Method and apparatus for UV-oxidation of toxics in water and UV-disinfection of water

Abstract

A novel UV-oxidation and UV-disinfection system uses a highly-efficient, electrodeless microwave-excited lamp combined with a coaxial flow-through reactor design in which a liquid to bc treated is pumped from the bottom of the reactor and flows vertically upward through a reactor vessel against gravity. A hydrogen peroxide solution is injected into the liquid to be treated and thoroughly mixed by an inline mixer just before the liquid enters the reactor vessel. The solution is irradiated during its entire passage through the reactor vessel by the lamp which is configured to evenly irradiate the entire cross section of the reactor vessel and which has a substantial part of its spectral output in the wavelength most effectively absorbed by hydrogen peroxide molecules. A method of using the coaxial flow-through reactor to destroy toxic chemicals in water is also provided. The reactor is also used for UV disinfection of water supplies. The system is scaleable to enable high-volume application. According to another embodiment of the present invention, two or three reactors are arranged serially such that the output of the first reactor is the input of the second reactor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.