Chlorine / Chlorine Dioxide

Chlorine and Chlorine Dioxide

Chlorine (Cl₂) is a reactive gas, slightly soluble in water.  Properties of chlorides depend on the nature of the metal component of the salt.  For example, common table salt is sodium chloride, whilst a solution of hydrogen chloride is the highly corrosive hydrochloric acid.

Applications

Chlorine is a major industrial chemical used to produce PVC plastic, rock salt water softeners, flavor enhancers, and cleaning agents.  

Chlorine gas cylinders are used at drinking water treatment facilities to kill germs and disinfect the public water supply.  

Chlorine is also released during other industrial processes, such as agricultural run-off, landfill leaching, and coal-ash waste deposits.  

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) is used to bleach wood pulp, fats and oils, to process flour, and also for water purification. Chlorine is effective de-activating pathogenic microorganisms. 

Health and Environmental Effects

Toxic when inhaled, chlorine is caustic irritant, commonly affecting the eyes, upper respiratory tract, and lungs.  If not properly contained, Accidental releases of Chlorine gas can be highly dangerous to humans in the surrounding area.  A yellow to reddish gas, or a red-brown liquid, chlorine dioxide has an unpleasant odor similar to chlorine. 

Regulatory Considerations

Chlorine is listed as a Hazardous Air Pollutant by the US EPA.  Many local regulatory agencies require an emergency gas scrubber to safely capture and contain accidental releases of chlorine gases. The US EPA has recently implemented a risk management program for accidental chemical releases. On January 13, 2016, The US EPA published a final rule in the federal register for Accidental Release Prevention Requirements.  The rule is currently under an administrative stay, delaying the effective date to February 19, 2019.  

Control Technologies

Our HEIL Series 730 Counter-Current packed tower scrubbers are the most common technology for high efficiency scrubbing of chlorine. In applications with chlorine gas cylinder storage, HEIL designs emergency release scrubbers to safely handle accidental releases of chlorine gases from storage cylinders.   Applications with Chlorine dioxide can sometimes involve particulate combined in the airstream.  HEIL engineers may recommend combined technologies to effectively remove Chlorine Dioxide and Particulate.