BIO-UV Group
Uv-Based Water Treatment For A Sustainable Future

Benoît Gillmann, Founder and CEO As we celebrated World Health Day on 7th April, we were reminded of the fact that effective wastewater treatment is quintessential for human health. The volume of wastewater is rising in line with the global population, containing dangerous chemicals, microorganisms, toxic substances, and debris associated with contemporary lifestyles. Let us take the examples of the water bodies in Europe.

According to a pan-Europe study conducted by the EU body European Environmental Agency (EEA), most of Europe’s rivers, lakes, and estuaries are replete with chemicals and other pollutants. The study also underscored that merely thirty-eight percent of water bodies met the chemical pollution standards while only forty percent of the rest met ecological criteria. Additionally, groundwater sites were observed polluted with nitrates, mercury, and salt intrusions. Needless to say, innovative solutions for the effective treatment of wastewater are not only an essential factor for good public health, considering that access to clean and healthy water is a human right. Upholding the same idea, self-taught entrepreneur Benoît Gillmann founded BIO-UV Group in 2000 as a brand specializing in water treatment and purification. He led the company to great heights and consolidated its position as a behemoth in Europe’s water treatment industry, with over sixty percent of international sales and exports. Based in Lunel in the Hérault, France, BIO-UV Group is globally recognized for its water and wastewater treatment capabilities alongside its disinfectant and surface disinfection solutions, which are based on the utilization of UV, ozone, salt electrolysis, and AOP.

Vibrant Legacy in Water Treatment

Benoît Gillmann established the BIO-UV Group to render UV-based water treatment solutions for privately owned swimming pools. Within a couple of years of its inception, the company won the approval of the French Ministry of Health for dechloramination in public swimming pools. Following the massive success of the UV-based water treatment solution, the BIO-UV Group started the R&D for BIO-SEA, a high-UV dose radiation-based treatment solution designed to treat bacteria in ballast water. Since then, BIO-UV Group has never looked back.

BIO-UV Group obtained its first IMO Type approval for ballast tanks and manufactured the first batch of BIO-SEA in 2013, establishing a 5200 m2 production facility in Lunel and Glasgow and winning the USCG approval for BIO-SEA. “A system that is certified to operate with zero holding time, like BIO-SEA for instance, will have greater traction with owners. This is very important since systems that are not certified with zero hours holding will inevitably cause delays to vessel operations,” says CEO Benoît Gillmann. The company also acquired Triogen (Ozone disinfection specialist), Corelec (industrial wastewater treatment expert), and Akeron (manufacturer of electronic solutions for treating, regulating, and heating swimming pools) for expanding its product portfolio. The company also became one of the world’s top five companies in 2019 that offered innovative products based on UV radiation. The impetus for BIO-UV Group’s impressive growth is its experienced teams of experts in medical equipment, water treatment, and engineering domain, who work in tandem to devise solutions that effectively address the increasingly diverse nuances pertaining to water and wastewater treatment.

BIO-UV Group coalesces contemporary technologies and application expertise to develop bespoke smart and sustainable solutions that cater to the particular requirements of its customers.With over two decades of experience in water treatment, BIO-UV Group has mastered the application of UV radiation for the disinfection of water. In line with the latest environmental issues.the company has developed a range of products that respect the fauna and flora in aquaculture, fish-farming, ponds, and aquariums.

Recognized Name in UV-based and Ozone Water Treatment

UV rays, invisible to naked eyes and primarily absorbed by the ozone layer, have a wavelength of 200 to 300 nanometers (UV-C). Owing to such short wavelengths, UV rays are germicidal—they pose the ability to deactivate microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, molds, algae, legionella, giardia, cryptosporidium, toxoplasma, and more. Leveraging these characteristics, BIO-UV Group develops water treatment methods that eliminate the usage of chemicals. Considering the low efficacy of chlorine against protozoa, low effectiveness in turbid water, and the long-term effects of chlorine exposure, utilization of UV rays not only results in more effective water treatment but also protects consumers from the effects of chlorination. In addition to the UV-based treatment solutions, BIO-UV Group also specializes in ozone water disinfection, one of the most effective and natural water treatment methods available today.

The Current Health Crisis And Social Distancing Initiatives Led Us To Adapt Our Uv-C Technology To Protect Workers From Picking Up The Virus From Surfaces And To Ensure They Are Working In Safe, Virus-Free Environments

BIO-UV Group employs powerful oxidizing agents that eliminate micro-organisms and organic matters by oxidizing them without damaging the inorganic water storage materials. In addition, ozone is highly effective in treating giardas, cypospordia, and legionella, whereas other treatment methodologies usually have very low efficacy. The company also offers triogen® AOP technology (advanced oxidation process), a method that combines UV radiation and ozone to form highly reactive hydroxyl free radicals that disinfect and eliminate organic matter without the requirement for deozonation equipment.

Owing to such innovative and environment-friendly solutions and a proactive approach towards addressing emerging challenges, BIO-UV Group has carved itself a niche in the water and wastewater treatment domain.

During the covid-19 pandemic, BIO-UV Group developed its Coronavirus surface killer, BIO-SCAN™, that swiftly received the certification from independent testing laboratories sand C4 Diagnostics.

UV-C Virus Scanner and Disinfectant

“The current health crisis and social distancing initiatives led us to adapt our UV-C technology to protect workers from picking up the virus from surfaces and to ensure they are working in safe, virus-free environments,” says Gillmann. The UV-C virus scanner has the ability to detect and eradicate micro-organisms, including SARS-CoV-2, from all types of surfaces and is now being deployed across a number of industries in Europe, primarily in the healthcare sector. The product is based on BIO-UV Group’s remarkably effective and well-known UV technology. BIO-SCAN™ effectively eliminates up to 99.9% of bacteria on surfaces within a couple of seconds. “The performance achieved during these two stringent tests is remarkable.

Test results validate BIO-SCAN’s capacity to disinfect and inactivate all types of micro-organisms, including the coronavirus, using UV-C technology,” reckons Gillmann. With the objective to bring chemical-free water and wastewater treatment solutions to the mainstream, BIO-UV Group is set to execute a paradigm shift beyond the water treatment industry, fostering innovation and environment-friendliness. “We are currently developing several products to meet the specific needs of each of these markets. In addition, our subsidiary TRIOGEN is developing an ozone-based disinfection system for damp surfaces. We will further develop BIO-SCAN to treat larger volumes and surfaces and adapt the system for use in mass transport systems but, for the moment, we are prioritizing medical and paramedical professionals,” concludes Gillmann.