Unveiling the potential of far-UVC: Assessing irradiance and dose-response for microbial inactivation in UV systems
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The efficacy of Far-UVC irradiation in inactivating microbes within a cylindrical chamber is investigated in this study. Utilizing a Far-UVC excimer lamp, the research delves into the impact of various parameters on microbial inactivation. These parameters include the diffuse irradiance (UV lamp efficiency), UV transmittance, and Reynolds number. An user-defined function calculates UV dosages received by microbes traversing the system. Results are quantified in terms of distribution of UV irradiance within the chamber and Reduction Equivalent Dose (RED). Dose-response and Frequency-dose curves are generated for diverse scenarios. The target micro-organism, MS2 virus, underscores the investigation, with particular attention paid to the effect of UVT and UV lamp efficiency on effluent log inactivation. Cases exhibiting narrow and low-dose distributions, such as Cases 6, 8, and 9, point to scenarios where UV treatment might be insufficient. Conversely, Cases 2, 4, and 5 exemplify the overall observation that higher UV doses correlate with increased log inactivation rates, suggesting efficient microbial elimination. Specifically, Cases 2 and 5 exhibit a leveling off effect, implying that after a certain UV dose, the microbial population's vulnerability to UV diminishes, or that the majority of microbes susceptible to easy inactivation have already been addressed.
Authors: Sudhanshu Pandey, Aku Karvinen, Jani Hakala
Institution: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,833
OpenAlex ID: W4408742851