What are H2O2 stabilizers and will they affect my application?

Most commercial grades of H2O2 contain chelants and sequestrants which minimize its decomposition under normal storage and handling conditions.

The types of stabilizers used in H2O2 vary between producers and product grades. Common stabilizers include:

• Colloidal stannate and sodium pyrophosphate (present at 25 – 250 mg/L) are traditional mainstays.
• Organophosphonates (e.g., Monsanto’s Dequest products) are increasingly common.
• Nitrate (for pH adjustment and corrosion inhibition) and phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment) also are used.
• Colloidal silicate is used to sequester metals and thereby minimize H2O2 decomposition in certain applications that depend on the bleaching ability of H2O2 in alkali.

In some applications, a high degree of stabilization is needed; whereas, in others (e.g., drinking water treatment or semiconductor manufacture) product purity is more important. For most environmental applications, H2O2 stabilization does not affect product performance.