Evonik is a leading supplier of persulfates as repulping aid for paper products containing wet strength resin. Historically, sodium hypochlorite was used to break down wet strength paper products; producing free chlorine which could result in corrosion and organic halide by-products.
Persulfate salts are environmentally friendly, non-halogenated compounds which can be used to oxidize the wet strength resin for reprocessing of broke, or off-spec paper to be recycled.
Sodium persulfate acts as a polymerization initiator in polymer chemistry, as an etchant and cleaner in the manufacturing of printed circuit boards, as a booster in hair bleaching formulations in cosmetics.
Potassium persulfate is used as an initiator for emulsion polymerization reactions, in the preparation of acrylic, vinyl, styrene, neoprene, styrene-butadiene and other resins. It is also used in depolymerization in modification of starch, as a booster in hair bleaching formulations in cosmetics and as a gel breaker in the oil and gas industry.