Ultra Violet Water Treatment Systems

Ultra violet water treatment represents a powerful technology that has been successfully deployed in diverse industries for several years. For marine applications, UV disinfection of drinking water, waste water and Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) is a chemical-free and very effective method of inactivating a wide range of waterborne pathogens on-board ships.

UV disinfection systems for drinking water ensures the health and safety of the ships’ personnel by supplying a safe and ample supply of disease-free, clean fresh water. For ballast water, UV systems ensure the protection of ecosystems from one coastal region to another. Also, the effluent from waste water management systems on-board ships can be effectively treated by ultra violet water treatment, before being discharged into the ocean in an environmentally friendly manner.

Wide range of UV disinfection and UV systems available

Around 10 billion tons of ballast water worldwide ensures stability on-board ships of which 3-5 billion tones are transferred annually. However, ship ballast water taken on in a coastal port also regularly picks up Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) such as plankton, invertebrates, fish larvae and pathogens, and carries them into foreign ecosystems, where they often impact the environment, human health and the economy of the ecosystem by altering the ecological balance. Many species may constitute a threat, so AIS frequently lead to the extinction of native organisms. IMO has developed guidelines to address the issue of BWT on an international scale. These are in force now, so new ships need to comply with the guidelines, see www.globallast.imo.org for more information. Filtration using UV systems offer complimentary benefits for BWT which can potentially meet or exceed IMO requirements.