Degussa - Huls Ag

Rainer Fuchs

Michael Huss

Peter Werle

Roland Schneider

Andrea Preuss

Thomas Luy

A process for preventing the transfer of harmful organisms of zooplankton including the epifauna thereof and of phytoplankton including its resting stages, which are taken up with the ballast water of ships and transferred to another locality on discharge. The organisms are substantially destroyed by the addition of an agent containing a water-soluble percarboxylic acid with 1 to 6 carbon atoms, particularly an aqueous solution containing peracetic acid and/or performic acid and hydrogen peroxide, in a quantity of 0.1 to 200 mg of percarboxylic acid per liter of ballast water and allowing it to react before discharge. In a preferred embodiment, cyanide is also added to the ballast water.

Process for preventing contamination of the aquatic environment with organisms from ballast water

Disinfecting agents according to the invention with a high microbiocidal effect contain up to 5 wt. % performic acid, hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid. The agents can be obtained by addition of a source of formic acid such as formic acid, a water-soluble salt of the same or a lower formic ester, to an aqueous phase containing 5 to 50 wt. % hydrogen peroxide and 1 to 15 wt. % peracetic acid and, in the case of the addition of a salt, additionally a mineral acid. Preferred agents result from the addition of 0.1 to 1 mole sodium formate or formic acid, per kg of the agent to be produced, to an equilibrium peracetic acid containing mineral acid with 0.5 to 6 wt. % peracetic acid.

Aqueous disinfecting agent containing performic acid and peracetic acid process for production and process for use thereof

Small creatures from the group of insects and worms which are pathogenic to humans, animals and plants can be controlled effectively by applying or introducing an aqueous percarboxylic acid solution containing one or more percarboxylic acids with 1 to 6 carbon atoms to surfaces and/or into water. A solution which contains peracetic acid and/or performic acid is preferably used. In the case of insects, the larvae of these are controlled in water using an application concentration of 1 to 5000 ppm of percarboxylic acid.

Process for controlling and destroying pathogenic small creatures, in particular insects and worms

A method of treating water for a swimming pool comprising chlorination of the water, and filtration of the water using a fixed-bed filter with periodic backflushing of the filter using wash water to which a disinfectant has been added. The disinfectant is a peroxycarboxylic acid with one to six carbon atoms is used as disinfectant, preferably a solution containing peroxyacetic acid and/or peroxyformic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The method results in an improvement of the quality of the swimming-pool water and of the used wash water.

Method of treating swimming pool water

The phytotoxic action of too high a concentration of peroxygen compounds such as peroxycarboxylic acids and hydrogen peroxide in the combating of phytopathogenic microorganisms, such as fusaria, in the water systems of plant irrigation systems, especially greenhouses, can be eliminated. The water is treated with a peroxycarboxylic acid solution which is brought in contact with a solid decomposition catalyst for active-oxygen compounds before the water is used for irrigation, in order to reduce the content of peroxycarboxylic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The water contacts and flows through a fixed bed of decomposition catalyst, by trickling over it or flowing through the conduits of a monolithic block coated with a decomposition catalyst such as platinum, palladium or rhodium.

Growing community of inventors

Mömbris/Hohl, Germany

Rainer Fuchs