Oxidation

Wastewater is effluent (liquid waste or sewage, discharge into a river, sea, or other body of water) from any treatment plant, sewer or industrial outfall and is under scrutiny, as most of it is returned to the environment. Certain substances not removed by wastewater treatment processes can cause problems in the receiving waters.

Sludge And Scum

If certain wastes (including domestic wastewater) do not receive adequate treatment large amounts of solids may accumulate on the banks of the receiving waters, or they may settle to the bottom to form sludge deposits or float to the surface and form rafts of scum. Sludge deposits and scum are not only unsightly: but if they contain organic material, they may also cause oxygen depletion and be a source for odors. Primary treatment units in the wastewater treatment plant are designed and operated to remove the sludge and scum before they reach the receiving waters.

Oxygen Depletion

Host living creatures need oxygen to survive, including fish and other aquatic life. Most streams and other surface waters contain less than 0.001% dissolved oxygen (10 milligrams of oxygen per liter of water, or 10 mg/L). When oxidizable wastes are discharged to a stream, bacteria begin to feed on the waste and decompose or breakdown the complex substances in the waste into simple chemical compounds. These bacteria also use dissolved oxygen (similar to human restoration or breathing) from the water and are called aerobic bacteria. As more organic waste is added, the bacteria reproduce rapidly and as their population increases, so does their use of oxygen. Where waste flows are high, the populations of bacteria may grow large enough to use the entire supply of oxygen from the stream faster than it can be replenished by natural diffusion from the atmosphere. When this happens, fish and most other living things in the stream which require dissolved oxygen die. Another effect of oxygen depletion, in addition to killing of fish and other aquatic life, is the problem of odors. When all the dissolved oxygen has been removed, anaerobic bacteria begin to use the oxygen, combining it chemically with other elements in the form of compounds such as sulfide (sulfur and oxygen), which are also dissolved in the water. When anaerobic bacteria remove the oxygen from sulfur compounds, hydrogen sulfide is released creating a rotten egg odor. Hydrogen sulfide can erode concrete, can remove paint from structures, and may form explosive mixtures with air capable of paralyzing your respiratory center.

Other Effects

Some wastes adversely affect the clarity and color of receiving waters, making them unsightly and unpopular for recreation. Taste and odor may reach levels in the receiving waters to become detectable in drinking water or the flesh of fish. Treated waste waters contain nutrients capable of encouraging excess algae and plant growth in receiving waters. Conventional treatment does not remove a major portion of the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients.

Hydrogen Sulfide Corrosion in Wastewater Collection & Treatment

Corrosion of wastewater and treatment systems induced by the presence of hydrogen sulfide can cause rapid and extensive damage to concrete and metal pipe, equipment used in transport and treatment of wastewater, and electrical controls and instrumentation systems. This kind of corrosion causes poor reliability or system failures which in turn can become costly repairs or replacement. Hydrogen sulfide corrosion also compromise structural integrity by corroding equipment like bar screens, conveyors, supports, grating, storage tanks, walkways and rails.

Mechanism or Hydrogen Sulfide Formation

Hydrogen sulfide corrosion forms by two distinct mechanisms. The first is from the acid attack resulting from the biological conversion of hydrogen sulfide gas to sulfuric acid in the presence of moisture. The second is the direct attack of metals such as iron, copper and steel with the sulfide gas. For hydrogen sulfide to be formed the wastewater must be anaerobic. When oxygen is depleted by the activity of microorganisms faster than it is supplied, waste streams become anaerobic. This condition promotes sulfur reducing bacteria that coat the surfaces of your treatment facility with bio-slime and will reduce flow or clog mains. The biomass build up generally has to be vacuumed or pigged out and leaves the damage of the acids behind.

PureOXY Solution

PureOXY is a stable on-demand oxidizer releasing oxygen and radicals into waste-streams. It delivers potent redox with high millivolt charges of 700mV to 850mV in a sustained and predicable way without UV or electricity. Oxidizers like hydrogen peroxide release oxidation in a spontaneous uncontrollable reaction and become difficult to manage from a load or cost stand point. PureOXY is designed to radically change the dissolved oxygen profile of any given waste stream in a controlled and predictable way without compromising effectiveness at a low cost.

Active Oxygen vs Delivered Oxygen

On a strictly mole-to-mole basis it is a fact that 50% hydrogen peroxide has a bigger bank of active oxygen however deliverable oxygen is the clear separator between PureOXY and other oxidizers. To illustrate this point a standard titration analysis reveals that a 99.9% stable hydrogen peroxide solution at 50% concentration with active oxygen of 23% has an oxidative capacity of 0.2 ml. By comparison the same 2ml quantity of PureOXY has a capacity of 168 ml which is 840 times the deliverable oxygen. Because hydrogen peroxide has an uncontrollable, spontaneous reaction that cannot be stopped once it begins, it burns its entire oxidation capacity in a matter of seconds.

Reasons To Use PureOXY

• Improved Odor Control
• Reduce Noxious Gases
• Improve pH
• Reduced Sludge
• Reduce Mechanical Aeration
• Reduce BOD and COD
• Reduce Dissolved Sulfides
• Increase Dissolved Oxygen
• Reduced Fats, Oils and Grease
• Offset Eutrophication & Algal Blooms