Ultraviolet inactivation of Covid-19

Many major municipalities rely on ultraviolet (UV) disinfection of their drinking water and wastewater to protect their citizens and the environment. The novel coronavirus, Covid19, has been detected in water, and may be transmitted by improperly treated wastewater and drinking water. It is important that the sensitivity of Covid19 to UV be measured, in order to ensure adequate UV disinfection. This project will develop methods to accurately assess the UV sensitivity of coronaviruses, and measure the UV sensitivity of coronaviruses in water. These data will allow non-pathogenic coronaviruses to be used as safe surrogates for assessing UV systems. The methods will be transferred to third-party labs that will use them to evaluate pathogenic Covid19 virus.

Faculty Supervisor:

Marc Aucoin

Student:

Scott Boegel

Partner:

Trojan Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: