Influence of temperature and pH on the decomposition kinetics of peracetic acid in aqueous solutions

Abstract

Peracetic acid (PAA) is a strong oxidant used by the food industry as a sanitizer, in medical area as a disinfectant and by the textiles and paper industries as a bleacher. Its decomposition rate is an important parameter in these applications. The main purpose of this paper is to study the decomposition kinetics of PAA between 25 and 45 °C in solutions with pH 3.11, 5.0 and 7.0. The decomposition of PAA is a first-order reaction for all solutions and temperatures studied. The rate constants were between 2.08·10-3 and 9.44·10-3 h-1 (pH 3.11), between 2.61·10-3 and 16.69·10-3 h-1 (pH 5.0) and between 7.50·10-3 and 47.63·10-3 h-1 (pH 7.0). The activation energy of PAA decomposition in aqueous solutions are 58.36 and 72.89 kJ·mol-1 when pH was 3.11 and 5.0, respectively. © 2003-2012 Latin American Applied Research Journal.