Fluid management company, Lutz-Jesco, has developed an electrolysis system that can produce sodium hypochlorite from commercially-available salt.
Sodium hypochlorite is used in the food and drink industry for sanitation processes, disinfection of equipment, and for maintaining water quality. The chemical is manufactured from chlorine, which can be dangerous to handle.
Lutz-Jesco has released the Minichlorgen electrolysis system in response to this issue, which manufactures sodium hypochlorite from salt tablets to avoid any human contact with chlorine.
The company supplies all the system components – including the electrolysis unit, salt dissolving container, and chlorine tank – fully wired and mounted on a plastic frame.
The user can then place salt tablets into the system, creating a salt water solution that flows past titanium anodes and cathodes in a pipe. The electrolysis current causes chlorine gas and hydrogen gas to form at these electrodes, and the reaction produces a sodium hypochlorite solution.
The solution can then be fed by a dosing pump directly into the disinfection process via an injection nozzle – for example for treatment of drinking water.
"Minichlorgen Skid I enables particularly safe chlorine handling. Staff never come into contact with the chemical, only with harmless salt,” says Steffen Roth, Head of Development at Lutz-Jesco GmbH.
The system also has a hydrogen detector installed for additional safety, which can detect hydrogen in the air following a leak and trigger an alarm.
The Minichlorgen Skid I is available in three performance classes, producing 30, 60, or 90 grams of chlorine per hour. This corresponds to 5, 10, or 15 litres of sodium hypochlorite solution, with a 0.6 per cent concentration, every hour.
The system can also store the solution in a 30-litre tank, maintaining the effectiveness for later use.
“The chlorine content remains stable for months – even without additives,” said Roth. “Commercially available sodium hypochlorite on the other hand, loses up to 20 per cent of its active chlorine content during storage.”
Lutz-Jesco’s official sales partner and distributor in Australia is Melbourne-based Process Pumps, and the product range is available at jesco.com.au.
