Purdue University to carry out UV disinfection study for WERF in US

Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) awarded a contract to Purdue University in Indiana, US, to develop advanced design and validation protocols for UV disinfection.

Titled as ‘Design and Validation Protocol for UV Disinfection Systems Used in Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Applications’ (ENER16C15), the research intends to improve predictive capabilities of reactor design to properly size units and quantify power requirements.

The research is expected to upgrade UV reactors so that it can meet the disinfection standards for municipal wastewater and wastewater reuse applications.

The new designs are also likely to help the organisations which are implementing new UV disinfection systems or updating their existing models by offering capital and operating and maintenance cost savings.

Purdue University will be conducting the research in collaboration with ATG UV Technology, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York State Energy and Research Development, and Trinity River Authority of Texas.

WERF is also arranging a fundraiser for the project which is expected to increase its scope of development with additional partner engagements.

The research organisation has also recently awarded four new contracts to support projects which are aimed at recovering valuable resources including biosolids, plasmids and rare earth elements, from wastewater during the treatment cycle.