwave® UV lamps and can treat effluent at a flow rate of 2000 m3/h (4000 m3/h in total).  Because of the InLine design of the closed treatment chambers, they have low headloss and are also very compact with a small overall footprint, allowing them to be installed in a very small building. The incoming effluent is gravity-driven.

“We were very impressed by the very compact set-up of the Berson systems,” continued Mr Shkin. “This, together with all the other benefits already described, and also because many other Ukrainian drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities have already installed Berson UV units, helped make our decision to choose Berson.

“Added to this, the fact that the Berson systems are closed and are equipped with automatic wipers means our employees don’t come into contact with the wastewater or the UV from the lamps – this is an additional important safety consideration. Finally, as the UV chambers are very compact with low headloss, we are able to save on construction and pumping costs.”

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UV disinfection specialist Berson has launched its new Cyclops UV disinfection system. The compact, single-ended UV system has a 35% smaller footprint than Berson’s larger InLine UV systems, on which it is based, allowing it to be installed in tight spaces or where piping is mounted close to a wall, such as ground water treatment stations or mobile disinfection units.

Berson launching compact Cyclops UV disinfection system at Aquatech

The single-ended design also means the Cyclops is operator-friendly and can be maintained without requiring any tools: changing a UV lamp takes just two minutes; replacing a quartz tube only takes five minutes; while replacing the entire interior (including the wiper) can be completed in only 15 minutes.

Instead of using screws, all connections utilise snap connectors, while high pressure wing nuts replace conventional nuts, allowing hand-tightening. Both of these features simplify and dramatically speed up routine maintenance. In addition, the wiper is not fitted with a magnet, which prevents iron accumulation. Instead of using a magnet, the wiper has a position indicator sensor mounted on the outside.

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UV and H2O2 combine in an AOP-process to destroy pharmaceutical compounds

Berson’s medium pressure UV systems are being used in a trial in the Netherlands to treat hospital wastewater prior to discharge. In the trial, UV is applied in combination with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to generate OH- radicals in a so-called “Advanced Oxidation Process” (AOP). The very reactive OH- radicals attack the pharmaceutical residues in the wastewater, breaking them down into H2O, CO2 and harmless metabolites.

The Berson UV system installed at Isala Hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands. The UV system is being used in a trial to treat hospital wastewater prior to discharge

Photo: http://www.halmapr.com/berson/Zwolle.jpg (700 KB)
(Caption: The Berson UV system installed at Isala Hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands. The UV system is being used in a trial to treat hospital wastewater prior to discharge)

Like all hospitals, the wastewater from the Isala Hospital in Zwolle, the Netherlands, contains elevated levels of X-ray contrast compounds and various other pharmaceutical residues.

Prior to UV/ H2O2 treatment the complete wastewater stream is pre-treated in a membrane bioreactor (MBR). The wastewater then passes through a Berson InLine medium pressure UV system, into which specific amounts of H2O2 are injected. The treated wastewater is then discharged as treated sewage into the municipal sewage system.

This is the first full-scale trial for the treatment of hospital wastewater in Europe and is part of the Europe-wide PILLS project, which is investigating which treat¬ment methods are best suited to eliminate pharmaceutical residues from hospital wastewater. At present wastewater plants are not able to remove pharmaceutical residues from their wastewater.

Even though it is unclear what effects these residues have on the water habitat, studies have shown that there is a link between elevated levels of substances such as the hormone ethinylestradiol, which is contained in con¬traceptive pills, and the reproductive rate of fish. The removal of these and other potentially harmful compounds is therefore a priority.

“The pilot plant is going well and Waterschap Groot-Salland, the local water authority which runs the project, has given me very good feedback so far,” said Berson’s European Sales Manager about the installation. “An additional benefit of this system is that it requires high doses of UV which is extremely effective at destroying any microorganisms present in the wastewater,” he added.

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UV disinfection specialist Berson has appointed Mark Cui as its Area Sales Manager for China. In his new role he will be responsible for developing the UV disinfection market for Berson in China as well as managing the company’s growing distributor network.

Mark Cui

Mark has strong technical background in municipal drinking water treatment, wastewater treatment and water reclamation. He is also very familiar with the water market in developing countries.

Commenting on his appointment Mark said: “I want to raise Berson’s profile in China and increase sales of the company’s world-leading UV disinfection technology to this huge market. I also want to ensure that we continue to provide excellent and comprehensive technical support and after-sales service to our Chinese customers.”

Mark has a Bachelor’s degree from the Department of Drinking Water and Sewage Treatment at the Beijing University of Technology. After graduating he worked for the Urban Drainage Branch and the Public Relations Department of the Beijing Drainage Group. Following that he developed his knowledge and experience in the field of sanitary engineering by obtaining a Master’s degree at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands.

“Mark is a significant addition to our sales force and is sure to play a significant role in our continued expansion in China,” commented Paul Buijs, Berson’s Managing Director.

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