By Corresponding Authors Castine A. Bernardy, Ph.D., CDM Smith; and James P. Malley, Jr., Ph.D., Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New Hampshire

What All “One Water” Nerds Are Talking About This Quarter

1. PFAS Destruction (UV-AOP and UV-ARP)

Researchers and utilities are focusing on the potential to scale Advanced Oxidation and/or Advanced Reduction Processes to break down forever chemicals. These systems utilize ultraviolet light combined with oxidants or reducing agents to directly break down and destroy chemical bonds, representing a shift from containment to elimination. The most promising results are found in treating concentrated residuals from IX and RO separation processes.

2. Mainstream Adoption of UV LEDs

The transition from traditional mercury-based UV lamps to UV-C LEDs is exciting, with continued advancements each year in applications from municipal treatment and residential point-of-use systems. The industry focus is on:

• Medical-grade pathogen control performance and tunability for better microbial inactivation.
• Modular designs and intelligent real-time UV dose monitoring.
• Sustainability, improving efficiency and scalability of UV LEDs to fully capture the environmental advantages of this mercury-free UV-C source.

3. Water Reuse and Pathogen Control

As climate change drives more communities to embrace the “One Water” cycle (treating wastewater into dependable drinking water), advanced purification requires robust, multi-barrier disinfection. UV reactors remain the standard for inactivating chlorine-resistant pathogens, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, without adding harsh chemicals. In addition, UV-based AOPs commonly are used as a barrier to NDMA and 1,4-dioxane and, more recently, as a potential treatment for PFAS and/or microplastics.

A Snapshot of the UV Technology Global Water Market

Multiple AI-driven market searches for the period ending June 30, 2026, included five recent market research reports ^1-5, and a summary of those results follows. We have differentiated the market projections for UV technology in “One Water” applications for the overall market projections for UV disinfection equipment, which always has much larger projections since it includes applications in air, surfaces and industrial manufacturing of foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and consumer health and beauty aids. The ultraviolet (UV) water disinfection and purification market is experiencing robust expansion, with valuations ranging between $2.9 billion and $4.6 billion globally. The global UV water treatment and disinfection market is projected to reach roughly $5.4 to $8.2 billion by 2034, expanding at a projected robust Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.0% to 11.5%.

Key Market Updates, Technology Trends:

• The “One Water” Paradigm: Industry focus has shifted toward “One Water” strategies, which prioritize integrating drinking water, wastewater and stormwater recycling, into a unified, sustainable management loop. UV technology is a critical pillar because it deactivates pathogens without altering the water’s chemical composition.
• Shift to UV-C LEDs: The sector rapidly is transitioning away from traditional mercury-based lamps toward mercury-free UV-C LEDs. Although traditional lamps currently hold the largest revenue share, UV-C LEDs are the fastest-growing segment (projected ~ 15% CAGR) due to energy efficiency and smaller footprints in point-of-use (POU) systems.
• Industrial and Municipal Dominance: Water and wastewater treatment represents the largest application segment, accounting for nearly half of global revenue. Municipalities are relying on UV for robust pathogen control (such as Cryptosporidium), while industrial segments increasingly use UV-based advanced oxidation processes (AOP) for contaminant destruction, including extensive research into advanced UV processes to handle chemicals of emerging concern such as PFAS and microplastics.

Recent Publications Related to UV Technology and “One Water”

Multiple scientific search engines have been used to identify peer-reviewed articles which may be of interest to professionals working in the UV technology for “One Water” segment. This quarter’s search identified ~200,000 citations; therefore, the criteria: published in 2026 before July 15^th, most cited articles, timeliness of topic relative to reader interests (e.g., UV LEDs, forever chemicals, emerging pathogens of interest) and/or the quality of the journal publishing the work were used to produce the following list, capped at 10 in the interest of space:

1. Alazaiza, M. Y., Alzghoul, T. M., Farobie, O., Al-Yazeedi, A. A., Amr, S. S. A., & Bashir, M. J. (2026). Advanced oxidation processes in water treatment: mapping 15 years of scientific progress and collaboration. Environments, 13(2), 103.

2. Moore, N., Pousty, D., Ma, D., Hofmann, R., Pras, A., Higbee, R. E., … & Beck, S. E. (2026). Decentralized UV disinfection systems in rural areas or low-resource contexts: a case study compilation. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 12(1), 14-58.

3. Liu, Y., Killian, A. B., Linden, K. G., & Hull, N. M. (2026). Comparative effects of chlorine and UV LED disinfection on drinking water and biofilms, with chlorine causing greater shifts in microbial community composition. PLOS Water, 5(1), e0000430.

4. Cao, K. F., Chen, Z., Wei, E. J., Huang, B. H., Lyu, K. H., Gao, Y. J., … & Hu, H. Y. (2026). Efficient inactivation of UV resistant bacteria in reclaimed water by combined disinfection. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 81, 109330.

5. Xie, T., Li, X., Cheng, Y., Zhuo, Y., Wei, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2026). Comparison of UV based advanced oxidation processes (UV/Periodate, UV/Peroxydisulfate, UV/NaClO, and UV/H2O2) for inactivating Escherichia coli in marine water. Desalination and Water Treatment, 101639.

6. Moore, N., Taylor-Edmonds, L., Zollbrecht, N., Yeung, K., Sun, J., Legaspi-Annett, K.& Hofmann, R. (2026). Disinfection byproducts and cellular toxicity from UV/chlorine advanced oxidation for potable reuse and drinking water treatment compared to chlorination and UV/hydrogen peroxide. Science of The Total Environment, 1011, 181151.

7. Payne, E. M., McKeown, R. P., Cai, H., Yang, X., Straub, A. P., McCurry, D. L., & Linden, K. G. (2026). Native Nitrate in Wastewater Enhances 222 nm UV Advanced Oxidation of Micropollutants. Environmental Science & Technology.

8. Song, Z., He, J., Mai, S., Knappenberger, T., & Olshansky, Y. (2026). Chitosan-modified biochar enhanced PFAS degradation in UV/sulfite: impact of environmental conditions and applicability across different PFAS. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 12(1), 157-167.

9. Ali, S., Burke, L. P., Fitzpatrick, F., & Fitzgerald-Hughes, D. (2026). A scoping review of disinfection strategies for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in hospital water systems. Journal of Hospital Infection, 168, 1-12.

10. Beak, S., Kim, E., Jung, T., Lee, J., & Bae, J. (2026). Pilot-scale performance of a UV-regenerable Iron-based activated carbon system for pharmaceutical and PFAS removal. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 82, 109468.

UV Technology at Upcoming Major Water Conferences

WEFTEC: WEFTEC 2026, the 99th Annual Technical Exhibition & Conference, is North America’s largest water quality event. It runs from September 26-30, 2026 (Exhibition Hall: September 28-30), at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The core programming focuses on the circular water economy, resilient infrastructure and digital water solutions. The WEFTEC 2026 conference lineup for ultraviolet technology heavily focuses on improving treatment infrastructure and addressing emerging contaminants. Highlights include technical sessions such as “UV Disinfection – Advances & Insights,” which covers municipal-scale applications and the latest research on UV LEDs. In addition, the advanced technology solutions pavilion on the exhibition floor showcases digital transformations in UV plant management, AI-driven UV dose control and automation. Further, in the exhibit hall, major water technology companies are demonstrating next-generation UV disinfection technologies and monitoring systems. Specifics can be found at https://www.weftec.org/.

IUVA World Congress:The highlight of upcoming events for UV presentations related to “One Water” will be the 2026 International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) event, known as the Americas Conference, taking place from October 5-7, 2026, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This 2.5-day conference will feature several poster and platform presentations addressing aspects of UV technology with a focus on drinking water, PFAS and UV regulations. Specifics can be found at https://www.iuva.org/2026-IUVA-AC-home.  

IWA World Water:IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2026will be heldOctober 4-8, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. This conference convenes a gathering of the International Water Association (IWA), featuring global research on water treatment and disinfection from the foremost global water research groups and academicians. UV technology research, development and applications are presented in concurrent sessions each year. Specifics can be found at https://www.iwa-network.org/events.

AWWA-WQTC:The AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference (WQTC) 2026 takes place November 15-19, 2026, in Memphis, Tennessee. It highlights advanced disinfection and UV technology. Core events focus on UV-C LEDs, emerging contaminant degradation (e.g., PFAS) and microplastics, many supported by WateRF grants. Specifics can be found at https://www.awwa.org/event/water-quality-technology/.   

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