30.06.2022

Chlorine dioxide is mainly used as a bleach. As a disinfectant it is effective even at low concentrations, because of its unique qualities.


1.When was chlorine dioxide discovered?

Chlorine dioxide was discovered in 1814 by Sir Humphrey Davy. He produced the gas by pouring sulphuric acid (H2SO4) on potassium chlorate (KClO3). Than he replaced sulphuric acid by hypochlorous acid (HOCl). In the last few years this reaction has also been used to produce large quantities of chlorine dioxide. Sodium chlorate (NaClO3) was used instead of potassium chlorate.


2.What are the characteristics of chlorine dioxide ?

Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a synthetic, green-yellowish gas with a chlorine-like, irritating odor. Chlorine dioxide is a neutral chlorine compound. Chlorine dioxide is very different from elementary chlorine, both in its chemical structure as in its behavior. Chlorine dioxide is a small, volatile and very strong molecule. In diluted, watery solutions chlorine dioxide is a free radical. At high concentrations it reacts strongly with reducing agents. Chlorine dioxide is an unstable gas that dissociates into chlorine gas (Cl2), oxygen gas (O2) and heat. When chlorine dioxide is photo-oxidized by sunlight, it falls apart. The end-products of chlorine dioxide reactions are chloride (Cl-), chlorite (ClO-) and chlorate (ClO3-).


3.What are the applications of chlorine dioxide?

Chlorine dioxide has many applications. It is used in the electronics industry to clean circuit boards, in the oil industry to treat sulfides and to bleach textile and candles. In World War II, chlorine became scarce and chlorine dioxide was used as a bleach.Nowadays chlorine dioxide is used most often to bleach paper. It produces a clearer and stronger fiber than chlorine does. Chlorine dioxide has the advantage that it produces less harmful byproducts than chlorine.


Chlorine dioxide gas is used to sterilize medical and laboratory equipment, surfaces, rooms and tools.


Chlorine dioxide tablets can be used as oxidizer or disinfectant. It is a very strong oxidizer and it effectively kills pathogenic microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. It also prevents and removes bio film. As a pesticide it is mainly used in liquid form. Chlorine dioxide can also be used against anthrax, because it is effective against spore-forming bacteria.


Chlorine Dioxide | Use, Benefits, and Chemical Safety Facts
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a chemical compound consisting of one chlorine atom and two oxygen atoms. It is a reddish to yellowish-green gas at room temperature that dissolves in water. It is used for a variety of antimicrobial uses, including the disinfection of drinking water. Chlorine dioxide gas is usually produced onsite from sodium chlorate or sodium chlorite.


1.Uses & Benefits

-Powerful Disinfection in Water Treatment

Chlorine dioxide is a disinfectant. When added Chlorine Dioxide Powder to drinking water, it helps destroy bacteria, viruses and some types of parasites that can make people sick, such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the maximum concentration of chlorine dioxide in drinking water to be no greater than 0.8 parts per million (ppm).


-Industrial/Manufacturing Uses

Chlorine dioxide chemistry is used in a wide variety of industrial, oil and gas, food and municipal applications:


-Food and Beverage Production

Chlorine dioxide can be used as an antimicrobial agent in water used in poultry processing and to wash fruits and vegetables.


-Paper Processing

Chlorine dioxide is used to chemically process wood pulp for paper manufacturing.


-Medical Applications

In hospitals and other healthcare environments, chlorine dioxide gas helps to sterilize medical and laboratory equipment, surfaces, rooms and tools. Researchers have found that at appropriate concentrations, chlorine dioxide is both safe and effective at helping to eliminate Legionella bacteria in hospital environments. Legionella pneumophila bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly type of pneumonia.


Chlorine dioxide is not a cure or treatment for medical ailments, including but not limited to autism, HIV, malaria, hepatitis viruses, influenza, common colds, and cancer. Claims that the ingestion of chlorine dioxide, often advertised as “Miracle Mineral Solution” or MMS, will cure these or other ailments are false. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises MMS should not be consumed.


2.Safety Information

Chlorine dioxide is used to disinfect drinking water around the world. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlorine dioxide is added to drinking water to protect people from harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. EPA recognizes chlorine dioxide use as a drinking water disinfectant, and it is included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.


In its pure form, chlorine dioxide is a hazardous gas but most people are “not likely” to breathe air containing dangerous levels of chlorine dioxide as it rapidly breaks down in air to chlorine gas and oxygen. For workers who use chlorine dioxide, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) regulates the level of chlorine dioxide in workplace air for safety. OSHA has set a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for chlorine dioxide at 0.1 parts per million (ppm), or 0.3 milligrams (mg) per cubic meters (m3) for workers using chlorine dioxide for general industrial purposes. OSHA also has a PEL for chlorine dioxide for the construction industry. Chlorine dioxide is always made at the location where it is used.


10 Reasons Why Chlorine Dioxide is popular
Chlorine dioxide is one powerhouse sanitizer that is getting more attention recently as food processors look for more efficacious products to help them win the sanitation battle. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is as powerful as peracetic acid and more economical, yet it has far less of an impact on the environment than quaternary ammonium salts, chlorine or bromine, making it an excellent choice for food processing plants. Chlorine dioxide liquid costs about the same to use as other sanitizers but is more versatile and less harmful. It’s also been shown to destroy and prevent biofilms, one of the biggest challenges to food processors in destroying harmful bacteria. It also does not have the strong odor or corrosive qualities associated with chlorine.


It is a versatile alternative that can be used in many sanitation applications, including pasteurization equipment, heat exchangers, cooling towers, hard surface disinfecting, potable water treatment and deodorizing stacks in rendering plants. It is already growing in popularity as a tool to control microbiological growth in the dairy industry, the beverage industry, the fruit and vegetable processing industries, canning plants, and in poultry and beef facilities.


Here are 10 reasons why:


1. Chlorine dioxide has 2.6 times the oxidizing power of waterborne chlorine (from bleach), giving it a wide spectrum of sanitizing uses and making it extraordinarily effective against a host of bugs. Studies have shown that it produces as high as a 6-log reduction.


2. Chlorine dioxide has a much wider pH spectrum than chlorine, making it more versatile and forgiving in a variety of application situations. Unlike chlorine, chlorine dioxide remains a true gas dissolved in solution. The lack of any significant reaction of chlorine dioxide with water is partly responsible for its ability to retain its biocidal effectiveness over a wide pH range. It also has limited reactions with organics, indicating that much more of the chlorine dioxide added to a system is available as a biocidal agent, and is not consumed to the degree that chlorine would be under the same circumstances. In addition, chlorine will react with, and be consumed by ammonia or any amine, while chlorine dioxide reacts very slowly with secondary amines, and sparingly with primary amines or ammonia.


3. Chlorine dioxide is considered an excellent bactericide, fungicide and antimicrobial agent. It has passed the EPA’s stringent DIS/TISS guidelines for use as a disinfectant and as a food-contact surface sanitizer.


4. The FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have approved stabilized sodium chlorite (a precursor) and chlorine dioxide in food processing plants for sanitizing and controlling bacteria and mold.


5. Chlorine dioxide is currently under EPA review as a surface sanitizer for E. coli O157:H7 and drug-resistant Salmonella. It is also currently under EPA review as a virucide for HIV and Hepatitis A and for use as a fungicide, virucide and algaecide.


6. Chlorine dioxide has been found to be one of the most effective tools for dispersing biofilms, and in some cases, inhibiting the formation of future biofilms. This function is especially valuable in the small cooling towers of food processing facilities where food product contamination can contribute to heavy films or algal slimes. Biofilm is a polysaccharide film or coating that protects and harbors viable bacteria colonies making surfaces more difficult to clean and disinfect.


7. Chlorine dioxide can be used on food-contact surfaces at diluted concentrations as low as 5 parts-per-million (ppm). In some cases, the compound has demonstrated a rapid kill of bacteria much less than the 30-minute period typically used in disinfection studies. Because it is so powerful in such small amounts, it is also extremely economical.


8. So far, problem cells have shown little ability to develop resistance to chlorine dioxide, as they can with other sanitizers, making it a consistent tool in the sanitation toolbox.


9. Chlorine dioxide generating systems can be used for odor control, sanitation and water purification applications. Birko Corp. offers an exclusive ClO2 generation system, which eliminates older, conventional “vacuum draw” technology, for outstanding consistency, accuracy and practical yield.


10. Unlike chlorine bleach and bromide, which make carcinogenic trihalomethanes that get washed down the drain and deposited in the environment, chlorine dioxide donates oxygen, breaking down to water, oxygen and common table salt. This makes it much less corrosive to equipment and a superb environmental choice. It also breaks down quickly, which means it won’t harm the soil or add toxic deposits to the ground.


Advantages of NaDCC Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate Tablets
Advantages:

-PROVEN to be effective against virtually all known Giardia, Bacteria, Viruses, Spores, and other Water Borne Diseases.

-GREATER RESISTANCE TO ORGANIC LOAD as it contains 50% Free Available and 50% Combined Chlorine, creating equilibrium.

-LESS TOXIC AND LESS CORROSIVE to rubber and stainless steel than other chlorine compounds.

-RAPID RELEASE of HOCL encouraging fast biocidal activity.

-MORE ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY than alternative disinfectants.

-FAST DISSOLVING and ready to use quickly.

-No unpleasant taste, odour or colour, Iodine free water purification tablets.

-Resistant to organic spoilage.

-Dissolves quickly in water forming clear disinfecting solution and acidic solution of ph up to 7

-Economical

-Yields known level of available chlorine.


When added to water, Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate Tablets dissolve to release a measured dose of Hypochlorous acid (Free Available Chlorine) that is universally recognized as a safe and effective water disinfectant. However, this unique water purification tablet, while chlorine based, will not colour the water or leave objectionable chemical tastes.


Disinfection Spray or Wipes? The Pros and Cons at a Glance
For years, spray bottles and cleaning cloths (microfibres and paper) have been the most popular disinfectant solution that companies use. Although this system has advantages, many inherent limitations are noted.

We list all the pros and cons.


1. Disinfection Spray

Advantage 1: Price

It is not surprising that the spray system is standardised in many companies. When you compare this system with the alternatives, the economic impact is relatively low. This makes it attractive for companies as hygiene is not always the top priority.


Limitation 1: Requires training

We often see that untrained personnel use this system, resulting in incorrect actions being taken. Think of incorrect mixing of chemicals, not wearing protection during mixing and inhaling chemicals that are released into the air. Besides the fact that untrained personnel increase the risk of accidents, it also has a negative impact on the effectiveness of disinfection.


Limitation 2: Care of surface and equipment

There is a correct and incorrect way to disinfect surfaces or equipment. If users are not trained for this, repeatedly spraying a liquid on a surface can lead to expensive repairs or permanent damage. Disinfectants should generally always be sprayed on a cloth and not directly on a surface. Nevertheless, we see that this often goes wrong in practice. An example of this are gyms where sprays and paper towels are available. The user sprays directly on expensive devices and then wipes them with a paper towel.


Limitation 3: Leaves paper residue

When a spray bottle is combined with a paper towel, it often leaves paper residue. This will lead to additional actions, as the residue also needs to be removed. This can also have negative consequences on the effect of the disinfectant. When cleaning with another cloth too early, the effectiveness of the bacteria and virus killing chemicals is considerably reduced.


Limitation 4: Hazardous chemicals in the air

The use of a spray releases dangerous chemicals. These substances are not always properly collected by the cloth, thereby ending up in the air. Also, these substances increase the risk of health problems. Think of a waiting room at a GP surgery or a nursery, where vulnerable people or children breathe in this air.


2. Disinfection Wipes

Success factor 1: Increased effectiveness of the active ingredients

In 2017, the U.S. Institute for Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control concluded that wipes show the highest ATP reduction on surfaces. Because the wipes are already impregnated with the correct ratio of active ingredients, fewer substances are lost and the disinfectant works more effectively.


Success factor 2: Safety

Disinfectant wipes always have the right ratio that has been researched and tested by experts. This eliminates the risk of harmful chemicals from the spray being released and inhaled by the user.


Success factor 3: Ease

The wipes and the chemicals come in one convenient package. Grab a cloth, use it and the wipe can go straight into the trash. No additional actions are required.


Success factor 4: Presentation

Disinfection wipes often come with a dispenser that is easy for staff to operate. In addition to providing a professional look, it also reduces the spread of bacteria. When using a disinfectant wipe that is located in a dispenser, you reduce the contact moments. This minimises the spread of bacteria and viruses.


Risk factor 1: Environment

When disinfection wipes are deposited in a toilet, this can have negative consequences for the environment. In 2016, The Guardian reported that in the past 10 years the number of wipes detected around the coastline has increased by 400%. We therefore strongly recommends disposing of the disinfection wipes in a waste container.

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