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，如果未经处理就排放可能对公众健康构成威胁。紫外线（UV）辐照正迅速成为污水消毒的一种流行的替代氯消毒方法。然而，废水中悬浮颗粒的存在对紫外线消毒的效率产生不利影响，因为它庇护了微生物并屏蔽了紫外线。对于必须满足严格消毒要求的应用，这尤其成问题；如将废水排放到游憩水域和水再利用。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呈反比关系。然而，在比较活性污泥和滴滤工艺的颗粒时，观察到滴滤颗粒在所有尺寸的馏分中都表现出更高的抗紫外线消毒能力。这些观察结果表明，悬浮颗粒中大肠菌群的空间分布以及围绕这些细菌的基质的组成可能会影响废水颗粒对紫外线的响应。该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。该项目的成果将提供基础，以发展更佳的处理工艺，以符合消毒标准，特别是对有严格排放标准的应用。该项目将为加拿大的环保行业带来竞争优势，尤其是特洛伊技术公司。该提案通过允许开发更好的系统以满足严格的水质要求，确保了加拿大在UV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。本项目培训的HQP学员将获得多学科领域的尖端技能，成为加拿大环境行业、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.