Chlorination

V Bhat
1
Chlorination
• Cheap
• Reliable
• Easy to handle
• Easily measurable
• Provides residual effect

• But, adds bitter taste if added excessively

Disinfecting action of Chlorine
pH>5
Cl2(aq)+H2O HOCl + H+ + Cl-
Hypochlorous
acid
Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid that dissociates
to form hypochlorite ion (OCl-)

pH>8
HOCl OCl- + H+
pH<7

Free Available Chlorine

Hypochlorous acid + Hypochlorite ion + Molecular chlorine
Hypochlorous acid s more destructive
(80 x more effective than hypochlorite ions)
Reaction with Ammonia
NH3 (aq) + HOCl → NH2Cl + H2O
pH>7.5
hypochlo
monochl
ammonia rous water
oramine
acid

NH2Cl + HOCl → NHCl2 + H2O

hypochlo pH: 6-6.5
monochl dichlora
rous water
oramine mine
acid

NHCl2 + HOCl → NCl3 + H2O

hypochlo
dichlora trichlora
rous water
mine mine
acid
Doses of Chlorine
• Dose depends on inorganic and organic impurities
• Chlorine first reacts with the inorganic impurities – chloride
• -this has no residual oxidising power
• Excess chlorine after this point consumed by ammonia
• -chloramines (combined chlorine)
• Chlorine will also react with organic impurities (combined chlorine)
• Chlorine consumed in above reactions represent chlorine demand of water

Free Chlorine + Combined Chlorine → Disinfection action

Instantaneous Long term
Action effect
Doses of chlorine
• Optimum dosage determined experimentally, for a contact
period of 10 mins.
• The dose which leaves a residual of 0.2 mg/l is selected
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/hygiene/envsan/chlorineresid.pdf

• Dose is increased during rainy season and epidemics

• Contact period should be atleast 30 mins., after chlorine is
mixed in water
• Quantity of free chlorine required varies with the types of
viruses to be killed
Forms in which chlorine is applied
• Free Chlorine
• Liquid chlorine or chlorine gas
• Combined Chlorine
• Hypochlorite or bleaching powder
• Chlorine tablets
• Chloramines
• Chlorine dioxide
Liquid Chlorine/ gas
• Liquid form is generally preferred
Chlorine Gas
• Neither burns nor Liquid Chlorine
explodes • Easy Storage
• Safe storage • Cheap, cheaply transported
• Containers should be • Less space for storage
guarded against • No sludge is formed
temperatures
Use of Hypochlorite and Bleaching
Powder
• Calcium and sodium hypochlorites used for treating small public
supplies
• Ca(OCl)2 → Ca++ + 2OCl-
• OCl- + H+ → HOCl-
• Hypochlorination

• They are available in small packets in powdered form

• Chlorine content does not decrease with storage
• They can be applied to water in dry condition or as a solution
Use of chlorine tablets
• Used or small quantity supplies
• Costly
• Halazone Tablets
• Single tablet of 0.5 g for 20 litres of
water
• Overhead tank, groundwater storage
• During flood, epidemics
Chloramines/ Chlorine with ammonia
• Resultant of a rection between chlorine and ammonia
• Stable/ high residual effect
• Do not cause bad taste
• Useful when phenols are present in water

• Ammoniator- a machine through which ammonia is applied

• Weaker compared to that of free chlorine
Chlorine Dioxide Gas
• Very effective and powerful, about 2.5 times
free chlorine
• Costly, highly unstable
• To be used immediately
• Not suitable for smaller scales
• Used for larger supplies containing larger
organic impurities
• Action is unaffected by pH values,
advantageous for alkaline waters