Hydrogen Peroxide

As a basic chemical building block and a simple oxidant, hydrogen peroxide finds use throughout chemical and related industries. Applications recently expanded as it was recognized as an environmentally benign chemical that decomposes to oxygen and water. It produces oxygenated byproducts rather than the chlorinated, nitrated or sulfonated byproducts of other oxidation processes. The pulp and paper industry represents the major user, but it also serves in a variety of applications. Aside from being a chemical intermediate, it is used in waste- and drinking- water treatment, food processing, aseptic packaging, semiconductor manufacture, rocket fuel, and formulations for a variety of cleaning and personal care products.

Arkema is the world’s third largest producer of hydrogen peroxide with two production facilities in North America, one in China and two facilities in Europe. Europe conducts process research on hydrogen peroxide production and basic research for pulp and paper bleaching. Research on specialty application areas mainly occurs in the U.S.

For environmental reasons, chlorinebased delignification and bleaching processes in the pulp and paper industry began to phase out in the late 1980's. By 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mandated the complete elimination of elemental chlorine from the pulp and paper industry.

While Arkema carries out research and development of basic applications for the pulp and paper industry at Pierre- Benite, France, we supply technical service to customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. We operate a satellite applications laboratory for pulp and paper application testing on the U.S. West Coast.

Research and development in this area will remain robust, and the prospects for future growth are bright.

View our business site at www.brightenyourfuture.com.