Berson UV News - from Halma PR - visit www.bersonuv.com

Author: Oliver Lawal, Director of Technology, Berson UV-techniek

Introduction

UV disinfection technology is one of the fastest growing water treatment technologies today.  The development of new UV technologies over this period has been a perfect example of an industry investing to meet market demand – in this case demand for an effective, low cost, and environmentally friendly disinfection technology. An increasing awareness of harmful disinfection byproducts from traditional chemical disinfection solutions, combined with technological advances in component design and manufacture, process control, hydraulics and microbiology have resulted in UV systems that are as reliable and cost efficient as their chemical equivalents.  With the implementation of standard methods for the testing, design and operation of UV systems have now given the technology the transparency needed for wide scale adoption globally.

With a mandate to ensure public water systems provide safe drinking water to their users, many governmental regulatory bodies around the world have adopted UV disinfection standards.  The vast majority of these drinking water standards reference either the German UV Devices for the Disinfection for Drinking water Supply standard, commonly known as DVGW (Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas und Wassserfaches), or the US Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual for the Final Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule standard, known as the UVDGM (Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual).

While the goal of both standards is to ensure safe drinking water, their approach and  outcomes, in terms of operating equipment, is very different. An understanding of these two approaches, their similarities and differences, is therefore helpful to designers, regulators and users alike.

Overview of the DVGW Standard

The German Gas and Water Association (DGVW) first published UV guidelines in 1994, following up with more formal regulations in 1997.  The most recent update, known as Work Sheet 94, issued in 2006, has been implemented as part of the German Drinking Water regulations, thus making compliance a legal requirement in Germany. Along with similar standards established in Austria (ÖNorm 2001 and ÖNorm 2003), these standards are recognized throughout the world and form the basis of many other national standards.

The core ethos of the DVGW (and ÖNorm) standard is that a UV system should be proven to continuously deliver a minimum germicidal fluence of 40mJ/cm2 under all operational conditions. The measured UV Intensity must therefore remain above a specified value for all ranges of flow and UV- transmittance that will occur during operation. The justification for selecting 40mJ/cm2 as an appropriate UV fluence level is based upon the knowledge that many harmful pathogens can be inactivated up to a level of 4-log by exposure to a UV fluence of 40mJ/cm2 (see figure 1).

Figure 1: UV Fluence requirements to ensure 4-log inactivation of multiple pathogens

So as to ensure that a given UV system is able to provide the 40mJ/cm2 disinfection level, the DVGW standard defines a detailed microbiological examination method, or bioassay.  Tests are performed by simulating operating conditions at full scale using B. subtillis spores as a pathogenic surrogate. Subsequent operating UV systems must be constructed and operated under identical conditions, ensuring that at least one fixed UV sensor continuously monitors the germicidal radiation, ensuring it remains above the specified minimum.

The structure of the DVGW standard, shown in Table 1, allows different stakeholders to easily access the information they require. Operators and engineers can look to Part 1 to assist with the planning of both technical and commercial factors of UV systems. The information in Parts 2 and 3, on the other hand, provides manufacturers, testing agencies and regulators valuable details regarding design and validation.

Table 1: Structure of the DVGW standard

One key benefit of the latest DVGW standard is that is harmonizes the allowed UV sensor types with the Austrian standard (although specific sensor calibration processes are yet to be fully implemented).

Some people have pointed to the lack of targeting of specific pathogens as a limiting factor to the implementation of this standard. In addition, as some pathogens, such a Cryptosporidium and Giardia, are inactivated at significantly lower UV fluence levels than 40 mJ/cm2, the capital and operational costs of DVGW compliant UV systems can be high for very large flows. On the plus side, while still keeping the 40mJ/cm2 disinfection level, the 2006 DVGW standard does allow for the generation of performance curves, allowing the operator to limit energy wasting overdosing situations.

The DVGW standard has formed the backbone of drinking water regulations worldwide for almost 15 years and despite of its limitations, it will continue to provide valuable information to operators, engineers, manufacturers and regulators with regards to the design, testing and operation of UV systems for the protection of public drinking water supplies.

Overview of USEPA UVDGM Guideline

While the German DVGW standard states its validity for all water disinfection facilities using UV treatment and covers a broad range of target pathogens, the USEPA’s Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual (UVDGM) is more limited in its scope. It is specifically designed to cover all public water systems that use UV disinfection for the treatment of surface water (or groundwater under the direct influence of surface water). More specifically it assists with the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2ESWTR), requiring additional treatment based on source water Cryptosporidium concentrations and current treatment practices, where UV disinfection is one treatment option. 
 
In summary, the UVDGM outlines how compliance to the very specific inactivation targets for specific pathogens can be achieved, in accordance with the water source and existing treatment employed. Table 2, (Table 1.4 within the UVDGM) shows the specific UV dose requirements for the specifically targeted pathogens.

Table 2: Summary of Microbial and Disinfection Byproduct Rules

One of the core premises of the UVDGM is that UV drinking water systems should be designed, tested and operated in accordance with the targeting of specific pathogens. As such it approaches equipment validation, sizing and operation in a different way than the DVGW standard. The choice of a surrogate test microorganism is not specified. Instead, uncertainty factors are used to account for differences in dose response characteristics.  Additional uncertainty factors are used to account for further experimental variations as well as for UV sensors.

As with the DVGW standard, the UVDGM guideline structures information in order to allow stakeholders ease of access (see Table 3). The threefold stated objectives are summarized as follows:

- Provide operators and designers technical information on selecting, designing and operating compliant UV installations
- Provide tools and guidance to regulators in assessing UV installations throughout design, start-up and operation
- Provide manufacturers and testing agencies standards for design and validation.

Table 3: Structure of the UVDGM

The UVDGM does recognize both the German DVGW and Austrian ÖNorm standards, granting compliant UV systems a 3-log Cryptosporidium and Giardia inactivation credit.  In practice, however, such systems are over-sized when compared with those that have undergone specific UVDGM validation testing.

The equipment validation and operational verification methods outlined in the UVDGM provide a robust, transparent basis for public drinking water UV systems targeting specific pathogens. Together with the draft 2003 guidelines, they have driven the expansion of the use of UV as a safe disinfection technology both in the US and, increasingly, globally. 

Summary

Expanding their influence beyond their national borders, both the German DVGW standard and the USEPA UVDGM have played important parts in helping UV disinfection technology become one of the fastest growing water treatment technologies globally.

Although both standards seek to improve the safety of public water supplies, the latest revisions of the two methods take different approaches, with significant differences in the subsequent capital and operating costs, even when comparing identical UV system designs.

It is hoped that by explaining the similarities and differences, both technical and commercial, this article provides stakeholders with much useful information for the planning, designing, validating and operating UV systems for drinking water applications. 

References:

1. DVGW (2006).  UV Devices for the Disinfection for Drinking water Supply – Parts 1, 2 and Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas und Wassserfaches, Bonn, Germany.

2. USEPA (2006). Ultraviolet Disinfection Guidance Manual for the Final Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.  EPA 815-R-06-007. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC, USA.

Kolch, Andreas (2007).  UV Disinfection of Drinking Water – the new  DVGW Work Sheet 94 Parts 1-3.  IUVA News, Volume 9/No.2, June

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Bersons’ InLine+ serie van middendruk UV-reactoren is de eerste in de wereld die een officiële validatie voor afvalwaterhergebruik heeft verkregen. Na een intensief 3e partij onderzoek door Carollo Engineers in de USA, zijn de reactoren formeel goedgekeurd voor voor toepassing na filtratie en/of  RO van behandeld afvalwater door het California Department of Public Health (de zgn. “title-22-validation”) en goedgekeurd voor afvalwater hergebruik conform de richtlijnen van het Amerikaanse AwwaRF en NWRI (1) .

Al enkele tientallen jaren wordt afvalwater hergebruikt, met name in de USA, waar reeds veel onderzoek op dit gebied is uitgevoerd en validatieprotocollen zijn opgesteld. Vanwege de verdrogingsproblematiek, is hergebruik van afvalwater (in feite “2e hands kraanwater”) een belangrijk thema geworden in droge streken zoals het zuiden en westen van de USA, mediterrane landen, het midden-oosten, Australie en Azie, waar grootschalige projecten voor afvalwater-hergebruik worden gepland en in uitvoering zijn.

Sinds lange tijd is chloreren de meest gebruikte methode van afvalwater desinfectie tbv hergebruik geweest. Hoewel chloreren en andere chemische desinfectiemethodes effectief zijn gebleken, wordt door toenemende zorgen over de vorming van desinfectie-bijprodukten (DBP’s  zoals TriHaloMethanen), toegenomen resistentie van diverse pathogene organismen (zoals Cryptosporidium en Giardia) tegen chemische desinfectie en aangescherpte ARBO-richtlijnen t.a.v. transport en opslag van chemische producten,  steeds vaker overgeschakeld op alternatieve technieken, zoals fysische desinfectie met  UV-licht.

De Berson InLine UV-reactoren zijn eenvoudig te installeren in reeds bestaande leidingsystemen, dus er zijn weinig aanpassingen in een pomp- of waterbehandelings-station benodigd. De bedrijfsvoering is eenvoudig en onderhoud is, vanwege de toepassing van een kleiner aantal middendruk UV-lampen, minimaal. Bij continubedrijf is het slechts eenmaal per jaar nodig de UV-lampen en wisser-ringen te vernieuwen. Dit is een eenvoudige operatie die door het reguliere personeel zelfstandig en in korte tijd kan worden uitgevoerd.

Het toepassingsgebied voor hergebruik van afvalwater is zeer breed en omvat bijna alle projecten waar water wordt gebruikt buiten de toepassing als drinkwater. De meest omvangrijke afvalwater hergebruikprojecten betreffen landbouw-irrigatie en verwante toepassingen zoals golfterreinen, (sport)parken, fonteinen en gazons. Hergebruikt afvalwater wordt ook toegepast voor aanvulling van grondwatervoorraden (zgn. ASR -Aquifer Storage and Recovery- projecten) en preventieprojecten tegen grondwaterverzilting in kustgebieden. Andere toepassingsgebieden van hergebruikt water betreffen toiletspoeling, bluswater, fundamentstabilisatie in de bouw en produktie van kunstsneeuw. In al deze toepassingen voorkomt een verdere aanslag op de produktie en voorraden van drinkwater.

“Wij zijn enorm trots op het behalen van deze belangrijke validatie” vertelt Berson’s Managing Director Andrew Clark. Onze innovatieve technologie gebruikt UV-sensoren die het UV-desinfectieproces continu bewaken, bijregelen en onze klanten direct informeren over de desinfectie-resultaten. Dit maakt een goede controle mogelijk van het desinfectieproces bij een zo efficiënt mogelijk energiegebruik, vooral vergeleken met bestaande methoden, waarbij door toepassing van grote veiligheids-factoren, een groter aantal lampen wordt gebruikt, veelal zonder wissysteem, dus met hogere onderhoudkosten en drukverlies, dus energieverbruik tot gevolg.”

1. American Water Works Research Foundation (www.waterresearchfoundation.org) en het Amerikaanse  National Water Reserach Institute (www.nwri-usa.org)

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Berson’s InLine+ medium pressure, closed vessel UV systems are the first in the world to gain formal approval for wastewater reuse applications. Having undergone extensive third party testing by Carollo Engineers in the USA, they have been formally approved for post-filtration and reverse osmosis applications by the California Department of Public Health (Title-22 validation) and are now validated for wastewater reuse applications in accordance with AwwaRF/NWRI* guidelines. Berson’s UV systems are sold in North America by its sister company Aquionics Inc.

Wastewater reuse has been practiced in various forms for decades, with the USA leading the way in reuse research. It is now a major issue worldwide, with large areas of western and southern USA experiencing chronic water shortages. Large-scale reuse projects are now also being considered in other water-poor regions of the world such as Australia, Singapore, China and southern Europe.

The most common method of wastewater disinfection for reuse has long been chlorination. Despite chlorine’s impressive track record, concerns regarding disinfection by-products (DBPs) and, more recently, disinfection performance with respect to pathogen inactivation, are driving the conversion from chlorine disinfection to other disinfection methods such as UV, which does not produce any significant DBPs.

Closed vessel UV systems are easy to install within existing pipework, so there is minimal disruption to plant operation. Day to day operation is simple and maintenance is minor. The only regular requirement is changing the UV lamps and wiper rings once a year, a straightforward operation that can be carried out by on-site personnel.

Potential applications for wastewater reuse are extremely wide-ranging and include any instance where water is needed for non-potable use. The most popular and widespread use is for agricultural irrigation and for other irrigation applications such as golf courses, parks, fountains and lawns. Reclaimed wastewater is also used for groundwater recharge applications such as aquifer storage and recovery or preventing saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers. Other uses include toilet and urinal flushing, fire fighting, foundation stabilization in the construction industry and artificial snow generation. In all these applications, reused wastewater relieves the burden on existing potable supplies.

“We are extremely pleased that we have achieved this important validation,” commented Berson’s Managing Director Andrew Clark. “Our state-of-the-art technology uses UV sensors to actually measure how the UV systems are performing. This permits much greater control while saving energy, especially when compared to the existing methods of applying crude safety factors to systems that use high numbers of lamps or are unwiped.”

* American Water Works Research Foundation (www.waterresearchfoundation.org) / National Water Research Institute (www.nwri-usa.org)

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Berson UV-techniek introduceert dit voorjaar haar wereldleidende UV desinfectie technologie op de Internationale Beurs en Congres “Wasser Berlin” (standnr. 234 in Hal 2.2). De UV- systemen van Berson UV-Techniek worden over de hele wereld gebruikt voor het desinfecteren van drinkwater en afvalwater zonder gebruik van chemische desinfectie-middelen. 

Het in Nederland gevestigde Berson is gespecialiseerd in municipale toepassingen van haar UV-Technologie en zal haar InLine en InLine+ reeks van UV-reactoren tonen met capaciteiten tot 5000 m3/uur. Deze CFD-geoptimaliseerde UV-reactoren hebben een uniek ontwerp waarbij de middendruk UV- lampen onder een hoek van 90o dwars op de waterstroom staan. Dit garandeert niet alleen een effectievere verdeling en distributie van UV licht naar de passerende vloeistof, maar ook een zeer compacte bouw, waardoor installatie en onderhoud vergemakkelijkt worden. Veel InLine-reactoren zijn gevalideerd volgens de protocollen van DVGW, Ö-norm, US-EPA (drinkwater) en NWRI (afvalwaterdesinfectie).

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Berson UV-techniek will be exhibiting its world-leading UV disinfection technology at the Wasser Berlin International Trade Fair and Congress this spring. The company will be located at booth 234 in Hall 2.2. The company’s UV systems are used worldwide for the non-chemical disinfection of drinking water and wastewater.

Based in the Netherlands, Berson specialises in municipal applications and will be showing its InLine and InLine+ range of closed-vessel UV disinfection systems. Capable of treating water and wastewater flows as high as 5000 m3/hour, they have a unique design where the UV lamps are angled at 90o to the water flow. This not only means a more effective distribution of UV light to the passing fluid, it also means a much smaller footprint, allowing easy installation and servicing.

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UV Disinfection Specialist to Showcase World-Leading UV Disinfection Technology

UV (ultraviolet) disinfection specialist Berson UV-techniek will be exhibiting at the World Future Energy Summit, being held in Abu Dhabi in January. The company will be showcasing its world-leading UV disinfection technology, which is used worldwide for non-chemical disinfection of drinking water and wastewater.

“The summit is the largest meeting of the most influential figures in the renewable energy industry,” comments Berson’s International Area Sales Manager Simon Robb. “Water re-use is one of the themes of the summit, and as we are one of the leaders in the use of UV for water and wastewater re-use, we considered it important to be represented,” he added.

Berson’s booth will be located in the Netherlands 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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Berson UV-techniek, de in Nederland gevestigde specialist op het gebied van UV-disinfectie, heeft de heer Xander Lamers benoemd als haar nieuwe verkoopdirecteur. Hij krijgt verantwoordelijkheid voor het uitbreiden van de verkopen van Berson over de hele wereld, vooral in belangrijke markten in Azië zoals China en India.

Xander heeft meer dan 10 jaar ervaring op het gebied van de strategische marketing van op technologie gebaseerde producten, het opstellen van wereldwijde distributienetwerken en het uitbreiden van business door producteninnovatie en het verschaffen van systeemoplossingen. Hij heeft tot nu toe bij Schmitz Foam Products B.V. gewerkt, waar hij Exportmanager was voor elastische schuimproducten van deze firma voor de toepassingen op de constructie- en vrijetijdsmarkt.

Hij heeft een Bachelors graad in Technische Bedrijfskunde en een MBA van Webster University in St Louis, USA.

Bij wijze van commentaar op zijn benoeming zei Xander, “Er zijn op het ogenblik zoveel interessante ontwikkelingen en daarom verheug ik mij erop bij te dragen tot Berson’s voortdurende groei. Met onze sterke wetenschappelijke kennisbasis zijn we in staat om het gebruik van onze uitmuntende technologie op het gebied van UV waterbehandeling uit te breiden.”

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Berson UV-techniek, the Netherlands-based UV disinfection specialist, has appointed Mr Xander Lamers as its new Sales Director. He will be responsible for expanding Berson’s sales worldwide, especially in key Asian markets such as China and India.

Xander has over 10 years experience in the strategic marketing of technology-based products, setting up worldwide distributor networks and achieving business growth through product innovation and providing systems solutions. He joins Berson from Schmitz Foam products B.V. where he was Export Manager for the company’s elastic foam products for the construction and leisure markets.

He has a Bachelors Degree in Technical Business Administration from the University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands and an MBA from Webster University in St Louis, USA.

Commenting on his appointment Xander said, “With many exciting developments under way I am greatly looking forward to being part of Berson’s continuing growth. With our strong scientific knowledge base we are exceptionally well placed to expand the use of our world-beating UV water treatment technology.”

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Berson’s closed vessel, medium pressure UV disinfection technology has been selected by Goulburn Mulwaree Council in New South Wales, Australia, for an innovative effluent irrigation scheme. The scheme is one of a number of initiatives by the Council to conserve precious potable water.

Installed by Ted Willson and Sons Ltd and supplied by CST Wastewater Solutions, Berson’s Australian distributor, the pressurised, on-demand effluent irrigation scheme uses four Berson InLine UV chambers in two parallel trains of two chambers each. Each UV chamber contains 12 Berson 3.5kW medium pressure multi-wave lamps. The UV system can operate with either one twin train of chambers or both trains together, for flows up to 400 litres per second. A low-flow jacking pump system maintains the irrigation system pressure when there is no demand.

The original construction contract was to pump from the storage lagoon to an in-channel, low pressure UV treatment system, feeding to a second, storage tank. This would be followed by an on-demand pumped irrigation system. After a review, it was decided to opt for a more simple, innovative approach, using a pressurised, on-demand irrigation scheme and closed-vessel, medium pressure UV technology.

Pieter Groenewegen of CST comments: “Until now the Australian water and wastewater industry has been dominated by low pressure, in-channel UV systems, but increasingly designers and end-users are starting to appreciate the benefits of closed-vessel, medium pressure systems. Berson’s InLine medium pressure chambers allowed us to simplify the civil works and the whole installation. There have been big cost savings for the Council, with no need for large open channels, additional storage tanks and two pump stations, giving  lower construction and operating costs. These savings run into several hundred thousand dollars.”

According to Greg Finlayson, the Council’s Manager of Water Services, “We were already using effluent for irrigation, but the UV-treated effluent gave the Council more opportunities for reuse, as well as improving the quality of the water that eventually finds its way into the Wollondilly River, which is part of the Sydney water catchment.”

Marina Hollands, the Council’s Water and Waste Engineer, added, “The UV disinfection system is achieving a good microbial kill rate and the performance of the completed scheme is excellent.”

Under the original plans the storage pond embankment would have required significant reconstruction to fit a pump, wet well and large concrete channel for housing the low-pressure UV lamps. The new design did not require the embankment reconstruction or the concrete channel – the medium pressure UV units are all in-pipe so have a very compact footprint. The UV system also has many fewer lamps than a low-pressure alternative and is therefore much easier to maintain.

Unlike low pressure UV lamps, the multi-wave, medium pressure UV lamps used in Berson’s InLine chambers produce a broad spectrum of UV wavelengths which act on the whole microorganism, rather than just its DNA alone. This provides permanent deactivation by ensuring photoreactivation and dark repair of the microorganisms’ DNA cannot occur [1].

[1] It has been shown in independent tests that many microorganisms are able to repair themselves after exposure to UV from low pressure lamps, especially if they are subsequently exposed to sunlight, a process known as photoreactivation. Some can even repair themselves without the aid of sunlight, known as dark repair. (See: Hu J. Y.,  Chu, S. N.,  Quek, P. H., Feng, Y. Y.,  and Tan, X. L. (2005). Repair and regrowth of Escherichia coli after low- and medium-pressure ultraviolet disinfection. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, Vol. 5, No. 5, 101-108).

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Halma’s UV firma’s Berson UV-techniek en Hanovia Ltd gaan voor de eerste maal een stand delen op de Aquatech watertechnologie tentoonstelling van dit jaar in Amsterdam. De firma’s willen hun gezamenlijke sterkte tonen op het gebied van zowel de municipaal als de industriële waterbehandelingsmarkt, waar ze tot de wereldleiders behoren wat betreft UV- technologie.

Berson, uit Eindhoven in Nederland, specialiseert zich op het gebied van communale toepassingen en stelt zijn InLine® en InLine+ reeks gesloten reactor  UV- desinfectiesystemen tentoon. Berson is in staat om drink- en afvalwaterflows tot 5000 m3/uur te behandelen en hebben een uniek design met onder een hoek van 90o op de waterstroom geplaatste middendruk UV-lampen met hoge UV-output . Dit heeft niet alleen een veel effectievere distributie van UV-licht naar de passerende vloeistof tot gevolg, maar betekent ook een meer compacte installatie met installatie- en onderhoudsgemak tot gevolg.

Hanovia is gevestigd in Slough in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en specialiseert zich op toepassingen op het gebied van de industrie, aquacultuur en zwembaden. De firma toont een aantal nieuwe UV- systemen voor industriële toepassingen voor waterbehandeling bij de productie van voedingsmiddelen en dranken en hoge zuiverheidtoepassingen zoals  in de farmaceutische, chemische en elektronische industrie. De firma is geïnteresseerd poteniële distributeurs voor haar producten te ontmoeten.

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