Chlorine dioxide (CIO2) has emerged as an important chemical compound since the latter half of the 20th century. Its unique molecular structure and bonding properties have made it possible to form several effective compounds, both in its liquid and gaseous forms, which have many beneficial uses in today’s chemical processes in manufacturing and healthcare industries among others.

It is also an improved substitute for chlorine gas and has started to replace it in many chemical applications. To better understand its benefits, let us first know about chlorine dioxide below in detail.

What is Chlorine Dioxide?

The credit of discovering Chlorine dioxide gas goes to Sir Humphrey Davy, who first produced it in 1814 by applying sulphuric acid on potassium chlorate, then adding hypochlorous acid to the mix. This process is still used to produce large amounts of the gaseous compound, only sodium chlorate is used in place of potassium chlorate for improved results.

Chlorine dioxide is a mildly odorous, synthetic gas of green-yellowish color in its natural state and is 2.4 times denser than air. It is also unstable in normal conditions and needs to be stored carefully. It turns into a reddish-colored liquid at -59 degrees and has a higher density than water, which reverts into its gaseous form at 11 degrees. Chlorine dioxide breaks apart violently due to its unstable nature into chlorine, oxygen, and heat, while sunlight also causes its photo-oxidization.

Advantages of Using Chlorine Dioxide in Water Treatment

One of the most important attributes of chlorine dioxide is its high degree of water solubility. Also, it does not hydrolyze (break down) when dissolved in water, it stays as a gas in solution. Thus, it is easy to remove it through aeration or using carbon dioxide. These properties combined with other advantages discussed below have made it one of the most important chemicals used in cooling tower water treatment and any other water purification processes in modern times.

👉 More Soluble than Chlorine

Chlorine was the gas of choice earlier for water purification treatments, due to its water-solubility and germicidal properties. Chlorine dioxide is ten times more soluble in cold water than chlorine making it more effective in any chlorine-related applications.

👉 An effective Biocide

Chlorine dioxide reacts with the organic substances in bacterial and microbial cells, interrupting many of its internal processes. It also combines with amino acids to hamper protein synthesis in the organism. Viruses are killed by chlorine dioxide combining with peptone, a water-soluble product of hydrolysis of proteins into amino acids, thus preventing protein synthesis in the cells. It is much more effective as a biocide than other gases like ozone or chlorine.

It also removes biofilms, which forms on surfaces in contact with water, effectively oxidizing the polysaccharide matrix that holds the bio film’s bonds. The resulting chlorite by-product remains in the water and prevents further formation of bio-films by re-producing chlorine dioxide when needed. Thus, chlorine dioxide is found to be an effective solution for long-term cooling tower biocide water treatment among its other beneficial water treatment uses.

👉 Hardly Produces any Odor

Chlorine dioxide does not give off any odor when dissolved in water in recommended quantities. Also, it removes other odorous substances such as phenols with can cause odor and taste problems in purified water.

👉 Removes Metallic Impurities Effectively

Metallic impurities like iron compounds, manganese and bromides are effectively neutralized with chlorine dioxide treatment. These metals are often found in complex compound forms in unpurified water – chlorine dioxide removes them effectively while not reacting with nitrogen, ammonia, amines and other oxidizable organic substances.

Other Uses of Chlorine Dioxide

Apart from extensive uses in water purification treatments, chlorine dioxide is also an important ingredient in many other chemical processes of various industries.

 👉 Wood Pulp Bleaching for Paper Manufacture

Chlorine dioxide is an efficient bleaching agent – so it is used to turn wood pulp into paper. It whitens the pulp and lightens its color making it more suitable for printable paper. Today, almost 95% of kraft paper pulp is produced using chlorine dioxide in elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching processes.

👉 Disinfectant in the Food and Beverage Industry

Chlorine Dioxide is used in its water-soluble form as a cleansing agent for vegetables and large-scale poultry-processing units.

👉  Sterilizer for Medical Equipment and Hospital Premises

Due to its broad-spectrum anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, microbial and viral properties, chlorine is used as a sterilizing agent to disinfect medical equipment, hospital floors, and surfaces.
To conclude, chlorine dioxide is most effective in its water-soluble form and has found multiple uses in all kinds of industrial processes as an effective cleansing and disinfecting agent.

Summary

Chlorine dioxide was discovered by Sir Humphrey in 1814. It is still produced by using similar methods. It is an unstable synthetic, green yellowish gaseous compound, turns into a reddish liquid at -59 degrees and reverts into the gas at 11 degrees. It is highly soluble in water, yet does not hydrolyze. There are many advantages of using chlorine dioxide over other gaseous purifying agents due to its stable nature in dissolved form. It is therefore used extensively in many water treatment and purification processes.

It is ten times more water-soluble than chlorine, is an effective biocide, can destroy a wide variety of parasites, bacteria, and even viruses. It can also efficiently remove bio-films from cold water-carrying or containing mediums and is an effective purifier of metallic compounds during water purification. There are other applications of chlorine dioxide apart from water treatment like bleaching paper pulp, disinfecting agent for hospital equipment and premises and anti-microbial cleansing agent in various food and vegetable processing industries.

Conclusion

Chlorine dioxide is a faster and more potent source of disinfectant capability without any worry of high Ph levels. This disinfectant is more soluble than others as it has a dissolving capacity 10 times faster than chlorine. Using chlorine dioxide is good for any sized company in need of slime control due to product efficacy at low ppm levels, low infrastructure needs, and competitive product pricing. Please reach out with slime control needs and we will be happy to help

Cooling water systems have become an integral part of the processes and for commercial air conditioning systems. An efficient working of the cooling tower can improve the performance of HVAC and can minimize the cost of operation and reduces production downtime. A water treatment system for cooling water can ensure the efficiency and safety of the overall cooling water system operations.

Why the Treatment of Cooling Water is Important?

It is important to maintain the cooling system in a very good condition free from bacterial and minimizing the chances of corrosion. This is because:

A Risk to the Human Being: Cooling Tower water is a very favorable environment for increasing the growth of microorganisms and generates bio-film which increases the risk to human through inhalation. The epidemics caused by “Legionnaires” disease were related to the pathogen dissemination which was directly related to cooling water quality.

Can Decrease the Performance and Damage the Materials: If the cooling tower water if left unchecked, the bacteria can grow out of proportion and will colonize the pipes and other wetted surfaces. These colonies will further produce thick biofilm which will reduce the heat transfer rate and even can prevent the working of corrosion prevention strategies.

Cooling Tower and Legionnaires Disease

The warm and hot water available in a cooling tower is an ideal breeding ground for harmful viruses like Legionella virus and slime. High incidence of occurrence of Legionnaires Disease has been found in the hot and cold water system of hotels, residential, hospitals, and commercial establishments. If left uncontrolled biofilm may support the growth of complex communities which may include multicellular organisms like the roundworms and rotifers.

How “Microbes Enter and Multiply”?

Microbes can enter and multiply in cooling Tower water in following ways:

Enters Through the Air: When air is pulled through in a cooling tower, the particulates in the air also come along. The cooling tower makes the scrubbing operation and this removed the particulate from the air and microbes find a place in the water for breeding. Even if the water in the cooling tower may look cleaner, it can easily contain high volumes of microbes.

Multiplies Rapidly: These microbes thrive easily in the cooling tower water and can multiply to produce up to a trillion bacteria per 1000 gallons of the water. To make an efficient operation of the cooling Tower system, it is essential to control the growth of bacteria, virus, and algae.

Arrest Microbe Formation

How Can the Microbiological Formation be Arrested?

1) The population of bacteria should be below 10^5 CFU/ml where CFU means colony forming units. Bacteria, viruses, and algae may not be harmful within a limited growth, but when it grows out of proportion, it can cause severe problems.

2) Chemical treatment programs that use “Biocides” can be very effective in controlling the growth of microbiological formation in cooling water tower.

3) “Biocides” are very superior chemicals and are used for eradication of the microorganisms from water very effectively. While choosing a micro biocide, several factors are important to be considered as the scientific differences and effectiveness.

4) Selection and application of correct biocide can help in the eradication of microorganisms and improve the performance of the cooling tower.

Why Choose Go2intl?

Choosing GO2 International will definitely be your best choice as the company is the gold standard for water disinfection. Their products are EPA approved and provide an easy, safe alternative for the production of chlorine dioxide without unwanted by-products. Please feel free to reach out to receive GO2’s germicidal spectrum and application success for cooling tower systems.

Cooling towers play an important role in maintaining the smooth functioning of many heavy industries; any kind of disruption in the functioning of the cooling tower would lead to long-term facility issues. Corrosion, sludge, biological growth and chemical residue build up in the cooling tank and tend to disrupt the functioning of the cooling tower. There are numerous cooling tower water treatment techniques available in the market that help in keeping cooling tower’s functions intact.
Chlorine, chlorine dioxide, UV-light, hypochlorite, sulfur and ozone compounds are commonly used to eliminate microorganisms. Chlorine is a vital part of the cooling water tower treatment regime; it is used as a biocide against the biological fouling in the cooling tower. While it is a popular component in most cooling tower water treatments these days, it is not much effective against hard to eradicate microorganisms. Moreover, it is very hazardous to deal with, is corrosive and toxic in nature and harmful to the environment.

What is GO2 TM Cooling Tower Treatments?

GO2TM is a better and ideal disinfectant for eliminating microorganisms and slime that breed in warm water environment of the cooling tower. The growth of slime in cooling tower decreases the thermal efficiency of cooling towers and requires higher energy power to function properly, which leads to an increase in the cost of production and results in the need of frequent maintenance.
As per a test conducted at a hospital in the US, under the leadership of a Legionnaires Disease specialist, GO2 is proven highly effective against Legionnaires Disease. Various studies have been conducted in hospitals, residences, commercial hubs and hotels in the US, which have demonstrated chlorine dioxide effective against eradicating legionnaires Disease.

How does GO2 Work?

GO2 is quite simple to use; two powder components need to be added to a specified amount of tap water. The product self-generates and produces a pure 4,000 ppm of chlorine dioxide concentrate. Approximately 30-45 minutes is required for the mixing reaction to complete, which can even extend up to 3 hours, on the basis of the water temperature. GO2 is a highly effective, EPA approved disinfectant, sanitizer, fungicide, algaecide, slimicide, biocide and deodorizer, which is effective against Legionnaires Disease. In the powder form, GO2 has a shelf life of 5 years and in liquid form, 30-60 days in the concentrated solution.

What are the Benefits of GO2?

GO2 is a reliable cooling tower water treatment technique that is effective against biological fouling, slime and organoleptic problems and expands the lifespan of the plant in an eco-friendlier manner.

–  It is safe to be used by humans

–  It is easy to store, generate and dose in numerous applications

–  It does not produce any harmful disinfection by-products

–  It is effective against organoleptic problems

–  It removes slime and airborne bacteria

–  It helps to restore the thermal efficiency of the cooling tower

–  It helps to reduce energy consumption

–  It is cost effective

–  It is non-corrosive in nature

–  It can help to enhance the productivity of plant

–  Continuous treatments with GO2 maintain cooling tower efficiency

–  At normal temperature, it is effective in a pH range between 4 and 11

Many industrial companies use cooling towers in their facilities. These companies use different types of cooling tower water treatment chemistries to ensure smooth processing and a long lifespan of its equipment. Biological growth, chemical residue, sludge, and corrosion can disrupt the functioning of the cooling tower if the water is left untreated for a long time and would ultimately lead to the replacement of equipment.

it requires years of expertise, effective technologies, and thorough knowledge to successfully deal with challenges that disrupt the smooth operation of the cooling tower. A reliable cooling tower water treatment leads to reduced scaling and sediment deposition gets rid of biological fouling and corrosion and prolongs the lifespan of the plant without damaging the environment.

Water treatment forms a crucial part in the processing operation and can be effectively used to reduce the depletion of water, remove minerals like zinc, carbonate, and chromates from the water and to control the growth of microorganisms.

What are the Features and Benefits of Cooling Tower Water Treatment?

Corrosion is a result of not treating cooling tower for a long time; it can lead to critical system failure in process cooling equipment, heat exchangers and recirculating water piping. Corrosion can also be held responsible for the loss of efficiency of the plant, as corrosion insulates the metals by making their way onto the heat transfer devices and restrict the flow of water.

The following are the benefits of cooling water tower treatment:

– Optimises the management of cooling tower
– Reduces water loss and improves productivity
– Minimises scaling and deposit of sediments
– Reduces corrosion
– Prolongs the lifespan of the cooling tower
– Provides safe water for discharge
– Leads to improved environmental practices
– Supplies reusable processed water
– Reduces the cost of operation

What is Reliable Treatment of Your Cooling Tower Water?

GO2 provides a safe de-scaler and powerful, pure chlorine dioxide to effectively treat cooling towers, providing the following benefits:

1) Scale Prevention: GO2 has launched a new Safe D-Scale product which is effective for any de-scaling need. Most importantly, though, GO2’s Safe D-Scale is not corrosive on human skin and has passed a third-party dermatology test.

2) Corrosion Control: Corrosion can potentially hamper the productivity of a plant if left unchecked for a long time. Cooling tower water treatment eliminates the risk of corrosion as the system functions in a very saturated environment. Additionally, GO2 chlorine dioxide is a non-corrosive product and has third-party corrosion testing to validate.

3) Biological Control: GO2 provides superior disinfection technology to control and prevent the growth of bacteria, M. Avium, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, E. Coli, algae and other microorganisms.

4) Sediment Control: Effective filtration technologies are put to test to remove airborne contaminants like dirt, dust, insects, seeds, and bio-fouling.

A reliable cooling tower water treatment is the one that is environment-friendlier, effective at removing slime, bio-films, and microorganisms, and corrosion free. Ask us how solutions with GO2 will improve the overall productivity of facility cooling towers.