Method for accelerating oxygen removal employing an aqueous solution of an alkyl hydrazine

A method for removing oxygen from an oxygen-containing material which comprises admixing said oxygen-containing material with a liquid organic hydrazine compound selected from the group consisting of monoalkyl hydrazines wherein the alkyl contains from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, dialkyl hydrazine wherein alkyl contains from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, and trialkyl hydrazines wherein the alkyl contains from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and having substituents in said alkyl selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl and amino radicals, in which said organic hydrazine compound is present in an amount sufficient to remove said oxygen and maintain a residual organic hydrazine concentration corresponding to a hydrazine equivalent weight of from about 0.01 to about 1000 parts per million.