Ultraviolet Ballast Treatment
Vol. 210: 139–148, 2001
Ballast water is a leading vector for the spread of invasive species across the world. Thousands of species are transported across the globe daily. There are many different treatment options that are always being evaluated for efficacy and new ones are being developed.
T.F. Sutherland and colleagues at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Institute conducted a field study that measured the survivorship of plankton in ballast water based on the type of treatment used. They tested one filtration system, with the sample being pretreated with ultraviolet rate and one without being exposed to UV. They then compared the growth rate of phytoplankton during the different situations. They found that the growth of phytoplankton in UV-treated samples was stopped, while those in other treatments still exhibited growth. They concluded that UV has potential to stop growth in ballast water and that future studies should be done on UV treatments.
March 24th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
I found this article really interesting. On the first day of class, I learned about ballast water in relation to milfoil transportation, and I think it’s in interesting concept in general. I didn’t think you’d be able to treat something like this with a method that is so based on physics, so it’s cool to see the interdisciplinary work being done here.