A review on the electrochemical production of chlorine dioxide from chlorates and hydrogen peroxide

Chlorine dioxide is one of the most interesting oxidants because it combines a strong capacity of oxidation with low formation of hazardous byproducts such as chlorinated organics during its application. Because of that, it is widely used in disinfection of drinking water and, currently, it is aimed to be used in the disinfection of surfaces or buildings. Although it is usually produced by the chemical interaction of chlorite with hypochlorite/chlorine or hydrochloric acid, one interesting alternative for its production is the combination in strongly acidic media of chlorate and hydrogen peroxide. Both compounds are known to be efficiently manufactured with electrochemical technology, opening the possibility of a complete electrochemical process to produce this important oxidant. This review summarizes the recent progress in the electrochemical production of the two raw materials, as well as the complete electrochemical production of chlorine dioxide, not only paying attention to the scientific literature but, most importantly, to recent patents, trying to see in which technology readiness level are each of the technologies and what are the elements of the value chain required for a complete implementation of the technology.