The Impact Of Peracetic Acid On Receiving Waters: Biochemical Oxygen Demand And Dissolved Oxygen

The use of peracetic acid (PAA) for wastewater disinfection has seen significant growth in North America over the last several years due to its advantages over chlorine-­‐based chemistries. These advantages include: no formation of chlorinated disinfection byproduct, such as trihalomethanes; lower aquatic toxicity and environmental impact; less influence of wastewater quality, such as TSS, nitrate and ammonia, on disinfection performance; and generally lower concentration or contact time to achieve the target microbial kill. The microbial efficacy of PAA on pathogens within wastewater is well known1, and several publications have investigated the impact of PAA on the subsequent water quality of a plant’s effluent after disinfection1-­‐3. This month’s edition of the Disinfection Forum examines the role PAA plays in the formation of both biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO), two competing mechanisms that impact the health of the plant’s receiving stream.