Approaching at Light Speed - The Rise of UV Light Emitting Diodes for Wastewater Disinfection

Presentation Description: Water Research Foundation 5173: Feasibility of Full-Scale Implementation of UV LED Disinfection aims to perform a quantitative assessment of the feasibility of full-scale ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) water disinfection reactors for drinking water and wastewater treatment applications. Led by Dalhousie University, Southern Nevada Water Authority and Black & Veatch this project has evaluated various regulatory and technical aspects of UV LED implementation for disinfection. UV LEDs are an emerging disinfection technology which offer numerous advantages compared to conventional UV systems including instantaneous start/stop, selectable wavelength, and are mercury-free. This presentation will provide an overview of the advancement of full-scale UV LED treatment technologies, a review of current UV LED technology, novel research on UV LED disinfection efficacy, and share preliminary outcomes relevant to wastewater applications that could employ UV LED systems.
This presentation will provide an overview of the study, a review of current UV LED technology, and the preliminary outcomes relevant to the wastewater disinfection and reuse applications that could employ UV LED disinfection. The presentation will include results of a regulatory survey, incorporating input gathered from over 15 members of the study’s Regulatory Committee from the US and Canada, relating to gaining regulatory acceptance in municipal disinfection applications. These results will help inform regulatory perspectives on the knowledge gaps and concerns related to UV LED implementation. Results from a literature review on UV LEDs as a one water disinfection technology (published 2024) prepared as a part of the interlaboratory study will be presented to compare UV LED disinfection efficacy. In addition, a performance and economic evaluation, including operating cost comparisons, will be presented for UV LED and low-pressure wastewater disinfection systems. Advancements in UV LED system monitoring and validation will be also discussed as the complexities of UV LED emission spectra and UV Dose calculation require modification to existing regulatory frameworks. Overall, this presentation will provide an introduction to UV LED technology for disinfection, regulatory considerations as determined from a diverse group of regulators, and summarize a performance and economic evaluation for the technology to support the feasibility of full-scale UV LED installations.