Air Products' Halia(TM) Advanced Oxidation System To Help City of Wichita Treat Surface Water For Reuse

First Aquifer Storage Project of Its Kind in North America

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Jan 28, 2010, 05:02 ET

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products' (NYSE: APD) Halia™ advanced oxidation system has been selected by the City of Wichita, Kans., for a crucial step in the process of treating excess water flow from the Little Arkansas River for aquifer storage and future reuse. The Halia system will treat 30 million gallons of surface water per day using HiPOx®(1) technology -- an ozone-based advanced oxidation process (AOP) -- to destroy atrazine, control bromate formation, and meet virus inactivation requirements for health and human safety.

Atrazine, a known endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) and the main ingredient in about 40 name-brand herbicides, is showing up in drinking water supplies, causing concern among regulatory agencies throughout the United States. Herbicides often move with rainwater from the point of application to nearby bodies of water, such as reservoirs, ponds and lakes, eventually finding their way into drinking water supplies.

"Air Products is helping to drive sustainable water supply by enabling communities to use more of their water," said Shaun C. Porter, water industry specialist at Air Products. "The Halia advanced oxidation system can help meet disinfection requirements while also destroying trace contaminants and minimizing the formation of by-products, such as bromate, making it ideal for drinking water applications, as well as water reuse and process water clean-up."

In the Halia AOP, the HiPOx reactor efficiently injects and mixes ozone and hydrogen peroxide to maximize the production of hydroxyl free radicals—one of the most powerful oxidants available for water treatment—to treat various compounds. HiPOx AOP is significantly more efficient than ozone alone with respect to both ozone dose and reaction time, enabling lower operating costs and improved performance with a smaller equipment footprint. HiPOx technology is the first ozone-based technology accepted by the State of California for unrestricted water reuse under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

Air Products has more than 30 years of experience in water and wastewater services, with a broad range of solutions marketed under the Halia trade name. Applications for the company's drinking water treatment and purification offerings include taste and odor control, as well as color removal; oxidation of hard-to-treat organic contaminants in industrial and groundwater systems; and cost reduction in ozone systems. The company also offers services for a variety of wastewater applications including supplemental aeration, upgrades and temporary requirements for biological wastewater systems, and wastewater disinfection for reuse. To learn more about Air Products' Halia water and wastewater solutions, visit www.airproducts.com/Halia.

Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of $8.3 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations.

(1) HiPOx is a registered trademark of APTwater, Inc. Air Products holds the exclusive rights to market HiPOx technology in the United States and Canada for municipal wastewater and drinking water applications at greater than one million gallons per day water flow rate.

SOURCE Air Products