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Sustainable Water Reuse with Proven UV Disinfection
The Emory University WaterHub® demonstrates how advanced water recycling and UV disinfection technologies can help large facilities reduce potable water consumption while maintaining high water quality standards. By treating and reusing wastewater onsite, the WaterHub can recycle up to 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water per day, reducing reliance on Atlanta’s municipal water supply by as much as 146 million gallons annually.
Customer Overview
Emory University required a sustainable water treatment solution capable of:
- Reducing dependence on municipal drinking water
- Supporting campus-wide water reuse initiatives
- Delivering reliable disinfection performance
- Meeting stringent wastewater discharge requirements
- Providing a scalable solution for future reuse applications, including toilet flushing
The system also needed to integrate with existing campus infrastructure, including central chiller plants and steam generation facilities.
The Nuvonic Solution
The WaterHub®, designed by Sustainable Water* (now a part of H₂O Innovation), combines multiple proven treatment technologies to collect, treat and redistribute water across the campus. The treatment process includes:
- Wastewater screening
- Moving Bed Bioreactor (MBBR) treatment for carbon removal and odour control
- Hydroponic reactors containing vegetation to reduce remaining BOD and complete nitrification
- Disc filtration for final polishing
- UV disinfection using a Nuvonic* InLine 400+ UV system
- Storage and distribution for reuse applications
The hydroponic greenhouse design provides an innovative treatment stage while the UV system delivers the final disinfection barrier before water enters the storage tank for reuse.
UV Disinfection Performance
The Nuvonic InLine 400+ UV system installed at WaterHub® features four medium-pressure UV lamps and provides:
- 3-log reduction of faecal coliforms
- Compliance with discharge requirements of <23 fc/100 ml
- Non-detectable effluent discharge performance
- Chemical-free disinfection without altering water quality
System Design Parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Flow Rate | 280 gpm |
| Total Suspended Solids (TSS) | < 3 mg/l |
| UV Transmittance (UVT) | > 60% |
| UV Dose | 40 mJ/cm² |
| Influent Count | < 23,000 fc/100 ml |
| Effluent Discharge | < 23 fc/100 ml |
Results
By combining innovative biological treatment processes with Nuvonic UV disinfection technology, Emory University created a sustainable water reuse solution capable of recycling up to 146 million gallons annually, helping reduce potable water consumption while maintaining reliable effluent quality and regulatory compliance. As a result, the campus could achieve:
- Reduced Water Consumption:
The WaterHub® can recycle up to 400,000 gallons of water per day, substantially reducing demand for municipal drinking water.
- Reliable Regulatory Compliance
The Nuvonic UV system consistently achieves the required faecal coliform reduction and discharge limits.
- Sustainable Water Reuse
The integrated treatment process enables safe water recovery and reuse across campus operations, supporting long-term sustainability goals.
- Chemical-Free Disinfection
UV technology provides effective pathogen reduction without the need for additional disinfectant chemicals.
Outcome
By combining innovative biological treatment processes with Nuvonic UV disinfection technology, Emory University created a sustainable water reuse solution capable of recycling up to 146 million gallons annually, helping reduce potable water consumption while maintaining reliable effluent quality and regulatory compliance
*Nuvonic formerly Aquionics, Berson, Hanovia and Orca GmbH.
*WaterHub® is owned and operated by H₂O Innovation. Sustainable Water became part of H₂O Innovation following its acquisition in 2024
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