Kemira completes first full-scale U.S. trial of chlorine-free wastewater technology
Summary
Kemira Oyj has completed the first full-scale U.S. trial of its KemConnect DEX chlorine-free wastewater treatment technology at Capital Region Water's advanced wastewater treatment facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The trial marks a significant validation milestone for the technology in the North American market, moving beyond pilot-scale testing to demonstrate performance at operational capacity. Kemira positions this system as part of its broader portfolio targeting water-intensive industrial and municipal applications.
Why It Matters
For manufacturers operating in water-intensive sectors — pulp and paper, food and beverage, chemicals, textiles — chlorine-free wastewater treatment represents a meaningful shift in both compliance risk management and operational chemistry. Chlorine-based disinfection generates regulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs) including trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which create disposal and permitting burdens under Clean Water Act effluent limits. A validated full-scale alternative reduces that regulatory exposure while potentially lowering corrosion rates on process equipment and piping downstream of treatment systems. Procurement teams should monitor whether this technology scales cost-competitively against sodium hypochlorite or chlorine gas systems, particularly as EPA tightens effluent standards. Plants with on-site wastewater treatment infrastructure should evaluate retrofit compatibility and chemical handling simplification as near-term operational benefits.