However, mercury is a toxic heavy metal that can damage both human health and the environment. UV light is used because it is effective in killing bacteria, viruses and germs; their genetic material is destroyed by UV.Water Purification Equipment Now researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOS in Ilmenau, Germany, are investigating a greener and more efficient alternative, which uses China beer brewing equipment UV LEDs to destroy bacterial DNA. This changes the cell nuclei of the micro-organisms in a way that renders cell division impossible. “For these reasons, we prefer UV LEDs, which emit at a maximum wavelength of 265 nanometers.UV LEDs key to more hygienic beer brewing: Fraunhofer R&D project UV light inactivates germs in drinking water. Consequently, the pathogens can no longer multiply. “The UV rays generate resonances in the nucleic acids of the DNA and break the bonds of the molecules open. As this lies below the optimal wavelength of 265 nm, the disinfection performance is not optimal,” said Thomas Westerhoff, a scientist at IOSB-AST.. To ensure clean water for high-quality beer, brewing companies often install ultraviolet systems upstream of their brewing equipment, to keep the drinking water free of germs. Further disadvantages of these lamps are their long warm-up phases, their short service lives and the fact that they cannot be deployed flexibly due to their bulky design. Based in the German town of Zella-Mehlis, the company manufactures UV disinfection systems for purifying water. Up to now, this UV light has been generated using mercury vapor lamps, which emit light at 254nm. “Conventional mercury-vapor lamps emit light at 254 nanometers. UV light with a wavelength of 265nm is especially suitable for this task. Of particular interest are UV-C LEDs, because their radiation destroys the DNA of the pathogens much more effectively. The technology is used in water coolers, for example, but also to keep drinks containers such as barrels, bottles and cans free of germs. Until now, this disinfection process has typically relied on mercury-vapor lamps, which emit light in the UV spectrum. The brewing water is disinfected by pumping it through stainless steel tubes in which UV lamps have been fitted. Researchers at the Advanced System Technology AST branch of the IOSB in collaboration with project partner Purion, are working to replace conventional lamps containing mercury with ultraviolet light-emitting diodes. The technology is also suitable for disinfecting brewing water and for disinfecting the caps for bottled beer, soft drinks, and mineral water during the filling process
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