Crystal IS’ Klaran UVC LED water disinfection demonstrates legionella performance

Crystal IS Inc of Green Island, NY, USA, which makes proprietary ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UVC LEDs), says that independent testing by the University of Colorado Boulder shows that the Klaran AKR (an on-demand UVC LED-based water disinfection reactor designed by parent company Asahi Kasei Corp for consumer and commercial water purification) can provide a 99.998% reduction in legionella pneumophila at a flow rate of 2 liters per minute.

Legionella is a new risk parameter for drinking water proposed under the revision of the Euroopean Union (EU) Drinking Water Directive. A vote in October on proposed water guidelines in Europe ruled in favor of more stringent quality standards for consumer drinking water, expanding monitoring and limits on certain pollutants, including legionella.

The revision notes that legionella causes the highest health burden of all waterborne pathogens in the EU and proposes to apply random monitoring at the tap to man-made water systems and subsequent remediation actions to improve water safety. Crystal IS says that the performance of the Klaran AKR (available now for design integration sampling) can provide an immediate risk management solution for meeting the <1000 CFUs/liter assessment value.

“UVC LED technology enables water product manufacturers to differentiate their solution with point-of-dispense disinfection, supporting new and existing customers in mitigating the risk of legionella,” says product manager James Peterson. “The Klaran Reactor series uses our UVC LEDs to provide maintenance-free disinfection that lasts longer and is more affordable than UV lamps or filtration cartridges,” he adds. “Along with its compact size, this makes the Klaran AKR an ideal method of worry-free legionella management.”

Enforcing regular monitoring at the point of dispense would not only improve water hygiene from large and small utility systems, but also promote new risk identification mechanisms inside of building distribution systems and water holding appliances, says Crystal IS. In addition to potentially improving public health, raising consumer confidence and reducing cases of legionnaires’ disease, this regulation would place increased accountability for water hygiene on building managers and water product designers in the EU, adds the firm.

While individual member states, system operators and building managers will need to interpret their risk reduction plans based on the final legislation, water purification and appliance manufacturers are acting on these future needs now to provide new solutions for this existing health concern and upcoming regulatory situation, says Crystal IS.

Lasting for years after installation rather than months, Klaran reactors provide effective water hygiene without maintenance schedules or burdens to owners and service providers, it is claimed. As both facilities and product designers face the task of identifying low-impact strategies to improve legionella management, Klaran UVC LED-based reactors can offer long-term and unobtrusive installation into water systems, while providing reliable performance claims backed by third-party validation, says the firm.

Tags: Crystal IS UVC LEDs

Visit: www.cisuvc.com/products/klaran