Chlorination chemistry and ecotoxicology of the marine cooling water systems

Abstract

Since 1893, when chlorine was applied for the first time at a plant in Hamburg (Germany), chlorination has been used for disinfection of drinking water. It is still largely used as a powerful oxidising agent for bleaching and water treatments such as taste and odour control, disinfection of tap water and waste water in the food industry and for biofouling control. Of all the disinfectants, it is certainly the most extensively studied with regard to chemistry, toxicity and ecotoxicity (White 1999; Jolley 1976; Jolley and Carpenter 1983; Jolley et al. 1978, 1980, 1985, 1990). Due to its well-tried technology, its long term worldwide industrial use and its acceptable cost, chlorine remains the most common antifouling treatment to date.