Researchers from Tel Aviv University have demonstrated that ultraviolet (UV) radiation is able to eliminate unwanted living creatures found in our drinking water and thus save a lot of tax money.
Dr. Hadas Meman, from the School of Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Eliora Ron from the Faculty of Life Sciences have long since found the optimal wavelength of ultraviolet radiation to keep drinking water free of microorganisms. Their approach could be used in water treatment plants as well as in commercial desalination plants to eliminate health-threatening microorganisms and turn them into more efficient plants.
"Irradiation of ultraviolet light is increasingly applied as the main process in water disinfection," says PhD student Anat Lekartz. "In our current research, we have shown how this treatment can be optimized to eliminate free bacteria found in water - the same types that also stick to the inside of water transportation pipes and clog the filters of desalination plants through the creation of a biofilm (accumulation of several layers) of bacteria."
This unwanted "stickiness" of bacteria to surfaces is called "bio-fouling", and costs us billions of dollars every year - money coming from governments and taxpayers. "No one should drink microorganisms that come from drinking water. In addition, when microorganisms stick to the nozzles of the filter membranes, they create serious problems," Lakertz adds.
Irradiation can be used as a preliminary treatment to eliminate free microorganisms in water, while also preventing bioclogging. In their study, published in the scientific journal Biofouling, the researchers examined certain wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation to which the bacterium of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain, common in drinking water, was exposed.
The researchers examined wavelengths in the range of 280-220 nanometers, and found that each of the wavelengths in the range of 270-254 nanometers is able to purify the water effectively. This range was also found to be effective in keeping the filter membranes free from the accumulation of bacteria in desalination plants, it was reported. The experiments used special lamps that emit a wide spectrum of wavelengths - a more advanced method than the lamps that emit a single wavelength, which are common in home water purification systems.
The irradiation of the ultraviolet light also prevented the re-development of bacteria in the water. "The best way to control and destroy these microorganisms was to damage their DNA," says the researcher. "The damage caused by the irradiation of the ultraviolet light does not cause a recognized negative effect on the water," she adds and says.
In addition, the prevention of the formation of the bacterial biofilm was dependent on the intensity of the irradiation. The researchers reported that less biofilm was formed when a greater intensity of ultraviolet light was projected onto the water near the bacterial layer.
The approach is even more beneficial against parasites that are not effectively affected by the chlorine treatment, such as Giarrdia and Cryptosporidium, two harmful parasites that cause severe diarrhea and even death. Especially vulnerable to these parasites are children, the elderly and residents of developing countries. "Sewage leaking into the water supply system is a serious problem in terms of bacterial contamination, and ultraviolet light irradiation is a method that can reduce this health hazard," explains the researcher.
Small amounts of chlorine or other oxidizing agents will still be required to ensure that no residual bacteria enter the water further down the supply pipeline. But the researchers claim that this innovative approach to water disinfection, while controlling the formation of bioclogging, can also reduce the amount of carcinogenic by-products produced by chlorine.
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Peace
What you have in Tammy 4 is something else
Here they are talking about an innovative method for purifying drinking water
It's a whole other world
sparrow
fouling = blocking, not clogging
Once upon a time - grocery store owners used to do this with the milk.
It didn't improve his quality but it allowed them to sleep later.
It turns out that there is also something good in that the mineral water companies put their bottles in the sun for many hours.
The use of electromagnetic radiation at ultraviolet frequencies is recognized and known for its effectiveness in breaking the genome in cells. We have been using this for many years in laboratory work to purify liquids. A breakthrough in this field could be finding a strategic place to place a UV lamp, for example like at central intersections of the water crossing.
Another problem in my opinion in this work is focusing on one strain of bacteria and a sterile environment apart from it. Of course, in real life there is no such thing and it is an experimental model that must be re-examined in standard drinking water.
Of course, this is true with regard to the existence of life only (although there are definitely life forms that know how to deal with such amounts of radiation) and not with the products of radiation such as toxins or organic secretions of this and that. Even with the chemical pollutant, radiation does not have to deal with it, because it is a difficult problem in itself.
Regarding the transparent bottle in the sun - there is probably something like that. Placing a transparent bottle with water in the sunlight for many hours will definitely eliminate species of animals that cannot handle the radiation. Of course, other animals will take advantage of this and grow more efficiently in the presence of the sun. Either way, if I didn't have the option to clean my water other than this option - I would choose it. The toxins released from the plastic are also a problem but not as serious as the invention of pathogenic microorganisms in the water. Over time (years) it is less recommended.
Greetings friends,
Ami Bachar, microbiologist
There is a Dutch company that is a subsidiary of Philips Berson http://www.bersonuv.com/index.php?id=news
which sells UV purification equipment up to a capacity of 70000 cubic meters per hour and more
Their patent is based on a broad-spectrum UV light that destroys the cell nucleus and does not allow the bacterium to reproduce itself
The product was tested about 7 years ago by Mekorot
What nonsense, it exists in a lot of modern drinking machines (not only in Tami), and in general - it is not something innovative.
The amazing success of water disinfection by a plastic bottle explains a life expectancy of 40 years in Africa. I think their patents come from YouTube.
Precisely in a plastic bottle in the sun? The heat releases chemicals from the plastic into their drinking water.
These days, National Geographic publishes articles about water. There are pictures of a BS in Africa disinfecting water by putting it in the sun in a plastic bottle for a whole day. They claim incredible success with this simple method.
When you fly to India, don't forget to take a flashlight with 280-220 nanometer frequency light in your pocket.
Not only is this not new, it is also not enough - just eliminating organisms does not make the water purified
An analysis of 20 million tap water quality tests (from water utilities) over the last five years in the US was undertaken by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), and found 316 contaminants in water provided for public consumption. Of those contaminants, only 114 of them have enforceable standards from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
http://bluelivingideas.com/topics/drinking-water/hundreds-pollutants-tap-water/
1:
I also remember it at the age of 4 and I'm talking about decades!
However - there are probably two innovations here:
One is that they optimized the frequencies,
The second is that they propose to integrate it at the point of entry of the water into the regional piping (instead of at home) and reduce the amount of chlorine
What is innovative about it? I've had it for years on Tammy 4.