UValue water
Faced with population growth, pollution and overconsumption, the world’s water resources have become a major concern. Water consumption is continuing to increase while resources are remaining stable.
In the presence of different types of pollution in water, microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses, tend to proliferate and can lead to a significant risk for human health. It is therefore essential to improve the quality of the water consumed and discharged.
“Of the 1,400 million m³ of water on earth, 97.5% is salt and only 1% of the fresh water is suitable as drinking water.”
How can UV technology help?
The sun has always been known for its purifying effect on water by emitting light that’s invisible to the human eye, ultraviolet light. UV at a specific wavelength (known as UV-C) has the ability to instantly inactivate microorganisms by damaging their DNA. This damage prevents them from surviving or multiplying. This property of UV has made it possible to widely adopt UV light to disinfect water against microorganisms and virusses in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.
UV technology addresses growing global water challenges, as it offers a chemical-free, energy-efficient method to disinfect and purify water across many sectors. It’s scalable, safe and increasingly essential in addressing water quality concerns.
Tackle global challenges
People rely on clean and safe tap water every single day. UV technology has already proven itself for the last 50 years as an effective water treatment technology, especially for disinfection. But new pollutants keep emerging. And substances once considered safe are now seen as harmful. There are four challenges that form a real threat for public health, worldwide:
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- Infection pressure
- Chemical contamination
- Chlorine resistance / chloramine destruction
Challenge 1: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
UV-C light breaks down the DNA and RNA of microorganisms and virusses, without promoting resistance. This makes it highly effective against antibiotic-resistant strains, a growing global threat. UV-C helps remove or deactivate pharmaceutical residues like antibiotics, hormones in water treatment. These substances drive resistance when they enter the environment. Studies show UV-C, often combined with advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), reduces such contaminants significantly up to 80 – 90%.
Source: UCSF Magizine, University of California
Challenge 2: Infection pressure
The growing pressure from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) makes it more urgent than ever to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. As treatments become less effective, stopping transmission at the source becomes critical. UV-C technology reduces infection pressure by inactivating pathogens, without chemicals.
It disrupts the DNA and RNA of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, making them unable to reproduce or cause disease. This is especially relevant in environments with high biological risk, such as hospitals, public buildings, or water systems. Unlike antibiotics or biocides, it does not contribute to resistance. This makes UV-C a reliable solution to control infection pressure in a sustainable and preventive way.
Challenge 3: Chemical contamination
Ultraviolet‑based advanced oxidation processes (UV‑AOP) can play a key role in removing pesticides and persistent industrial pollutants from water. For instance phenols, dioxin‑like solvents or other recalcitrant organics.
When using UV disinfection to treat process water (for example cooling water) or swimming pools, less chemicals are needed.
Challenge 4: Chlorine destruction and resistance
Chlorine has been used successfully for decades in water disinfection, but its by-products and microbial resistance raise growing concerns. UV-C offers a clean, effective alternative without these drawbacks. UV treatment is a proven solution in the removal of free chlorine and destruction of chloramines (combined chlorine).
Chlorine is used in water treatment due to its ability to disinfect and to provide residual protection against microorganisms in drinking water, process water and aquatic applications. However, chlorine in some industries and processes is unwanted due to contamination and associated chemical reactions. Chlorine can impact taste, odour and performance of a manufactured product such as in food & beverage or pharmaceutical industries. It can also cause damage to water treatment infrastructure and equipment such as RO membranes. In these instances, chlorine must be removed.
Chloramine destruction
Additionally, when free chlorine reacts with organic matter in water, new chemical compounds are formed. These chloramines or combined chlorine compounds pose health risks to those exposed to them whilst being damaging to building infrastructure. Chloramines are a common problem in swimming pools. The notorious and unpleasant “swimming pool” smell is caused by chloramines. They have been linked to health problems such as eye & skin irritations and asthma. The corrosive nature of chloramines also poses a risk for swimming pool infrastructure and HVAC systems.
Tackling chlorine resistance
UV technology inactivates chlorine-resistant microorganisms without creating harmful disinfection by-products. When applied in a double-barrier setup — combining UV-C with another disinfection method — it provides enhanced security and ensures compliance with strict water safety standards. Especially in healthcare, pharmaceutical or ultrapure water systems, UV delivers high-level protection in a sustainable, chemical lean way.
Key benefits of UV technology
No chemicals
No chemicals added, no residues or harmful by-products.
No resistance
99,99% effective against bacteria, virusses, protozoa, spores.
Low costs
Low maintenance costs and low overall TCO results in fast ROI.
Cases
The following cases demonstrate that UV technology is highly effective for the disinfection of water. They show how UV systems perform reliably in real-world applications, delivering consistent and proven results across different practical situations.
Removal of 1,4 Dioxane from industrial wastewater
Swimming pool De Kuilart
