17 Chlorine dioxide Uses: Facts You Should Know!

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.