How Useful is Chlorine Dioxide – Top 5 Reasons to Use

Pollution is a serious concern that causes several health hazards. To fight the ill-effects of pollution on food, water, and health, we use several disinfectant agents to remain healthy and safe. One such disinfectant is chlorine dioxide or ClO2. As a strong anti-infectious agent it has several health benefits when compared to other disinfectants like chlorine, ozone, and UV rays. Let us read about the compound and its top-5 benefits.

What is Chlorine Dioxide?

It is a gas of yellowish-green color, which acts as an oxidant. In other words, chlorine dioxide extracts electrons from other compounds or elements during a chemical reaction thereby making it toxic to microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. By removing electrons from microbes, chlorine dioxide breaks their molecular bonds and kills them. There are health concerns to humans when exposed to high concentrations of CLO2. So, while using it, one should read the instructions carefully about the recommended quantity per volume, and also refer to OSHA guidelines for the exposure limits to ensure your team is safe during applications.

Top 5 Reasons to Use Chlorine Dioxide

The chemical compound has found widespread usage for a number of reasons as mentioned below:

Oxidation Strength: CLO2 has 2.6 times the oxidizing power of waterborne chlorine (from bleach), which allows the product to have a wide variety of sanitizing uses and be extremely effective in many applications

Biofilm: CLO2 has been proven to be one of the most effective methods for removing and controlling biofilms (polysachharide films which protect and harbor viable bacteria colonies). This is a valuable attribute for areas of cooling towers, irrigation lines, processing facilities, drinking lines, etc.

Antimicrobial agent: It is increasingly being used as an antimicrobial agent to sterilize water and turn it safe for drinking. According to the EPA standards, the maximum safe limit on the use of chlorine dioxide for sterilizing water is 0.8/liter. It can cause the death of water-borne pathogens such as E. Coli, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Listeria, and Candida Albicans, etc. It does so by destroying their cell membranes in the pH range of 3 – 9.

A disinfectant: ClO2’s antimicrobial properties are used in sanitizing or disinfecting food processing equipment, general hard surfaces, cooling towers, etc. It can control slime in paper mills, be used as a fruit and vegetable wash to extend freshness, and ensure process water is clean, to name a few of the many uses of CLO2. So, for places food facilities or water treatment zones, the demand for chlorine dioxide suppliers has arisen in the last few years.

Conclusion

The demand for Chlorine dioxide suppliers is increasing given the widespread usage of the compound in various industry sectors. As a disinfectant and microbial agent, chlorine dioxide is way superior to its competitors like hydrogen peroxide, UV rays, and chlorine. However, care must be taken to use it in the right quantity for total efficacy.