I use 1000ppm Hydrogen peroxide gas (HPV) to do disinfection( open loop) of biopharmaceutical isolator. At that concentration, it's very harmful so could anyone please recommend how to manage with this gas before releasing to the atmosphere economically and effectively. *maximum airborne concentration is 50 ppm.
Hello,
You can have an outlet fitted with tubing and collect the exhaust gases into large suction bottles (or have several of them arranged in series, connected successively by inert tubing. See set up illustrated in the links below). Fill (about 30% liquid) the suction bottles with chemical neutralizers or decomposition catalysts. (These may generate heat during the process)
Set up examples:
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Chest_Drains
Article Indications and Complications of Tube Thoracostomy with Impr...
You can DIY make some suction bottles by recycling from large chemical glass bottles used for containing chemical solvents.
Buy or loan a suction pump (biology and medical labs will have them) to deliver the power for aspiring harmful gases into the decontamination system (suction bottles with neutralizers).
H2O2 quenching or decomposition can be achieved via chemical catalysis or use of neutralizers. The options have been described elsewhere. You can weigh the costs and try to find a way that minimize secondary hazards or cumbersome chemical wastes.
https://www.mindat.org/mesg-198003.html
Quotes from "Donald Lapham":
"There are many reducing agents that will react to "neutralize" Hydrogen Peroxide (including Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Thiosulfate, and Oxalic Acid). Even Potassium Permanganate (a mildly strong oxidizer) will react with Hydrogen Peroxide and form Manganese Hydroxide and Oxygen. All of these chemicals could result in significant heat generation if the Hydrogen Peroxide is stronger than about 30%. Our bodies contain an enzyme (catalase) that triggers the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide to Oxygen and water (so bleeding into the Hydrogen Peroxide would work too - but I don't recommend that). As Mark points out treatment at a non licensed facility is against the law in most countries. Hopefully you have dilute Hydrogen Peroxide and for that disposal to your local sanitary sewer is fine (unless you have thousands of gallons!)."
Full evaluation of quenching methods can be found here:
https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EE.1943-7870.0000619
Beware that during the process of disposal, H2O2 at high conc. must be properly placed (not too high as in overhead locations subject to falling and spilling on people, or not too low, as on floor, subject to being knocked down). There were real cases where H2O2 spillage resulted in death of research people who worked alone and were unaware of the danger of H2O2 at high conc.
I can suggest you to bubble it in titanium tetrachloride or titanium oxysufate which is a quantitative method for measuring hydrogen peroxide. You can find elements and references in this article:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11817140_Workplace_monitoring_of_hydrogen_peroxide_using_titanyl-coated_sorbents
One method is to pass the exhaust gas through a packed bed catalyst. The pressure drop might be high but the decrease in concentration is good enough. You can controlled the rate of decomposition by multiple factors such as the packing density, the size of the granulars, the type of catalyst, the flow rate, ...etc. A Pt/Pd coated alumina granulars are common and easy to find in the market.
Word of advise, don't use a catalytic converter >> the turbulence in the flow is low so the rate of decomposition is low.
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