Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is generally recognized as a strong oxidizing agent.  Sometimes it can also be used as a reducing agent (eg. for the generation of chlorine dioxide in the pulp and paper industry).  The most important application for hydrogen peroxide involves the bleaching of pulp and textile fibers.  For many decades, the cosmetic business has used hydrogen peroxide in hair bleaching treatments.

Kemira is one of the major producers of Hydrogen Peroxide in the world.

Chemical Pulp

In chemical pulp bleaching, peroxide has found a strong position in alkaline stages. In the bleaching plant, hydrogen peroxide and distilled peracetic acid (dPAA) are excellent alternatives for delignification and bleaching; for example, when generation of chlorine dioxide causes a bottleneck in your process or because of environmental reasons. Hydrogen peroxide and dPAA can be used in the production of TCF and ECF pulps. In delignification and bleaching peracetic acid (PAA) can also be used simultaneously with chlorine dioxide as a combined stage.

Mechanical Pulp

Hydrogen peroxide is widely used as a bleaching agent for different mechanical and chemi-mechanical pulps. By using hydrogen peroxide it is possible to reach a wide range of brightness, even to meet the demand for high grade magazine papers, board and tissue products.

The bleaching line has one or two stages depending on the desired increase in brightness, however in the simplest processes pulp can be bleached with hydrogen peroxide in refiners. In the production of chemi-mechanical pulps hydrogen peroxide can be used as an alternative to sulphonation of lignin, to achieve increased pulp and paper strength.

Recycled Fiber

When you want to increase brightness ceiling, decrease brightness variation and avoid yellowing of the final pulp, we recommend Hydrogen Peroxide for use in the actual deinking process or in a separate bleaching stage. Kemira has a wide experience of Hydrogen Peroxide in various bleaching applications.

Chemical Industry

Hydrogen peroxide is used in the chemical industry as raw material for oxidizing reactions such as oil epoxidization.  It also covers a wide range of environmental applications such as wastewater treatment, waste gas treatment and soil remediation. In the Netherlands and Canada, we produce special grades that are used for food stuff applications, and in aseptic packaging and dairy, under the trade names Puroxid® and Kemipure.  Some of those grades are Kosher and NSF certified.