RESUMEN
Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at 260â nm were evaluated to determine the inactivation kinetics of bacteria, viruses, and spores compared to low-pressure (LP) UV irradiation. Test microbes were Escherichia coli B, a non-enveloped virus (MS-2), and a bacterial spore (Bacillus atrophaeus). For LP UV, 4-log10 reduction doses were: E. coli B, 6.5â mJ/cm(2); MS-2, 59.3â mJ/cm(2); and B. atrophaeus, 30.0â mJ/cm(2). For UV LEDs, the 4-log10 reduction doses were E. coli B, 6.2â mJ/cm(2); MS-2, 58â mJ/cm(2); and B. atrophaeus, 18.7â mJ/cm(2). Microbial inactivation kinetics of the two UV technologies were not significantly different for E. coli B and MS-2, but were different for B. atrophaeus spores. UV LEDs at 260â nm are at least as effective for inactivating microbes in water as conventional LP UV sources and should undergo further development in treatment systems to disinfect drinking water.