Factors That Affect Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition

I strongly recommend you to give enough attention to this post, because if you fail to avoid decomposition reaction to occur, you will not only lose your hydrogen peroxide (concentration decreases), but you may be exposed to some hazards. Remember, beside water hydrogen peroxide also releases oxygen and heat when decomposes.

Oxygen will develop high pressure in piping or vessel even it can introduce over pressure condition. Heat from the reaction will expose high temperature. Both sources of hazards if not treated properly may cause severe damage to equipments and threaten human safety.

Below are factors that affect hydrogen peroxide decomposition reaction. Read each point carefully.

1. The presence of heavy metal (catalyst) such as Palladium (Pd), Platinum (Pt), Ferro (Fe), etc.


2. Dirt and dust. Always keep clean area where hydrogen peroxide is stored, includes all handling facilities.


3. Temperature. According to research results, every 10oC of temperature increase (in the range of 50~70oC) will cause the rate of decomposition reaction increases by factor 2.


4. Using incompatible materials for its packaging material.


5. pH. Increase in pH value of hydrogen peroxide solution will obviously increase decomposition reaction.


6. The surface of storage containers. Rough surface or the presence of minutes scratches on shell side of the tank aids the decomposition process.

The easiest thing to do to avoid hydrogen peroxide decomposition is by separating hydrogen peroxide in the plant site from the incompatible materials as mentioned above.

What We Should Do When Hydrogen Peroxide Tank is Getting Hot

One of our hydrogen peroxide customers called us because its hydrogen peroxide tank was getting hot. The hydrogen peroxide temperature inside the tank was 68oC. They don’t know what was happening.

Hydrogen peroxide in that tank was decomposing and releasing heat during the decomposition reaction. Below were things that we recommended them to do at the time.

1. Filled demineralized water or purified water into the hydrogen peroxide tank in order to de-accelerate the decomposition reaction rate and cooled the temperature down.


2. Did not drain out hydrogen peroxide from the tank until its concentration was determined.


3. Took sample from the tank and measured its concentration.


4. Monitored hydrogen peroxide temperature and its concentration in tank for several hours. If hydrogen peroxide temperature was down and concentration became stable, it meant the decomposition reaction had stopped. .


5. If hydrogen peroxide temperature would not decrease or be stable, it meant the decomposition reaction was still in progress and we should let entire hydrogen peroxide decomposed. After that the entire hydrogen peroxide changed to water and could be drained out from the tank.

It becomes very important to equipped hydrogen peroxide tank with standard safety facilities and monitoring equipments. Once they installed, it will be easier to monitor and take actions when something wrong happens.

Please read my previous article about facilities of hydrogen peroxide storage tank, before you make your tank design or improve an installed one.