Press Release, Kemira Oyj, May 28, 2025 at 08:00 EST
- The foundational ingredient in Kemira’s water treatment solution used in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic swimming events in the Seine River has now been approved by the EPA in the U.S.
- Combining chemistry and technology, Kemira’s innovative water solution concept offers an automated, data-driven process to dispense the right amount of chlorine-free antimicrobial treatment that is beneficial for the environment.
- Kemira KemConnect DEX will become commercially available in markets across the U.S. as the company completes state and local registrations for the precursor products.
Kemira, a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries, today announced that it has secured U.S. EPA registration for the foundational ingredient in KemConnect DEX, a performic acid (PFA) based process water treatment solution. This approval highlights Kemira’s ability to innovate by combining chemistry and technology to provide water treatment facilities with an effective, environmentally friendly water treatment solution that offers an alternative to chlorine and uses data to enable real-time monitoring and control.
KemConnect DEX has been available for over a decade in Europe, and was recently used to help prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. As part of the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority’s efforts to make the Seine River swimmable for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, KemConnect DEX was added as an extra treatment step at Seine Amont—the second largest wastewater treatment plant in Europe, which processes over 500,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily. Thanks in part to this PFA-based solution, athletes competed in seven river-based events for the first time since the 1900 Paris Olympics.
“Chlorine-based solutions that have long been used to treat water are no longer the most sustainable option, as they can create potentially harmful by-products that disrupt the natural balance of receiving water bodies,” said Tuija Pohjolainen-Hiltunen, Kemira’s EVP Water Solutions. “This EPA registration is a major step forward for us at Kemira, allowing us to offer U.S. customers a more sustainable solution—one that helps ensure water safety without leaving behind harmful by-products and that naturally breaks down within minutes.”
Kemira KemConnect DEX is a chlorine-free alternative to less sustainable wastewater treatment methods and is backed by powerful technology and data-driven intelligence to enhance operations and reduce energy consumption. The solution is monitored and controlled on a digital platform, which utilizes data collected from a compact on-site generator measuring influent wastewater flows, and residual PFA.This data is then fed into Kemira’s proprietary algorithm to help water treatment facilities optimize the dosage of PFA for antimicrobial treatment in water, while offering more transparency and predictability to improve sustainability performance.
“Municipal water and wastewater treatment plants are forced to comply with changing regulatory requirements, while facing the impacts of climate change, a growing population and scarcity of resources,” Pohjolainen-Hiltunen continued. “Studies have shown that with KemConnect DEX, our customers can automatically generate and maintain a continuous PFA residual, while keeping bacteria below the permitted limit and ensuring compliance with the latest regulatory requirements.”
KemConnect™ DEX will become commercially available in markets across the U.S. as the company completes state and local registrations for its foundational ingredient. For more information about Kemira’s innovative water solutions, please visit: kemira.com/water/digital-services
Regulatory Note: All pesticides sold or distributed in the United States must be registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as well as with each individual state and U.S. territory. FennoSurf 600 (Precursor for the Generation of Performic Acid) has been approved by the EPA (EPA Reg. 9386-51) as of May 5th, 2025. US state registrations for Fennosurf 600 are in progress and must be confirmed prior to any offer for sale. Pesticides being sold or distributed in Canada must be registered with Health Canada’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Canadian registration is in progress for FennoSurf 600. All performic acid-based products marketed or sold under the KemConnect® DEX, Fennosurf, or other tradenames in the USA, for use in wastewater effluent treatment systems, are intended for non-public health microbial control. Any historical or non-US references using terminology other than “microbial control or microbicide” – made by Kemira Water Solutions, Inc. or third parties – do not constitute an EPA-approved claim nor do they apply to Kemira’s EPA-registered pesticides intended for use in wastewater effluent microbial control.
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Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. We deliver tailored products and services to improve the product quality, processes, and resource efficiency of our diverse range of customers. Our focus is on water treatment, as well as on fiber and renewable solutions – enabling sustainability transformation for our customers. In 2024, Kemira reported annual revenue of EUR 2.9 billion with a global team of some 4,700 colleagues. Kemira is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki www.kemira.com
For more information, please contact:
Kemira Oyj
Jennifer Blackburn, External Communications Manager, Americas
Tel. +1 (404) 434-6592
jennifer.blackburn@kemira.com