The spectral ultraviolet (UV) absorbance of the chemical additives used during UV validation to adjust the
UVT is an important consideration when validating medium pressure UV systems. The spectral
UV absorbance should mimic that of the water that will be treated by the UV system at the water
treatment plant. Current UV absorbers used are coffee and lignin sulphonic acid. For a given UV
transmittance at 254 nm, the UV absorbance at higher wavelengths tends to be greater than that
of water treatment plant waters. This impacts both dose delivery and monitoring by the UV
reactor. For a given flow, UVT 254, and lamp output, dose delivery during reactor validation
will be lower than at the WTP. For a given flow, UVT 254, and UV sensor reading, dose
delivery indicated by the UV reactor's monitoring system during validation will be higher during
validation than at the WTP if the UV sensor is located relatively close to the lamps and lower if
the UV sensor is located relatively far from the lamps. With the latter case, the US Environmental Protection Agency UVDGM
recommends application of a safety factor to account for the underestimation of dose by the
monitoring system. All of these outcomes impact the capital and O&M costs of medium pressure
systems. In this study, concentrates from reverse osmosis (RO), nanofiltration (NF), and ion
exchange (IX), an agricultural growth-enhancement product, and lignin sulphonic acid were
compared as UV absorbers for validating MP UV systems. Includes 5 references, tables, figures.