A Winning Formula For Water Treatment
John Maziuk of Solvay Chemicals discusses the history of the company, its role in the water industry, and the benefits offered by patented treatment formula.
The following is an excerpt from the Q&A with Water Online Radio. Click on the Radio Player above to hear the full interview.
Todd: Tell us about Solvay Chemicals. What do you do?
John: Solvay Chemicals goes back quite a while. In 1863, Ernest Solvay got a patent on the Solvay process. He built one of the first synthetic ash plants in the United States. Over time they have acquired other industries. One of them was INTEROX in the ’78, ‘79 timeframe. INTEROX produces hydrogen peroxide, and they are now one of the largest – if not the largest – producers of hydrogen peroxide in the world. We just recently acquired Rhodia Chemicals, and now have sales of 16.5 billion a year and over 29,000 people working with Solvay throughout the world.
Todd: I’ve been waiting all day to learn more about PROXITANE WW-12. What the heck is that?
John: PROXITANE is a 12% peracetic acid liquid. It’s clear and has the viscosity of water. The density is just slightly over water, it’s 1.1. It is an equilibrium mixture of acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
When you put these two materials together it makes peracetic acid, and you literally have hydroxyl sitting on the acetic acid, which is the real disinfectant body. You have residual peroxide there, which is part of the mixture and known as a disinfectant.
The interesting thing about peracetic acid is that it’s not chlorinated; it does not have the chloride byproducts. The equilibrium products are acetic acids, which is a vinegar and water.
Todd: How does it compare to other processes on the wastewater market today?
John: It’s very comparable to sodium hypochlorite – the dosages are the same. The other key is that since it is a liquid, you only need a pump, so it’s not as capital intensive as a UV system would be. It’s different from ozone in that ozone is a more complicated process to use.
It also doesn’t generate any hazardous byproducts whatsoever. It’s just water and acetic acid. It is as cost-effective as any process because you get the same kill for the cost of the raw material. It works very well.