Chlorine Dioxide

[nater]

There was an industrial accident resulting in a fatality in our region recently, involving the rapid decomposition of chlroine dioxide. While I was not a part of this response, I have been a part of a similar incident before. What is going on here to that could cause a reaction like this?

[Bobosan]

Initial reports thought it may have been chlorine and bromide but I noticed the update. That chlorine dioxide is some nasty stuff and wiki says it is usually made on site because it's not allowed to be transported. I guess the GM plant was treating their water cooling systems with it? or would they be doing something with wood pulp? Sodium chlorate appears to be the base.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_dioxide

[nater]

A report tonight was questioning the initial reported cause of chlorine dioxide, although the reported injuries were constient with chlorine exposure.

 

I think they run their own water treatment plant, both from well water and waste water before it is sent back to the sewer system. I actually worked as a medic in another large factory for a while, so I can only guess how similar plants might work.

[ddewees]

It's not uncommon for large facilities to have their own treatment plants, both water and wastewater. Some even have cogeneration facilities producing their own power.

[dagabu]

There was an industrial accident resulting in a fatality in our region recently, involving the rapid decomposition of chlroine dioxide. While I was not a part of this response, I have been a part of a similar incident before. What is going on here to that could cause a reaction like this?

 

Nate,

 

I have a good friend here in the Twin Cities that works at the MRT 'poop-plant', he tells me that the rapid decomposition of chlorine dioxide they experience is always related to contact with direct sunlight in the summer. Mum is the chemist here, lets ask him the how and whats but I am told that it takes a good hot sun to rapidly decompose chlorine dioxide in mass.

 

I was told that this happens when it is spilled -or- it is not mixed in with the water in the exposed tank but rather sits on the surface of the tank.

 

​I like this paper for an explanation of its uses and reactivity.

[Bobosan]

 

Nate,

 

I have a good friend here in the Twin Cities that works at the MRT 'poop-plant', he tells me that the rapid decomposition of chlorine dioxide they experience is always related to contact with direct sunlight in the summer. Mum is the chemist here, lets ask him the how and whats but I am told that it takes a good hot sun to rapidly decompose chlorine dioxide in mass.

 

I was told that this happens when it is spilled -or- it is not mixed in with the water in the exposed tank but rather sits on the surface of the tank.

 

​

 

That seems to concur with the wiki although wikis are not always 100% correct.

 

"Handling properties

At gas phase concentrations greater than 30% volume in air at STP (more correctly: at partial pressures above 10 kPa ^[7]), ClO₂ may explosively decompose into chlorine and oxygen. The decomposition can be initiated by, for example, light, hot spots, chemical reaction, or pressure shock. Thus, chlorine dioxide gas is never handled in concentrated form, but is almost always handled as a dissolved gas in water in a concentration range of 0.5 to 10 grams per liter. Its solubility increases at lower temperatures: it is thus common to use chilled water (5 °C or 41 °F) when storing at concentrations above 3 grams per liter. In many countries, such as the USA, chlorine dioxide gas may not be transported at any concentration and is almost always produced at the application site using a chlorine dioxide generator.^[7] In some countries, chlorine dioxide solution below 3 grams per liter in concentration may be transported by land, but are relatively unstable and deteriorate quickly."

[nater]

It has been warm and humid here lately. The day this happened, it was sunny but not too hot maybe in the high 80s. There has not been another press release. I suspect it will be a while until the cause is confirmed and like most of these accidents we may never know what the root cause was. I was more curious whay might have happened, and the sunlight causing the decomposition makes sense. The chlorine gas itself is terrible on the human body once decomposition occurs.