Fast-Acting Wastewater Treatment Solutions for the Environmental Market

Both hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid are environmentally safe disinfectants to treat wastewater streams from municipal and industrial sources. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), with its natural oxidant properties, breaks down to oxygen and water. Peracetic acid is similarly environmentally benign, degrading into water, oxygen and acetic acid, which is readily biodegradable.

With its product lines HYPROX® and CLARMARIN®, Evonik produces grades of hydrogen peroxide that are ideal for wastewater treatment. It also offers multiple grades of peracetic acid under the brand PERACLEAN®.

Peracetic acid is often used to remove pathogenic germs in the last step before treated wastewater is discharged into the environment.

Hydrogen peroxide is increasingly replacing chlorine as a standard pretreatment to prevent hydrogen sulfide from entering wastewater treatment facilities, as sulfides cause unpleasant odor and corrode equipment. Hydrogen peroxide produces no harmful by-products and improves the water’s dissolved oxygen content, which enables the breakdown of organic materials by beneficial aerobic bacteria.

Peracetic acid is an attractive solution because the efficient reagent does not leave harmful by-products behind. A strong biocide, peracetic acid is often used to remove pathogenic germs in the last step before treated wastewater is discharged into the environment. It combines a “high” environmental safety score with a “high” rating for its effectiveness as a biocide for fluids.

Oxidation processes are also cost-­effective: existing chlorine infrastructure can be converted to peracetic acid by retrofitting with little capital expenditure required and there is little to no cost penalty in using hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine. WW

Evonik is a world leader in specialty chemicals. To learn more, visit https://corporate.evonik.com.

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