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  • Hydrogen Peroxide Sanitization?

    I am looking into using hydrogen peroxide as a leave in sanitizer. I have found some info stating that it is a great product (cheap and highly effective) because it will either turn to air or water as it breaks down.
    Wondering what others thoughts are on this for sanitization.
    What concentration percentage is used and what ration to dilute it to.
    Any problems with foaming and/or pump cavities?

    any insight appreciated.

  • #2
    Not as effective or controllable or stable as PAA. The industry has generally moved on to PAA for that reason.The H2O2 will also need surfactants to allow it to work effectively, which standard H2O2 will not contain - though a sterilant grade solution may. Actually PAA normally contains a fair amount of H2O2 as part of the degradation process of PAA.
    dick

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    • #3
      I use it as an additive with caustic at 75 degrees celsius to clean the wort copper, the internal calandria and the lauter tun. The hydrogen peroxide provides a boost effect to the caustic and really improves it's cleaning effect.

      But I wouldn't use it for sanitation. There are better alternatives, such as peracetic acid.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by ChuckD View Post
        .... I have found some info stating that it is a great product (cheap and highly effective) because it will either turn to air or water as it breaks down....
        H2O2 breaks down to Oxygen and water, not air and water. During the breakdown, the oxygen is briefly present as atomic oxygen. At high concentrations of H2O2 (~60%+, depending on pressure and temperature) this oxidizing potential can turn many ordinary organic compounds (rubber, many plastics, etc) into sensitive high explosives. It also eats flesh almost instantly. Older liquid-fuel rockets used ETOH as a fuel and H2O2 as an oxidizer. On passing the mixture over a platinum (other metals work, too) screen, the mixture explodes violently.

        PAA can be a nasty character, too, but is a bit better behaved.
        Last edited by TGTimm; 01-09-2015, 02:49 PM.
        Timm Turrentine

        Brewerywright,
        Terminal Gravity Brewing,
        Enterprise. Oregon.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by TGTimm View Post
          H2O2 breaks down to Oxygen and water, not air and water. During the breakdown, the oxygen is briefly present as atomic oxygen. At high concentrations of H2O2 (~60%+, depending on pressure and temperature) this oxidizing potential can turn many ordinary organic compounds (rubber, many plastics, etc) into sensitive high explosives. It also eats flesh almost instantly. Older liquid-fuel rockets used ETOH as a fuel and H2O2 as an oxidizer. On passing the mixture over a platinum (other metals work, too) screen, the mixture explodes violently.

          PAA can be a nasty character, too, but is a bit better behaved.

          You must have read "I G N I T I O N ! An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants".

          Although there isn't an explicit overlap between rocketry and brewing besides chemistry, I bet many folks on this forum would enjoy this book.


          Matthew

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          • #6
            Originally posted by ChuckD View Post
            I am looking into using hydrogen peroxide as a leave in sanitizer. I have found some info stating that it is a great product (cheap and highly effective) because it will either turn to air or water as it breaks down.
            Wondering what others thoughts are on this for sanitization.
            What concentration percentage is used and what ration to dilute it to.
            Any problems with foaming and/or pump cavities?

            any insight appreciated.
            To follow what others have said, it's not the way to go for sanitizing, but it is very effective as a booster in CIP due to the mechanical action it contributes. The amount of physical scrubbing on our internal calandria has dropped to mere touch-ups since we incorporated it into our brewhouse CIP. Talk to your chemical supplier about it. It has to be added in regular doses over the course of the cleaning due to its short effective lifetime. We now have a pump and controller to dose it in, but previously we used a clock and a step-stool.

            But to add to what TGTimm said, it's also a potentially dangerous chemical in its own right and should be treated with the same caution and care as strong caustics and acids.

            Matthew

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            • #7
              Thanks for the responses. I have 35% H2O2 on hand. So if I use this in a mix with pbw what sort of dilution ratio are other using? 1 part h2o2 to 10 parts pbw mixed in hot water?
              This sounds like it would be a great cleaner for our flat bottom direct fire kettle. We typically have to haul it (6 bbl) down and clean the botton by hand.
              Right now we are using StarSans SaniClean as our sanitizer, I guess we can continue to use it. Just trying to find a cheaper solution for a no rinse cleaner and I heard that h202 turns into oxygen and water.

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              • #8
                I would be careful with using H2O2 in caustic or highly alkaline cleaning solutions.

                Originally posted by grnis View Post
                I use it as an additive with caustic at 75 degrees celsius to clean the wort copper, the internal calandria and the lauter tun. The hydrogen peroxide provides a boost effect to the caustic and really improves it's cleaning effect.

                But I wouldn't use it for sanitation. There are better alternatives, such as peracetic acid.
                H2O2 is very unstable in caustic and high alkaline solutions, so I wouldn't recommend it. To get the same oxygen liberating effect you are desiring, you might want to consider using sodium percarbonate, which is compatible with caustic or high alkaline solutions. It is a powder, and adding 5% by weight of caustic will do a good job, be stable, and safer. Dean of Clean

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                • #9
                  The very instability is what makes it such an effective additive to caustic. But I take your point about the safety aspect. I have always used it carefully dosed in-line between the CIP set delivery pump and the main point of it being used, for instance a wort kettle, ideally just before the wort kettle cleaning heads rather than just after the delivery pump.

                  I have not come across the use of sodium percarbonate - one for me to check with the chemical guys I normally deal with. Thanks for the lead.

                  Cheers
                  dick

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                  • #10
                    PBW already contains oxidizers which aid the caustic cleaners by oxidizing the protein/mineral/carbohydrate matrix that makes up kettle and fermenter soil. We use a standard caustic and add some powdered alkaline cleaner with sodium metasilicate. The powdered cleaner acts as an oxidizer and really helps break down soil and aids in prevention of beer stone. However periodic acid washing is still needed.


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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