Relationship between physico-chemical structure and UV disinfection of biological flocs in wastewater

适当的消毒对于减少废水中的微生物污染至关重要，如果废水未经处理就排放，可能会对公众健康构成威胁。紫外线(UV)照射正迅速成为氯气消毒的一种流行的废水消毒方法。然而，废水中悬浮颗粒的存在会滋生微生物并使其免受紫外线的影响，从而对紫外线消毒的效率产生不利影响。这对于必须满足严格消毒要求的应用尤其成问题；例如，将废水排放到娱乐水域和水再利用。我们实验室早期的研究表明，悬浮颗粒的紫外线消毒能力与颗粒大小成反比。然而，在比较活性污泥和滴滤池过程中的颗粒时，观察到滴滤池颗粒在所有大小的颗粒中都表现出更高的抗紫外线消毒能力。这些观察表明，悬浮颗粒中大肠菌群的空间分布以及这些细菌周围基质的组成可能会影响废水颗粒的紫外线响应。本项目的目的是对悬浮颗粒的物理、化学和微生物结构对城市废水紫外线消毒的影响有一个基本的了解。该项目的成果将为开发更好的处理工艺以满足消毒标准提供基础，特别是对于排放标准严格的应用。该项目将为加拿大的环境产业，特别是特洛伊木马技术带来竞争优势。这项提议允许为严格的水质开发更好的系统，从而确保加拿大在紫外线行业的领导地位。该项目的成果将有助于保护加拿大的公众健康、提高生活质量和节约水资源。在这个项目中培训的HQP将获得多学科领域的尖端技能，将是加拿大环境行业、研究机构和政府机构就业的理想人选。

Proper disinfection is vital for reducing the microbial contamination present in wastewater, which if discharged untreated could pose a risk to public health. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is fast becoming a popular alternative to chlorine disinfection for the wastewater disinfection. However, the presence of suspended particles in wastewater adversely affects the efficiency of UV disinfection by harboring microbes and shielding them from UV light. This is particularly problematic for applications where stringent disinfection requirements have to be met; such as wastewater discharge to recreational waters and water reuse. Earlier studies in our lab have shown that UV disinfectability of suspended particles exhibited an inverse relationship with the particle size. However, in comparing particles from activated sludge and trickling filter processes, it was observed that trickling filter particles exhibited a higher resistance to UV disinfection across all size fractions. These observations suggest that the spatial distribution of coliform bacteria in a suspended particle as well as the composition of the matrix that surrounds these bacteria likely affect the UV response of the wastewater particle. The objective of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the effect of physical, chemical and microbial structure of suspended particles on the UV disinfection of municipal wastewaters. The outcome of this project will provide the basis to develop better treatment processes to meet disinfection criteria particularly for applications with stringent discharge standards. This project will result in a competitive advantage for Canada's environmental industry in general and Trojan Technology in particular. This proposal secures Canada's leadership in UV industry by allowing the development of better systems for stringent water qualities. The outcome of this project will help with protecting public health, improving the quality of life, and conserving water resources in Canada. HQP trained in this project will acquire cutting-edge skills in multi-disciplinary fields and will be ideal candidates for employment by the Canada's environmental industry, research institutions, and government organizations.