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Ultraviolet Water Filtration Systems
Ultraviolet (UV) technology has been used for more
than seven decades to eliminate disease-causing microorganisms,
primarily in industrial and commercial applications. Today; however, this
technology is gaining popularity in the residential sector because:
- It can be applied to almost any
water system.
- It adds no chemicals to the
water.
- It wastes no water.
- It's inexpensive to maintain.
To produce UV energy, electrical current stimulates mercury vapor held
between the electrodes of a fluorescent-like lamp. The most commonly used UV
lamp is a low pressure mercury vapor lamp with an energy output close to 265 nm
most effective at killing microbes. Germicidal UV lamps are made with "hard
glass" quartz which transmits 92 percent of UV energy far more than
alternative materials.
Waterborne diseases may be caused by a wide variety of pathogenic
microorganisms. Most are made up of a cell wall, a cytoplasm membrane and a
DNA-bearing nucleic acid. Microbes are destroyed when UV light penetrates the
cell wall and cytoplasm membrane and is absorbed by the nucleic acids. The UV
energy rearranges DNA molecules by permanently altering the genetic makeup and prevent the cells from reproducing. It's
then considered dead for all practical purposes. The degree of destruction of
microbes is a product of UV intensity multiplied by contact time.
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