Why Hydrogen Peroxide?
H2O2 --------> H2O + O2
(hydrogen peroxide --------> water + oxygen)
As simple as it may seem the treatment of contaminated water is as diverse and complicated as the operations from which it comes. In today's environement, where merely transferring contaminants from one medium to another is no longer acceptable, it is no surprise that a powerful oxidizer that looks like water -- in it's appeareance, chemical formula and reaction products -- should be so widely used. This is hydrogen peroxide (H202) -- a powerful yet versatile oxidant that is both safe and effective.
H202 Advantages
Powerful - H202 is one of the most powerful oxidizers known -- stronger than chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and potassium permanganate. And through catalysis, H202 can be converted into hydroxyl radicals ( OH) with reactivity second only to flourine.
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Oxidant
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Oxidation Potential, V
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Flourine
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3.0
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Hydroxyl radical
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2.8
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Ozone
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2.1
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Hydrogen peroxide
|
1.8
|
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Potassium permanganate
|
1.7
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Chlorine dioxide
|
1.5
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Chlorine
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1.4
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Safe - Despite its power, H2O2 is a natural metabolite of many organisms, which decompose the H2O2 they produce into oxygen and water. H2O2 is also formed by the action of sunlight on water -- a natural purification system for our environment. Consequently, H2O2 has none of the problems of gaseous release or chemical odours.
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