Why It Must Be Removed Before Hauling or Reuse

Hydrogen peroxide is essential to several semiconductor wet clean processes, especially SPM/Piranha, APM, and other oxidizing mixtures used to remove organics and prepare surfaces for subsequent steps. The oxidizer provides cleaning strength and enhances particle removal; but once the chemistry has completed its work, the oxidizer becomes a liability. 

Residual peroxide blocks reuse, complicates disposal, increases hauling restrictions, and destabilizes reclaim pathways. Its presence has nothing to do with whether the acid is “spent” in the traditional sense. Peroxide is part of the process itself, and it remains active even after the solution is no longer suitable for wafer cleaning. 

This article explains why peroxide must be removed or destroyed before hauling or reuse, the specific risks it creates in high-purity process chemistries, and how semiconductor fabs are addressing this challenge without generating additional waste. 

Why Peroxide Is a Barrier in Semiconductor Waste Streams 

Hydrogen peroxide is an aggressive oxidizer. In high-purity semiconductor acid blends, it does not behave the same way it does in more dilute industrial applications. Its presence creates several specific challenges that fabs cannot ignore. 

Unpredictable reactivity outside the tool environment. 
Inside a well-controlled wet bench, peroxide’s reactivity is intentional. Outside that environment, in storage, transport, or mixed waste tanks, the oxidizer interacts unpredictably with metals, organics, or even tank materials. These reactions generate heat, gas, or unwanted secondary compounds. 

Compatibility issues with hauling and transport regulations. 
Disposal partners and transporters increasingly refuse peroxide-rich materials. Carriers are tightening acceptance limits, and some jurisdictions require onsite oxidant destruction before transport, regardless of volume. High-strength SPM cannot simply be placed on a truck. 

Blocked reuse, even when the underlying acid is still viable. 
Peroxide prevents reuse because its activity profile no longer matches process requirements. Fabs cannot recirculate oxidizer-bearing solutions into reclaim or regeneration routes. The oxidizer must be removed before the chemistry can be brought back up to process specifications. 

Safety concerns in tanks and piping. 
Residual oxidizers can cause rapid and unexpected reactions, especially on stainless steel surfaces containing trace metals. Peroxide decomposition is exothermic, and the associated gas evolution can stress tank controls. 

Interference with downstream treatment systems. 
RO units, polishing steps, and reclaim systems cannot tolerate oxidizers. Peroxide damages membranes, oxidizes polymer components, and destabilizes adsorption media. Even low concentrations create long-term reliability issues. 

These challenges tie directly to why peroxide removal is a necessary step, not an optional refinement. 

Why Peroxide Must Be Removed Before Reuse 

Many wet bench chemistries retain value even when contaminated with metals. But peroxide removes reuse from the equation entirely unless it is first destroyed or reduced to stability. 

Peroxide does not age into a harmless state. 
Fabs sometimes assume that peroxide will “burn out” in storage. In reality, decomposition is unpredictable and often accelerated by trace metals with the same contaminants that accumulate in spent SPM/APM. This makes settled storage an unsafe or unreliable option. 

Reclaim pathways require non-oxidizing input. 
Any system used for polishing, blending, refining, or regenerating acids assumes a stable, non-oxidizing matrix. Peroxide changes ionic strength, interacts with trace metals, and alters the balance needed for controlled reconstitution. 

Reuse requires predictable restoration chemistry. 
Whether a fab blends new acids back into a recovered mixture or runs the material through a third-party regeneration process, restoration chemistry depends on starting with a stable baseline. Peroxide prevents predictable restoration. 

Without peroxide removal, reuse programs break down, even when the underlying acid is otherwise viable. 

Why Peroxide Must Be Removed Before Hauling 

Heat and gas generation in transit are unacceptable risks. 
Peroxide decomposition is exothermic and produces oxygen. Even a slow decomposition pathway can create pressure or heat buildup during transport. 

Chemical interactions during transport are unpredictable. 
Trace metals, organics, or even residual wafer materials can trigger decomposition pathways in a closed container. 

Regions require destruction before movement. 
Some regulators mandate onsite peroxide destruction for high-strength SPM and related chemistries regardless of volume. 

Peroxide removal is no longer a matter of convenience; it is required to legally and safely transport these materials. 

Why Traditional Approaches Are Not a Good Fit 

Peroxide removal in semiconductor applications is nothing like removing it in commodity industrial wastewater. The chemistries, purity requirements, and underlying acids change the entire equation. 

Chemical neutralization generates secondary waste or damages the acid matrix. 
Reducing agents like bisulfite or thiosulfate introduce ions that fabs do not want. These additives alter the chemistry and complicate disposal or reuse. 

Catalysts can destabilize the acid. 
Certain catalytic methods accelerate peroxide decomposition but also react with the metal contaminants or base acid, altering the composition in unpredictable ways. 

Thermal decomposition is incompatible with high-purity acids. 
Heat-based methods drive off peroxide but simultaneously degrade the acid structure, making reuse impossible. 

Fabs need peroxide destruction that does not compromise the underlying chemistry or produce additional waste. 

How Fabs Are Addressing Peroxide Removal in 2026 

Leading fabs are turning to specialized technologies that remove peroxide cleanly and predictably while preserving the underlying acid structure and avoiding secondary waste. 

Targeted oxidant destruction. 
Systems designed to eliminate peroxide in high-purity matrices allow fabs to prepare waste for hauling, support acid recovery programs, and protect downstream treatment systems. 

Integration into reclaim and recovery programs. 
Removing peroxide first allows contaminated acids to be routed into reuse pathways rather than disposal. This supports both sustainability and cost-reduction goals. 

Stable, controlled treatment that does not introduce consumables. 
Electrochemical approaches and similar advanced methods allow for peroxide destruction without creating sludge or introducing new ions. 

Reduced hauling volumes and associated risk. 
Once oxidants are removed, fabs often find that a large portion of “waste” can enter reuse or recovery paths, significantly reducing disposal frequency. 

These upgrades fit directly into broader site-level goals around circularity, chemical security, safety, and CO₂ reduction. 

Peroxide Removal as a Foundation for Reuse and Circularity 

The semiconductor industry is shifting toward reclaim-first design. Reuse of high-purity acids, onsite material recovery, and reduction of hauling are becoming embedded in facility planning. Peroxide removal is a required first step in nearly all of these pathways. 

Removing oxidants enables: 

• safe handling and storage 

• stable transport and disposal 

• consistent performance of reclaim and polishing systems 

• recovery of valuable acids 

• integration into circularity programs 

• lower CO₂ and hauling footprints

   

As fabs incorporate more chemical-intensive cleaning steps and face stricter resource constraints, peroxide removal is rapidly moving from an afterthought to a core design requirement.