UVC LED Water Disinfection Technology is Used in Ukraine War

The ongoing war in Ukraine has devastated the water and electrical infrastructure, leaving millions of civilians without access to drinking water and power. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of January 2022, more than three million people in Ukraine require humanitarian assistance.  This assistance includes access to basic needs, such as food, water, healthcare and shelter. In addition, destruction and restricted access to drinking water has led to 1.4 million people without running water, with additional 4.6 million people without adequate access to safe drinking water as they drink water from lakes, rivers, old unkept wells and other microbiologically unsafe water sources.

In this crisis, a simple solution for water disinfection can be applying germicidal Ultraviolet subtype C (UVC) light generated by light-emitting diodes (LEDs). UVC light is highly effective against general microflora and waterborne pathogenic organisms. UVC LED-based water systems for disinfection are compact and easily installed in water-dispensing devices as plug-and-play water treatment systems for most point-of-use applications. The use of UVC LED systems can save people’s lives by ensuring sustainable access to clean, disinfected water.

In September 2022, before starting widespread field applications, Crystal IS donated 10 Klaran UVC LEDs systems and support to the National University of Food Technologies (NUFT) for an assessment of design solutions and requirements for water treatment from unconventional water sources. The Klaran UVC LED systems were combined with filter elements in the construction of a mobile water treatment system to clean water from unsafe sources by filtering, deodorizing and UVC disinfecting.

A few critical challenges must be addressed to implement the project’s objectives. The main critical challenge is that water from ground sources may contain mechanical impurities (sand, soil, leaves, rust, various pollutes), pesticides, organic substances, pathogenic microorganisms and other contaminants. Also, the existing technological solutions for cleaning water require a power supply of 220 VAC, which is challenging in extreme crises. Advantages of using UVC LED systems in this case include ability to operate them on DC power, such as battery, power banks, solar or any alternative energy source. The kit’s components must be available locally and purchased from local suppliers. In such a crisis – a low-resources situation with no laboratories, reliable grid electricity and expensive equipment – there should be access to portable water test kits and essential instruments that are easy to use for monitoring water quality and measuring microbiological effectiveness.