Sodium chlorite

Sodium chlorite (CAS 7758-19-2) is an inorganic oxidizing salt used industrially as a precursor to chlorine dioxide generation and as a direct bleaching and antimicrobial agent. It delivers controlled oxidative action across multiple processing environments where conventional chlorine-based treatments are unsuitable or regulated for specific industrial applications.

In water treatment, it is activated with acid or chlorine to generate chlorine dioxide on-site for disinfection of municipal and industrial water systems and cooling towers. Textile and pulp processors use it to bleach fibers and paper stock without the fiber degradation associated with hypochlorite-based systems, ensuring high material integrity.

In food processing environments, approved dilute solutions are used for surface sanitation of equipment and antimicrobial treatment of fresh produce and poultry processing lines. Leather processing operations apply it during hide preparation to achieve uniform whitening and to control microbial load during critical wet processing stages in the tannery.

The product is supplied as a stabilized aqueous solution, most commonly at 25% and 31% concentrations, and as a dry technical-grade solid for various industrial requirements. Food-grade and water treatment grades are available and must meet applicable regulatory standards for the intended application to ensure safety and compliance in the supply chain.