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Application of chlorine dioxide in microbial fermentation

24 - Apr - 2026

The application of chlorine dioxide disinfectant in China started relatively late, only beginning in the 1990s. Today, it is widely used in water treatment, aquaculture, and soft drink industries, but its application in the microbial fermentation industry is limited. This paper will explore the role of this novel disinfectant in microbial fermentation and summarize its trial use in antibiotic—penicillin raw material and powder injection workshops.

(1) Experiment on the use of chlorine dioxide in penicillin filtration station

The filtration station disinfects equipment daily using chlorine dioxide, which is virtually odorless and non-toxic to humans, significantly improving the production environment. Using chlorine dioxide disinfectant results in less potency loss compared to formaldehyde, thus increasing economic efficiency. Based on the current chlorine dioxide concentration of 30 mg/kg used in production, considerable annual savings can be achieved.

(2) The use of chlorine dioxide in the sterile room of the powder injection workshop

In the powder injection workshop, 500 mg/kg of chlorine dioxide was used for spraying in the sterile space; 100 mg/kg of chlorine dioxide was used for hand soaking, disinfection of silk towels, and disinfection of tools and parts in the sterile room; and 6 mg/kg of chlorine dioxide was used for disinfection of saline solution. The use of chlorine dioxide improved working conditions, facilitated solution preparation, saved costs, and improved bacterial detection results, demonstrating its superiority over other disinfectants such as benzalkonium chloride and carbolic acid.

Chlorine dioxide solution is non-irritating and non-corrosive, non-toxic to humans, and easy to prepare, greatly improving the working environment for workers. Different concentrations of chlorine dioxide have different uses, making it flexible and convenient to use, and an ideal disinfectant for process water disinfection. Preparing a 100 mg/kg solution for use in a sterile room is more convenient, less time-consuming, and cheaper than using microporous membrane filters. It eliminates the need for specialized filter equipment, frequent filter media replacement and cleaning, and also disinfects water storage tanks and pipelines.

Chlorine dioxide, with its inorganic small molecule structure, possesses strong electron-acquiring oxidizing properties. Unlike disinfectants with ordinary organic molecular structures that primarily rely on osmotic destruction for disinfection, its bactericidal mechanism is oxidative destruction. Therefore, it is less likely to induce drug resistance in harmful bacteria, resulting in a more ideal bactericidal effect. Furthermore, during the use of chlorine dioxide, all rooms in the sterile room, sterile staircases, air shower equipment, powder hoppers, tables and chairs, rubber stoppers, aluminum caps and their containers, floors, and personnel's fingers tested negative for bacteria using saline solution after disinfection.

Chlorine dioxide disinfectant is non-toxic and harmless. It has considerable advantages in terms of improving labor protection conditions, sterilization effect, flexible and convenient use, and cost-saving. It can gradually replace disinfectants such as formaldehyde, carbolic acid, and benzalkonium chloride. It can also be widely used in other microbial fermentation products, thereby achieving good economic and social benefits.