Application of Peracetic Acid for Municipal Wastewater Processes

Today, about a quarter of all municipal wastewater treatment plants use UV disinfection; and while there is interest in ozone for wastewater, technical challenges and high capital costs have stunted this market. Peroxyacetic acid or peracetic acid (PAA) is gaining interest for wastewater disinfection due to its ability to inactivate microbes at costs competitive to other mature disinfection technologies, with secondary benefits of a chemical oxidant.

This project will document existing knowledge around PAA for wastewater disinfection and other uses in wastewater treatment, as well as enhance understanding of PAA effects on wastewater processes and aquatic life. The research will gather targeted information from utilities implementing PAA from their testing or operations and identify key factors that were considered when utilities made the transition to PAA disinfection.

Originally funded as WERF project LIFT14T16.