Peracetic acid is one of the most widely used compounds in the food industry, although it has also many other uses. In today’s post we want to talk to you about what it is and what it is commonly used for.

As well as being a biocide, one of the most widespread uses of Peracetic Acid is as a bleaching agent for industrial laundry.

Laundry is a very important process today in many economic activities: from the hotel and catering industry to the hospitals, food sector, laboratories and industry in general. For this reason it is essential to optimise all the variables involved.

This process is carried out in different stages. In them, different chemical products are dosed for a certain time and at different temperatures with the following objectives: to improve the dissolution of the dirt, altering the characteristics of the fabrics as little as possible, and also at the lowest economic cost and generating waste effluents as less polluting as possible.

And within the washing cycle, one of the most important stages is bleaching, an operation during which the most difficult stains are removed. This is the stage in which peracetic acid is used.

The main advantages of using peracetic acid as a whitener are:

  • It can be used in soft and hard water.
  • Low temperature action, which generates less wear and tear on fabrics, extending their life. Hydrogen peroxide needs higher temperatures (more wear), while Sodium Hypochlorite allows working at lower temperature, but is much more aggressive with fibres and colours.
  • Deodorising capacity as it is a strongly oxidising compound.
  • It sanitizes clothes even at low temperatures and in the presence of organic matter (it is not affected by protein residues, such as other oxidants).
  • It does not generate chlorinated residual effluents as it happens with the sodium hypochlorite (when acting it decomposes in oxygen, water and acetic acid that in turn it decomposes in CO2).

In Solimix we have a long experience in manufacturing and packaging peracetic acid, a product for which we have the corresponding registration in REACH.

We supply the product in different formats, from 1,000 litres IBC to 5 litres carafes, including all intermediate sizes. Ask us for a quote.