Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) is not a new chemical, but instead an old one also it was first discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy nearly 200 years back. A yellowish-green gas in its natural state, it really is used increasingly inside our modern world as a more effective oxidising biocide than traditional chemicals such as for example chlorine or bromine.So what's so special about this well known chemical and just why could it be used so widely in industrial water treatment? cdl It possesses many key properties that differentiate it from other oxidising biocides and regulate how it can be used. For example, at room temperature, this can be a water-soluble gas that dissolves in water BUT does not react with the water. This compares with traditional biocidal chemicals such as for example chlorine or bromine which react with water giving solutions containing a range of ionic species.As a dissolved non-ionic gas, solutions of chlorine dioxide are particularly effective in controlling the formation of bio-films. The effectiveness of ClO2 in penetrating and controlling bio-film has been demonstrated in a laboratory environment where bio-film growth from a contaminated water is compared to that of exactly the same water with either ClO2 or chlorine (Cl2), added at 1ppm for 1hour/day or 1ppm for 15mins x4 /day. The biocidal ramifications of chlorine dioxide are unaffected by system pH in the number 4 -10. Most water systems are in this band.Chlorine dioxide selectively oxidises organic material without chlorination - will not give rise to chlorinated by-products. In other tests associated with chlorine dioxide water treatment, the selectivity of ClO2 in comparison to Cl2 is has also shown. The addition of ClO2 to a polluted water immediately produces a reserve, whereas a large concentration of Cl2 should be added before a reserve is generated. Because Cl2 reacts with the pollutants, ClO2 will not. It really is so reactive that it cannot be compressed or liquefied. Used it really is produced on-site for immediate water treatment usage.So to summarise, chlorine dioxide is really a gas that is both highly water soluble and volatile. Because of its unstable nature, it cannot be compressed or liquefied and is always produced on-site. It is just a selective oxidising agent and broad spectrum biocide which will not produce chlorinated by-products. It is the biocide/disinfectant of choice in food washing applications and it is effective in controlling legionella. Therefore and more, it is becoming an extremely important element of the water treatment industry.