The project LUV2INNOVATE, funded by the “Retos colaboración” program of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and University, has been successfully concluded.
The objective of this project was to evaluate the impact of LED technology application on the efficiency of advanced oxidation photochemical processes based on UV-C radiation.
LUV2INNOVATE has made it possible to demonstrate the benefits of UV-C LED technology applied to the photochemical treatment of wastewater for different purposes, resulting in highly effective disinfection and simultaneous remediation of these waters. On the one hand, it has been shown that the disinfection capacity of the innovative system developed and tested within the framework of the project is guaranteed, reaching more than 4 logarithms of disinfection in a short time, even in waters with high microbiological contamination. On the other hand, its efficacy in the degradation of contaminants of emerging concern such as drugs (dexamethasone) or pesticides (S-metolachlor), through various advanced oxidation processes, has also been evaluated, as well as the impact of the continuous improvement in the energy efficiency of the new generations of UV-C LEDs. In addition, through a life cycle analysis, it has been verified that UV-C LED technology shows better environmental performance than conventional alternatives, and is capable of leading to very significant energy savings (even close to 90%) in certain applications such as water treatment for residential use, which opens the door to a business opportunity.