Category | Details | Key Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Core Advantages | No Chemical Residues or By-Products | No need to add chemical disinfectants such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide, fundamentally avoiding the formation of chlorinated disinfection by-products (e.g., trihalomethanes). The effluent contains no toxic residues, making it suitable for reclaimed water reuse scenarios. | The exertion of advantages depends on the pretreatment of influent water quality. The suspended solids (SS) shall be controlled at ≤20mg/L and turbidity at ≤5NTU. |
High Efficiency and Broad-Spectrum Sterilization | It directly damages microbial DNA through physical action, inactivating bacteria and viruses within seconds. The inactivation rate of chlorine-tolerant Cryptosporidium and Giardia exceeds 99.9%. | ||
Small Equipment Footprint, Suitable for Upgrade | With short hydraulic retention time, it does not require large reaction tanks, making it suitable for upgrading projects in sewage treatment plants with limited space. | ||
Safe and Easy Operation & Maintenance | There is no risk of hazardous chemical storage and transportation. It features a high degree of automation, requiring only regular cleaning of sleeves and replacement of lamp tubes (service life: 8,000-12,000 hours). | ||
No Impact on Physicochemical Properties of Water | It does not affect sewage indicators such as pH value, dissolved oxygen and salinity, and no additional chemical reactions occur. | ||
Core Disadvantages | No Sustained Bactericidal Ability, Reactivation Risk | It only achieves instantaneous disinfection without subsequent bacteriostatic effect. Microorganisms may restore their activity through light or dark repair after disinfection, leading to a high risk of secondary pollution. | These disadvantages can be mitigated by combined disinfection of "UV + low-dose chlorine" and installation of online monitoring systems. |
High Sensitivity to Water Quality | Suspended solids, colloids and organic matter in sewage will block or absorb ultraviolet rays, resulting in a sharp drop in disinfection efficiency. Supporting pretreatment processes such as coagulation, sedimentation and filtration are required. | ||
O&M Cost Rises with Water Quality Deterioration | More impurities in sewage easily cause scaling on sleeves, requiring increased cleaning frequency (physical brushing/chemical pickling). The long-term cost of lamp consumables cannot be ignored. | ||
Limited Inactivation of Specific Microorganisms | For spore-forming bacteria (e.g., Bacillus subtilis), a higher ultraviolet dose is required to achieve the ideal inactivation effect. | ||
Full Dependence on Power Supply | The disinfection system fails immediately in case of power outage or equipment failure, with no emergency support capacity. A standby power supply is required in remote areas. | ||
Inability to Remove Chemical Pollutants | It only acts on microorganisms and has no improvement effect on chemical indicators such as COD, ammonia nitrogen and heavy metals, requiring combination with other advanced treatment processes. | ||
