UV TOC Reduction in Water with Quality Lamps

UV TOC reduction effectively removes Total Organic Carbon, TOC, from water which is critical in many applications and processes.

What Is Total Organic Carbon, TOC?

TOC refers to the total amount of organic carbon compounds found in water and is an important measurement to understand whether water used in certain processes is of a pure enough quality. All untreated water will contain some carbon compounds which can be introduced from various sources.

TOCs may include synthetic, man-made compounds, and altered or natural products from living systems. The presence of bacteria and other TOC’s and water may suggest a failure in filtration, components, systems, or storage. If TOC’s are left unfiltered these compounds may cause significant damage to expensive equipment, or unwanted contamination in applications such as semiconductor chip fabrication or pharmaceutical compound production. This kind of contamination can impact not only product quality but also process profitability.

Practicing TOC reduction methods is critical to protect many industries, the environment, and consumers.  UVC germicidal lamps play an important role in providing this protection.

When Should TOC’s Be a Concern?

High-purity water is a key component in many processes. Bacteria or other organic compounds can negatively impact product quality, process profitability and process yield. TOC destruction equipment is commonly seen in the following applications:

·        Food and beverage industry

·        Pharmaceutical industry

·        Microelectronics and semiconductor production

·        Wastewater and stormwater treatment

How UV TOC Reduction Works

Ultraviolet, UV, light has been used for over 100 years to remove harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses from water, air, and surfaces. UV light is an effective method of TOC reduction by utilizing UV light to destroy and/or remove organic compounds through different types of reactions. TOC’s can be reduced/eliminated with UV lamps through one of two following methods.

One TOC reduction method involves the creation of ozone via 185nm photons. These photons produced ozone which in turn oxidizes organic compounds found in water. Ozone lamps can also lead the the formation of hydroxyl radicals (-OH) , which are also very powerful oxidation agents.This can lead to further beneficial degradation of organics found in a given water source. This oxidation process is the primary UV chemical reaction occurring from high-energy 185 nm UV lamps.

Another method of UV TOC reduction occurs directly via photo-dissociation (photolysis) of organic molecules. In this TOC reduction method, high energy photons (185nm and 254nm) physically decompose organic matter found in a given water source.

Benefits of UV TOC Reduction

There are many benefits of using UV lamps for TOC reduction in addition to providing a reliable and effective method of purifying water. UV germicidal lamp water disinfection systems provide a wide range of benefits which include a high-level of microbial reduction and disinfection with 254 nm and 185nm emissions.

Some of the most important benefits of UV TOC reduction includes:

·        Germicidal effectiveness

·        Low operational expenses

·        Low maintenance costs

·        No harmful byproducts as with chemical use

·        Can operate indoor, outdoor, and water in the air

UV germicidal lamps by LightSources provide these benefits and many others such as custom design solutions available to meet your specific application requirements as well as proprietary technology.

Quality UV Germicidal Lamps for TOC Reduction

LightSources, LightTech, and the entire LightSources group consists of the leading high-tech UV lamp engineers in the industry offering customized prototype development, custom phosphor blends, and custom lamp components. Our compact UV lamps are available with a two tube linear design which delivers uniform lamp output. Compact, 254nm lamps are available in soft glass and both 185nm and 254nm lamps are available in quartz glass.

Compact UV lamps may include LightSources patented pellet amalgam technology which allows for lamps to produce a higher UV intensity which increases UV efficiency, reducing lamp power for cost savings.  Medium pressure, MPUVC Lamps, provide disinfection solutions for air, surfaces, and water including TOC reduction.