Product category:
Filters and Centrifuges
News Release from: Hanovia | Subject: UV dechlorination
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 February 2003
Dechlorination equipment saves P and G
GBP45,000
Since installing Hanovia ultraviolet dechlorination equipment, Procter and Gamble USA has reduced the cost of maintaining reverse osmosis membranes by GBP45,000 per annum
The number of shutdowns for RO membrane maintenance has also been significantly reduced "We are very pleased with the UV system," said Utilities Process Engineer Kurt Loughlan
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 4 Jul 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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"Not only have we saved money since it was installed, but the disruption caused by plant shutdowns as a result of RO membrane fouling has also been significantly reduced.
UV provides a high standard of dechlorination without any of the drawbacks of using chemicals or GAC filters".
Chlorine is widely used for water disinfection in many different process industries.
Further reading
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British company Hanovia will supply Sasol Technology Ltd with four medium pressure UV disinfection systems for its South African production plant, to enable secondary effluent re-use
Medium pressure UV for sugar syrup disinfection
To ensure sugar and fructose syrups used in soft drink manufacturing remain free from yeast and mould contamination, the Coca Cola Spanish plants have installed medium pressure UV disinfection systems
Because of its properties, however, it can damage delicate process equipment like RO membranes and de-ionisation (DI) resin units and must be removed once it has performed its disinfection function.
To date, the two most commonly used methods of chlorine removal have been granular activated carbon (GAC) filters or the addition of neutralising chemicals such as sodium bisulphite.
Both of these methods have their advantages, but they also have a number of significant drawbacks: GAC filters, because of their porous structure and nutrient-rich environment, can become a breeding ground for bacteria; de-chlorination chemicals such as sodium bisulphite, which are usually injected just in front of RO membranes, can also act as incubators for bacteria, causing bio-fouling of the membranes.
In addition, these chemicals are hazardous to handle and there is a danger of over- or under-dosing due to human error.
An increasingly popular de-chlorination technology, with none of the above drawbacks, is UV treatment.
High intensity, broad-spectrum UV systems dissociate both free chlorine and chloramine compounds (mono-, di- and tri-) into easily-removed by-products.
UV has the added benefit of providing both high levels of microbial disinfection and also total organic carbon (TOC) destruction.
At the Procter and Gamble facility, the Hanovia UV dechlorination unit was installed before two banks of RO membranes; prior to this dechlorination was achieved using sodium bisulphite.
Trials run soon after the UV system installation showed a dramatic reduction in the RO membrane wash frequency - down from an average of eight cleanings per month to only two per month - amounting to annual savings of ?45, 000.
Hanovia is the market leader in UV technology for progressive, non-chemical disinfection and contamination control.
A member of Halma p.l.c., Hanovia offers nearly 20 years experience in the manufacture, application and development of UV equipment.
It is affiliated with Aquionics in the USA and Berson UV-techniek in Holland.
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