FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about RELYON Chlorine Dioxide ( Kindly click on Questions to view Answer )

1. Is there Chlorine in RELYON Chlorine Dioxide?
No, there is no Chlorine in RELYON Chlorine Dioxide. Although Chlorine Dioxide has the word Chlorine in its name but RELYON's two chemicals have completely different chemical structures of it's revolutionary formula. The additional oxygen atom radically changes the molecule and creates completely different chemical behaviors and by-products. Their differences are as profound as those between hydrogen, the explosive gas, and hydrogen combined with oxygen, which creates di-hydrogen oxide - commonly called water.RELYON Chlorine Dioxide is 99% pure,stable and generates NO harmful By-products.
2. Is chlorine dioxide approved for use in potable water?
Chlorine dioxide is US EPA approved for both the pre-treatment and final disinfection of potable waters. It will eliminate microorganisms including Escherichia coli (E.coli) and other coliforms organisms, Listeria, Staphylococcus aureus, Giardia cysts, algae, and Salmonella.
3. Can I use chlorine dioxide in hospitals and healthcare facilities?
Because of its biocidal characteristics, ClO2 is ideal for water hygiene applications in hospitals and healthcare facilities. It has consistently been shown to be the best molecule for eradicating the causative organism of Legionnaires' disease. In the UK, the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) has recommended chlorine dioxide as the best available technology for control of Legionella in hot and cold water systems.
4. Can I use chlorine dioxide for waste-water treatment?
Chlorine dioxide safely oxidises phenols, cyanides, aldehydes, and mercaptans, reduced sulfur compounds and some pesticides. It is useful in both waste-water treatment and scrubber systems. Chlorine dioxide is an eco-friendly oxidant that is preferred by many regulating water utilities and supply authorities for final discharge disinfection.
5. Can I use chlorine dioxide for ultrapure water treatment?
YES. Ultrapure water is used to process pharmaceuticals and WFI, to rinse silicon microchips, and to feed high-pressure boilers and turbines in power plants and chemical processing installations. Ultra-pure water delivered at the process level must have between 99.9% and 99.99% of typical fresh water impurities removed. In addition to other contaminants, process-piping systems must be free of bacteria and biofilm.
6. Can I use chlorine dioxide for the control of Legionella bacteria?
In the UK, the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) has recommended chlorine dioxide as the best available technology for the control of Legionella in hot and cold water systems.
7. Does chlorine dioxide have any other approvals?
Many of its uses are US EPA, FDA, and UK Government approved, and highly recommended by many researchers and research establishments throughout the world.
8. Is chlorine dioxide pH dependant?
Because chlorine dioxide is a dissolved gas, it does not ionise to form weak acids (as chlorine and bromine do) in aqueous solutions. This allows ClO2 to be effective over a wide pH range.
9. What else is chlorine dioxide used to control?
Chlorine dioxide is a stable, dissolved gas that is a strong bactericide and virucide at concentrations as low as 0.1 ppm. With minimal contact time, it is highly effective against many pathogenic organisms including Legionella, Listeria, Salmonella, amoebal cysts, Giardia cysts, E. Coli, and Cryptosporidium. Importantly, CIO2 also destroys biofilms so bacterial re-growth is significantly impeded.Chlorine dioxide may be used from the reservoir to the tap and in such diverse applications as recovering “soured” oil wells to disinfecting poultry houses.
10. Why not use chlorine instead?
Chlorine changes the tastes and odour of water. Chlorination will also produce harmful by-products called Trihalomethanes (THMs) which are linked to incidence of cancer and Bromates which are highly carcinogenic.Chlorine will not remove biofilm, is more corrosive, environmentally unsound, may not be used at temperatures of 40°C or over and has a very narrow pH band within which it has any useful action.
11. Why not use Chlorine?
Although Chlorine is a strong oxidant that kills may micro-organisms, it has drawbacks. It is a toxic gas and there is danger of a release associated with its use. A major drawback to using chlorine is that it can react with organic compounds in the water to form potentially harmful levels of the chemical by-products trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids, both of which are carcinogenic and regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
12. Where is chlorine dioxide most commonly used?
World-wide! Chlorine dioxide is used principally as a primary disinfectant for surface waters with odour and taste problems. It has been disinfecting water streams for over seventy years. It is used in many large European cities such as Brussels, Zurich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Toulouse and Vienna. Toxicology studies have shown that chlorine dioxide disinfection poses no adverse risk to human health.
13. What organisms will chlorine dioxide eradicate?
Chlorine dioxide is a “complete spectrum” anti-microbial agent. In particular, it is effective against - Legionella, Pseudomonas, Listeria, E.coli and Coliforms, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, MRSA...
14. Can chlorine dioxide kill Cryptosporidium?
Chlorine dioxide can kill Cryptosporidium far better than chlorine.
15. How does chlorine dioxide affect the environment?
Chlorine dioxide is a highly effective, eco-friendly microbiocide that carries US EPA, FDA and UK Government approvals for many of its uses... Chlorine dioxide does not persist in the environment and has even been shown to have positive environmental effects where it has replaced the use of chlorine…more?
16. What’s so great about Chlorine Dioxide?
1.Chlorine dioxide removes all of the health & safety issues associated with traditional chlorine dioxide production and delivery technologies.
2. Chlorine dioxide produces a chlorine dioxide product stream of 7600ppm.
3. Chlorine dioxide produces a product stream with “ZERO” residual chlorite – unlike traditional and other chlorine dioxide technologies.
4. Chlorine dioxide has “ZERO” chlorine in the product stream – unlike traditional and other chlorine dioxide technologies.
5. Chlorine dioxide, due to the simplicity of its process and design, provides unequalled reliability of operation and effectiveness.
17. Can I use chlorine dioxide in food and beverage process applications?
Chlorine dioxide provides excellent microbiological control for the food & beverage processing sectors in areas including brewing and bottling, fruit and vegetables (FDA approved application), poultry and other meats, fish, and dairy processes. ClO2 also provides excellent microbiological control in flume waters, packaging operations and process disinfection
18. What other applications use chlorine dioxide?
Chlorine dioxide is widely used as a disinfecting agent in the food industry in fruit and vegetable washing, flume water disinfection, meat and poultry disinfection and odour control. In industrial processes, chlorine dioxide is used in industrial water treatment (cooling systems/towers), ammonia plants, pulp mills (slime control, paper machines), oil fields and the electronics industry. It is also widely used within oral healthcare products in everyday life.
19. Can I use chlorine dioxide for water hygiene applications?
Because of its highly effective biocidal characteristics, chlorine dioxide is ideal for use in water hygiene activities. ClO2 has consistently been shown to be the best molecule for eradicating the causative organism of Listeriosis and Legionnaires' Disease. It also controls other potentially dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli and other coliforms. It is also effective against Giardia cysts, protozoa, algae and amoebae, planktonic and sessile organisms.
20. Can I use chlorine dioxide in cooling towers?
The use of chlorine dioxide in cooling towers, loops and cooling systems greatly assists in the control of algae, planktonic bacteria, biofilm and scale, helping to maintain the efficiency of heat exchanger surfaces, reservoir intakes, and ancillary equipment.
21. What is chlorine dioxide?
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is a highly effective, eco-friendly microbiocide that carries US EPA, FDA and UK Government approvals for many of its uses. It is a selective oxidant that eliminates both planctonic and sessile bacteria, disinfects surfaces, and rapidly destroys biofilms.
22. How does Chlorine Dioxide work?
Chlorine Dioxide is an oxidizing biocide. It deactivates micro organisms by attacking and penetrating their cell wall, disrupting the transport of nutrients across the cell wall and inhibiting protein synthesis. Since this action occurs regardless of the metabolic state of the organism, oxidizing biocides are effective against dormant organisms and spores (Giardia Cysts and Poliovirus).
23. Can organisms build up a resistance to Chlorine Dioxide?
Chlorine dioxide is widely used as a disinfecting agent in the food industry in fruit and vegetable washing, flume water disinfection, meat and poultry disinfection and odour control. In industrial processes, chlorine dioxide is used in industrial water treatment (cooling systems/towers), ammonia plants, pulp mills (slime control, paper machines), oil fields and the electronics industry. It is also widely used within oral healthcare products in everyday life.
24. Is Chlorine Dioxide the same as Chlorine or Hypochlorite?
Although they have similar names and elements they are very dissimilar. The commonality of the name arises from the fact that they all contain the element chlorine, but their properties are quite different. Chlorine and Hypochlorite are very powerful oxidizing agents but more importantly their reaction with organic matter can lead to unacceptable concentrations of chlorinated organic compounds via substitution reactions. Some of these compounds such as the by-products of reactions with phenolic compounds are either odoriferous (such as 2,6-dichlorophenol) or extremely carcinogenic like dioxin. Chlorine Dioxide on the other hand is incapable of causing such chemical transformations. Chlorine Dioxide is non-mutagenic, non-carcinogenic and relatively non-irritating unlike Chlorine and Hypochlorite.
25. If Chlorine Dioxide is only an Oxidising agent, why not use Peroxide or Ozone?
Why not indeed! Ozone is a very powerful oxidizing agent. In acidic environments its oxidizing power is only exceeded by fluorine, which dissolve's glass! Ozone will react with most substances at 25° C, but accidental skin or eye contact would lead to immediate, irreparable tissue damage. It only has a half-life of 2 minutes so must be produced where you want to use it and cannot be stored. It is generally manufactured as a dilute water solution, on-site, but there is a high production cost.Hydrogen Peroxide on the other hand is very stable, if correctly handled. Contact with even trace amounts of metal ions (Mn+2, Fe+2) can cause rapid, explosive decomposition. Dilution with anything other than distilled or de-ionised water will lead to unstable solutions. Contact with any metal other than passive stainless 316L will also cause decomposition. It is a powerful oxidising agent and accidental contact would again result in immediate, irreparable tissue damage.Chlorine Dioxide is nowhere near as powerful oxidising agent, but is sufficiently strong to act as a biocide. It is safe for all uses and contact with skin will cause no damage. It is used as a mouthwash and pet deodoriser.For the extremely chemically minded, the oxidation potential of chlorine dioxide is only 0.954 EoV, compared with acidic ozone 2.07, Hydrogen Peroxide 1.77, Hypochlorite 1.48 and Chlorine 1.36.
26. Why can Chlorine Dioxide be used at lower concentrations than Peroxide or       hypochlorite even though they are more powerful?
Peroxide and Hypochlorite are more powerful and that is their problem. They are unselective and easily consumed by all manner of materials present in the environment As a result, large quantities must be used to ensure there is a sufficient residue to act as a biocide. Just think of the Western Australian Koala. You don't need to cut down all the gum trees in Western Australia to cause their extinction. They only live on the leaves of the Red River gum tree (E.camaldulensis) and the Coolibah (E.coolibah). In order to cause the extinction of the Koala you need only employ 5 timber workers and ask them to selectively destroy the few remaining pockets of the Red gum and Coolibah, not employ thousands of workers to destroy the other 750 species of eucalypt in an unselective campaign. Chlorine Dioxide is a relatively weak oxidising agent. It only reacts with some sulphur compounds; selected amines and other reduced organic compounds. As a result, low levels can be used to eliminate microorganisms, as it is not consumed attacking non-target compounds.
27. Is Chlorine Dioxide Safe and Environmentally Friendly?
Yes. There are many reasons why Chlorine Dioxide is safe and friendly. Environmentally, the byproducts formed when using Chlorine Dioxide are benign. Compare this to chlorinated byproducts formed when using Chlorine or Hypochlorite and you can see why so many Pulp and Paper Mills use Chlorine Dioxide. They have virtually eliminated trichloromethanes, chloroacetic acids, chlorinated dioxins and furans from their waste streams, all of which used to pose significant risks in the environment. In it's reaction, Chlorine Dioxide oxidizes (removes electrons) other compounds and is itself reduced (gains electrons) to the Chlorite anion ( CLO2 ). Toxicological studies have shown the Chlorine Dioxide and it's disinfection by-product, Chlorite, pose no significant risk to human, animal or fish health. Chlorine Dioxide was first introduced for drinking water disinfection in 1944 at the Niagara Falls. Today over 1000 municipal water treatment processes use Chlorine Dioxide.
28. Why can't I buy pure Chlorine Dioxide and reduce the freight costs?
Pure Chlorine Dioxide is a yellowish gas, highly reactive and liable to explode. Its transportation is prohibited. It is however soluble in water up to 8000ppm. These pure solutions are only stable in the dark at low temperatures. As a result, Chlorine Dioxide has always been produced at the site of its use. However, over the past 20 years numerous methods have been patented for the short-term stabilization of chlorine dioxide. RELYON's Stabilized Chlorine Dioxide is specially formulated to ensure long-term stability under typically uncontrolled storage conditions. As the quality of water can influence the long-term stability of Chlorine Dioxide, it is only offered at the concentrations for specific application. In this way stability can be assured.
29. Is it expensive?
The cost per litre is higher than most other disinfectants but the usage rates are far lower. In most applications the cost per clean/disinfection will be less using Chlorine Dioxide and in many instances it is the only choice. Chlorine Dioxide is active over the pH range 4-10 and is less corrosive. It has broad applicability. Hypochlorite on the other hand is only useful in alkaline situations and is corrosive to all but the most exotic (Hastalloy C) metals.