| The use of ultraviolet (UV) lamps to disinfect drinking water and wastewater is a viable alternative to chlorine disinfection. The UV light causes irreparable damage to the DNA of an organism when an adequate dose is received. The number of viable bacteria entering and exiting the reactor may be quantified. However, it is difficult to quantify the dose received. Models have been built to estimate dose distributions. There is a need to validate the results of the models.; The goal of this research was to determine the technical feasibility of a particle-based chemical actinometer to quantify the dose received by bacteria in a UV reactor. Polystyrene spheres were used to mimic bacteria. The polystyrene spheres were coated with a photochromic dye, spiroindolinonaphthoxazine. A relationship between irradiation and visible absorbance was established. The relationship between irradiation time and color change was not linear. A kinetic model was determined. |
