What Is A Mixed Oxidant?

The electrolysis of salt water to generate chlorine has been practiced commercially for more than 100 years. Electrolysis is the basic process used to manufacture nearly all chlorine-based oxidizing compounds including gas, liquid, and solid forms of chlorine. These forms of chlorine have been traditionally produced at large chlor-alkali plants, packaged in various forms and sold. Chlorine gas safety concerns and regulation have caused many water utilities to convert from gas to safer forms such as sodium hypochlorite (liquid or bleach) or calcium hypochlorite (solid); even these forms carry their own risks from spillage and contact with strong reducing agents or oils.

Within the past 40 years, several manufacturers began to produce and sell equipment that generated sodium hypochlorite on-site by the same processes used in larger chemical plants. The first on-site generators were installed at large coastal industrial plants, and used seawater as the salt brine source. Subsequently, manufacturers made the equipment smaller and water utilities began to use them as alternatives to chlorine gas.