Hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda: Dancing with a dragon while bleaching

Peter W. Hart; Carl J. Houtman; Kolby Hirth

Treesearch

Hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda: Dancing with a dragon while bleaching

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Peter W. Hart, Carl J. Houtman, Kolby Hirth

Year:

2013

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Forest Products Laboratory

Source:

Tappi Journal, Volume 12, Number 7, July 2013; pp. 59-65.

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Abstract

When hydrogen peroxide is mixed with caustic soda, an auto-accelerating reaction can lead to generation of significant amounts of heat and oxygen. On the basis of experiments using typical pulp mill process concentration and temperatures, a relatively simple kinetic model has been developed. Evaluation of these model results reveals that hydrogen peroxide-caustic soda systems are extremely sensitive to hydrogen peroxide:caustic soda ratio, transition metal contamination, and temperature. Small changes in initial conditions can result in a close system becoming explosive. Analysis of model results was used to develop guidelines for safer application of hydrogen peroxide in a mill setting.

Keywords

Hydrogen Peroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, safety, hazards

Citation

Hart, Peter W.; Houtman, Carl; Hirth, Kolby. 2013. Hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda: Dancing with a dragon while bleaching. Tappi Journal. 12(7): 59-65.