ChloraminationChoosing the Right Option for Your Operation

Chloramination is a widely used method for disinfecting public drinking water, and for good reason. It’s reliable, longer-lasting and produces fewer disinfection byproducts (DBPs) than free chlorine alone. But when it comes to selecting the right ammonia source for your chloramination program, the choice matters.

Every utility weighs a different set of priorities: safety requirements, regulatory environment, budget, and operational complexity. The ammonia product you choose affects all of them. Pencco offers both liquid ammonium sulfate and aqueous ammonia to support your disinfection program, and our team can help you evaluate which solution best fits your facility’s needs.

Pencco offers liquid ammonium sulfate and aqueous ammonia for your chloramination needs. For delivered pricing on either product, reach out here.

More about water disinfection through chloramination from the CDC can be found here.

Why Utilities Choose Liquid Ammonium Sulfate

When safety ranks at the top of a utility’s priority list, liquid ammonium sulfate is the clear choice. It’s a non-hazardous alternative to both anhydrous ammonia gas and aqueous ammonia. That distinction lifts real operational burdens^[1]:

• Fewer regulatory requirements
• Simplified training
• Reduced PPE demands
• Less liability exposure for your team and your community

It’s a stable, ready-to-use solution that integrates cleanly into existing chloramination feed systems without the added risk profile that comes with handling ammonia gas. For utilities looking for a solution with reduced safety risks and liability concerns, liquid ammonium sulfate is your answer.

Liquid Ammonium Sulfate at a glance:

• Non-hazardous classification — no Tier II reporting requirements for many utilities
• Compatible with standard chloramine feed systems
• Stable in storage; no off-gassing or pressurization concerns
• Lower PPE and training burden compared to anhydrous or aqueous ammonia
• Available in bulk delivery across Pencco’s distribution network

clarix™ Premium Liquid Ammonium Sulfate

Not all liquid ammonium sulfate is produced the same way. Most starts as dry ammonium sulfate crystals that are then re-dissolved into liquid form. This process introduces extra steps, more energy use, and more opportunity for environmental and product contamination.

Pencco’s premium liquid ammonium sulfate clarix is made differently.

Never Crystallized

clarix is produced entirely through a liquid manufacturing process. It has never been dried into crystals, which means it skips the re-dissolution step that defines most competing products. The result is a cleaner, more consistent product from the start.

Unexposed to Contaminants

Because clarix is never exposed to the open environment through a drying and re-wetting cycle, it arrives cleaner. Independent testing shows lower levels of contaminants and heavy metals compared to conventionally produced liquid ammonium sulfate. For drinking water utilities, that purity matters.

Efficiently Produced

Eliminating the crystallization and re-liquefaction steps doesn’t just protect product quality. It also reduces energy consumption throughout the production process. clarix has a lower environmental impact than standard liquid ammonium sulfate, making it a smart choice for utilities with sustainability goals alongside their operational ones.

For more on clarix, click here. To request a quote, please contact us here.

Real-World Results: Switching from Aqueous Ammonia to Liquid Ammonium Sulfate

In 2019, the Florida Water Resources Journal published a case study examining what happened when a 50-55 MGD water treatment plant transitioned from aqueous ammonia to liquid ammonium sulfate. The findings were instructive for any utility weighing a similar move.

The study found that:

• Chemical costs dropped. Even though overall chemical volume required increased due to liquid ammonium sulfate’s lower concentration, the lower unit cost resulted in a net reduction in chemical spend.
• Safety risk decreased significantly. Operators required less training, PPE, and fewer safety equipment to manage versus aqueous ammonia, meaningfully reducing liability exposure.
• The conversion was low-cost and budget positive. The county realized annual cost savings after accounting for the conversion investment.

If you are interested in exploring a conversion or getting a quote for liquid ammonium sulfate delivered to your facility, one of our hardworking sales professionals would love to talk with you. Check out our sales map to find your regional sales manager [LINK TO SALES MAP waiting until sales map is published to the live site].

Looking for something else? Pencco also offers aqueous ammonia out of the Southeastern U.S. as part of our portfolio of chemistry and treatment options. Contact us to discuss your treatment needs.

Why Choose Pencco?

Pencco has spent decades supplying water and wastewater treatment chemicals to industrial and municipal utilities across the U.S. We’re not just a product vendor. We’re a solutions partner. Our manufacturing and distribution network is built to deliver reliably, and our sales team knows the nuances of drinking water treatment programs.

Whether you’re evaluating liquid ammonium sulfate for the first time, managing an active conversion from aqueous ammonia, or looking for a more consistent supply with a better purity profile, Pencco has the products and the people to help.

At Pencco, we are committed to performing at the highest level so our customers can do the same. From our manufacturing facilities and extensive distribution network to our world-class engineers and sales professionals, we are dedicated to providing personalized service and reliable products, based upon our core values of integrity and continuous improvement.

^{[1] Increase Safety and Reliability by Making the Ammonia Source Switch}