1976
WEDECO Gesellschaft für Entkeimungsanlagen mbH, Germany
Werner Klink and Horst Wedekamp had followed this research very closely. On July 14, 1976, they founded WEDECO Gesellschaft für Entkeimungsanlagen mbH. The production and marketing of the first UV water disinfection systems began on a small scale with six employees.
UV water disinfection for zoological parks
WEDECO systems were used in a wide variety of applications, such as disinfection of aquarium pool and exhibit water in zoological parks. The Duisburg Zoo, the Löbbeke Museum in Düsseldorf and later the Aquazoo used UV light early on to disinfect water in their aquatic exhibits.
German "Seeberufsgenossenschaft" grants approval
In the mid-1970s, WEDECO worked together closely with the "Seeberufsgenossenschaft" (Professional Association of Seafearers) in Hamburg. In 1976 the organization launched an extensive investigation into UV disinfection of potable and non-potable water on ships.
The results were positive, and WEDECO was granted the first official certificate in the company’s history for the E type series UV disinfection systems.
1979
UV sensor
To ensure sufficient disinfection, the UV dose generated by UV lamps in the water must achieve a sufficiently high level. This is monitored using UV sensors. In the late 1970s, WEDECO technicians developed a UV sensor for commercial use that was sufficiently sensitive in the wavelength range of the UV radiation generated for disinfection.
UV amalgam lamp
The next and certainly the most important milestone in WEDECO UV technology dates back to the end of the 1970s. At this time, WEDECO began developing a special lamp for potable water supply on trains. Inspired by the positive results being achieved by UV systems on ships, the German Federal Railway launched an investigation into the possible use of UV water disinfection in trains. There was a particular problem that needed to be solved: the large fluctuations in temperature of on-board water storage tanks. The UV lamps available on the market at the time experienced a drastic deterioration in performance at temperatures of more than 40°C. A lamp that was virtually insensitive to temperature had to be developed. In close cooperation with prominent manufacturers of UV lamps, Horst Wedekamp developed a new type of UV lamp, which was later taken from prototype to production readiness by Josef Pirkel from the quartz lamp factory Dr. Ing. Felix Müller GmbH & Co. KG in Essen. This lamp was the low pressure high output (Lo-Hi) amalgam lamp, and would later form the core of all WEDECO systems under the brand name Spektrotherm®.
