17 Chlorine dioxide Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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Chlorine dioxide, ClO2, is a neutral compound with molar mass of 67.45 u. It is a yellowish-green gas. Let us explore the industrial uses of chlorine dioxide in different fields.

The industrial uses of chlorine dioxide are listed below-

  • Bleaching agent
  • Disinfectant
  • Water treatment
  • Gas sterilization
  • Industrial application

In this article, let us explore in depth the uses of chlorine dioxide in a broad range of applications.

Bleaching agent

  • Chlorine dioxide is a powerful bleaching agent in wood pulp and paper in the paper industry.
  • The bleaching action of ClO2 is appreciable in bleaching textiles, cellulose, leather, beeswax, candles, fats and fatty oils.

Disinfectant

  • Chlorine dioxideis an effective disinfectant against pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi.
  • ClO2 is effective in providing a bed bug-free environment in the hospital room.
  • In the food industry, ClO2  is employed for disinfecting fruits, vegetables, and meat.
  • In the dairy industry, the beverage industry, canning factories, and poultry facilities, chlorine dioxide is a more efficacious bactericide in limiting microbial growth.
  • Chlorine dioxide is used as a strong germicide due to its potent effect as an oxidant and also controls biofilm.

Water treatment

  • ClO2 is known for deactivating water-borne pathogens and is commonly used to treat drinking water, sewage water, cooling tower water, and industrial process water.
  • Chlorine dioxide aids in the coagulation process and the elimination of turbidity from water by oxidizing floating particles.
  • ClO2 is used along with chlorine to remediate swimming pools, even at low concentrations.

Gas sterilization

  • Gas sterilization of medical and laboratory equipment, pasteurization equipment, ventilation systems and hard surfaces is done using chlorine dioxide.
  • Chlorine dioxide is a versatile substitute implemented in various sanitation applications, such as heat exchangers and deodorizing stacks/air scrubbers in rendering factories.
  • ClO2 is utilized in the electronic industry to sanitize circuit boards.
  • Hard, non-porous surfaces are essentially sanitized with chlorine dioxide.

Industrial application

  • Chlorine dioxide is used as a deodorizing agent for wastewater, carpets, mildew and manufacturing industries.
  • Chlorine dioxide is utilized in the manufacture of chloride and chlorate salts.
  • As an industrial coolant, ClO2 is used in refineries and ammonia plants.

Conclusion

Chlorine dioxide is a more effective and powerhouse sanitizer than chlorine, and its solubility is 8 g/L (at 20 °C) in water. Its extensive use is also because of its solubility in alkaline solutions and hydrochloric acid.