Peroxides and persulfates
Soil and groundwater remediation, wastewater purification, and air pollution control
Pollution of soil, water, and air comes from a range of contaminants. These include pesticides; lead; petroleum hydrocarbons and other heavy metals and chemicals; fertilizers; nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide emissions; leaching or improper disposal of wastes; or fuel and oil deposits. Peroxides and persulfates are powerful oxidants that can go a long way toward mitigating or preventing the negative effects of human activity.
Peroxides and persulfates contribute to a cleaner environment
Megatrends such as population growth and urbanization are often accompanied by an increasingly drastic impact on the environment. Invariably, the connection between environmental and human health becomes undeniable. We must take measurable, effective action to mitigate the negative influences of human activity and the increasing need for clean water.
When it comes to water treatment, for example, legal regulations stipulate various limit values on pollutants and microbes. Yet the water treatment itself should be part of the solution, not the problem. That is why using the powerful oxidants hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and persulfates is optimal for a range of water treatment solutions — from industrial and municipal wastewater treatment, groundwater remediation, recycling water, drinking water treatment, and more. Because once these oxidizing agents destroy non-biological as well as biological pollutants, they themselves break down into harmless substances: mostly just oxygen and water.
- Wastewater treatment
- Soil remediation and groundwater treatment
- Recycling processes and treatment of recycling water
- Air pollution control
- Assure micro-biologically clean water and prevent biofouling in cooling water and cooling system of industrial facilities
Special attributes of hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, and persulfates
The unique chemical properties of hydrogen peroxide as well as its ecological friendliness predestinate this chemical for an extensive use in a variety of environmental applications. There are numerous examples where hydrogen peroxide helps to prevent or reduce negative impacts on the environment.
Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide is often regarded as a true “green chemical”. In contrast to many other red-ox agents, hydrogen peroxide introduces no additional substances other than water into the reaction system. An excess can easily be decomposed into water and oxygen, not interfering with subsequent reaction steps.
In case of peracetic acid (PAA) the degradation or additionally derived product is acetic acid (AA), which is readily biodegradable in water and not bioaccumulative.
Evonik’s Tonawanda, NY persulfates plant is powered by hydroelectricity generated from the nearby Niagara River. Our KLOZUR® branded products are used to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater sites globally.
Despite its high reactivity, pure hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid products from Evonik decompose very slowly and, if kept under optimal conditions, can be stored for years. Decomposition can be accelerated by high pH values, high temperatures, UV-irradiation, the presence of transition metal salts and other impurities. Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid is a quite complex process, which involves formation of various free radicals. In some applications (soil remediation) the decomposition of these oxidizers can be used to enhance performance.
