In today's world, where technological advancements happen on a daily basis, it's no wonder that humanity is constantly on the lookout for the next best thing that will improve literally any aspect of day-to-day life. Clean drinking water is something we've been trying to perfect for decades, but we've somehow always managed to come up with half-good solutions, up until recently.
Roughly a hundred years ago the first ever UV drinking water disinfection system opened in France. What is also interesting to mention is that the first ever UV water purification system experienced only a few changes regarding its technology over the years, and it finally became widely used by the 1960s, even making its way towards the residential market.
What is UV water purification?
Before we move on any further, let's first clarify what we are talking about. UV water purification is a process that – as the name suggests – uses the power of Ultraviolet (UV) rays to purify the water – be it drinking water, wastewater or other bodies of water, such as public pools – by destroying various harmful microorganisms.
Now, it's important to mention that the UV light doesn't remove the microorganisms from water; rather, it affects their core on a molecular level, altering their DNA, and thus making them no longer harmful for us. Now, since the majority of bacterial activity occurs at 240 - 280 nm wavelength and the majority of UV lamps used in water purification processes operate at 210 – 330 nm, it becomes obvious just how effective this system really is.
Where can it be applied?
Thanks to its effectiveness (it destroys 99.99% of microorganisms), this water purification system found its use in both the commercial and residential environment. Of course, systems used in the commercial environment are much larger in scale because the size of a UV water purification unit depends on the amount of water it needs to purify.
So, in layman's terms, you first need to determine how much water you need to purify. As mentioned before, thanks to its efficiency, it found its use in almost every water-related industry. For example, in residential use, sizing the system will depend on the flow rate needed for the application, which is measured in gallons per minute. The UV system can produce clean water with flow rates ranging from 1gpm to 30gpm.
It's also important to mention that these systems require regular maintenance in order to give the best results. Therefore, you need to inspect the lamps on a regular basis and take action as soon as you notice something's off. To be on the safe side, you should inquire about the "weak spots" of the particular model you've decided to go with and buy some spare parts up front. For example, Sterilight spare parts are easily available, so it would be wise to learn how to get them before you actually buy the system.
Why is it considered green?
Finally, this approach to water purification is considered to be very green and eco-friendly. Unlike chemical purification methods that rid the water of harmful microorganisms by filling it with various chemicals that are considered safe for human consumption, the UV water disinfection method does not add anything to the water. Rather, it just alters the microorganisms in it, making them harmless.
What this means is that there is no risk of overdosing with a certain chemical because no chemical is being used in the process. Furthermore, the water purified by UV systems is completely safe to be returned to the environment without the risk of negatively affecting other organisms like fish, frogs, plants, etc.
Since water is a finite resource that we usually take for granted, we need to become more aware of our environment, as well as our actions. Every time we open the tap we know that there will be fresh drinking water coming out. However, if we don't take action to make the entire purification process green and safe for everybody – meaning both us and the environment – we will soon be faced with serious consequences. Therefore, if you want to make sure you are leading a healthy life, but not at the cost of harming the environment, consider switching to UV water purifiers today.
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