Hepes Removal by OHP Treatment – a Doe Study

HEPES is widely used in biochemistry and molecular biology research studies and applications as a buffer solution. However, it is difficult to remove from wastewater stream at the conclusion of work. FMC's patented OHP technology was proven in this study to be effective and efficient for HEPES treatment. In the OHP process, hydrogen peroxide was used as oxidizer, and the reaction temperature is between 90 to 140o C. An experimental design methodology was employed to investigate the optimal conditions for TOC reduction and reagent efficiency. The TOC was reduced up to 98%, and an efficiency of 80% was obtained in H2 O2 basis. The results showed that in the current test ranges, the TOC reduction will increase with any parameters except pH. There exists an optimal range of pH values which are consistent to the range reported in the literature. The reagent efficiency was dramatically improved by the increased temperatures, but adversely impacted by the increase in hydrogen peroxide volumes. The contributions of each variable to the TOC removal were discussed, and efficient operation conditions were proposed accordingly. All treated samples are bio-degradable. There is a good correlation between the TOC levels and the BOD numbers.