HOW TO
PRODUCE LIQUID CHLORINE BLEACH
USE FOR
LAUNDRY AND
DISINFECT
WHAT BLEACH
Bleach is a chemical compound made
up of a combination of 3 (three) or 4 (four) chemical agents.
USE OF BLEACH
Bleach is used to whiten white
cloths or none colour clothes and disinfect surfaces. Generally, it is used:
To remove stain or unwanted colour from
clothes and brighten white clothes.
To remove stain from mugs,
cups, plates, cutlery and other kitchen utensils.
As household chemical for
disinfecting sitting room, bathrooms, toilets, kitchen cupboards, shelves, door
handles, etc.
For sanitizing swimming pools to
control bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae that might be found in the pool.
For removing fungus or molds which
may be hidden in damp places in the house.
In the hospitals bleach are used for
disinfecting the environment and could be used for sterilizing needles for re
use.
TYPES OF BLEACH
There are two types of bleach commonly
produced and they are:
1. PEROXIDE BLEACH
2. CHLORINE
OR SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE BLEACH
PEROXIDE BLEACH
The main chemical agent of this
bleach is hydrogen peroxide. It helps to remove stains, especially in
higher wash temperatures like in washing machines. It will not bleach most colored materials and
does not weaken fabrics, as does chlorine bleach. Peroxide bleach does not
disinfect and has a longer shelf life than chlorine bleach.
CHLORINE OR SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE BLEACH
The second type of bleach is the
chlorine bleach. It is the most commonly used household bleach today. The main chemical agent of this bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite.
Research shows that injecting salt water with electrical current broke
down the salt (sodium chloride) molecules and produces a compound called Sodium Hypochlorite, which could be used
to produce bleach.
Chlorine bleach is most effective in
removing stains and disinfecting fabrics. Chlorine bleach is cheap to
manufacture and effective for washing in both warm and hot Water. Its
disadvantage is that it has strong chemical properties which can weaken textile
fibers. Chlorine bleach can be used disinfects contaminated drinking water. It
is a powerful germicide, useful for all house hold.
CHEMICAL COMPONENTS OF CHLORINE BLEACH
Below are the 4 (four) chemical elements
used in the production of chlorine bleach and how they function to make the bleach
potent.
1. CHLORINE
2. SODA
ASH (SODIUM CARBONATE)
3. CAUSTIC
SODA (SODIUM
HYDROXIDE)
4. ALUM
(ALUMINIUM
SULFATE)
CHLORINE
Chlorine is a chemical element, yellowish-green
dense gas with a choking smell,
which finds application in many industrial and domestic uses. Chlorine kills
bacteria, removes stains; it is a water purifier and a disinfectant. It helps
to kill
dangerous germs like bacteria, viruses and parasites in water. It helps to
virtually eliminate waterborne diseases causing cholera and typhoid fever. It helps reduce unpleasant tastes and odors in
water. That is why it is used to treat drinking water and
swimming pool water. It is also used to make hundreds of consumer products from
paper to paints and from textiles to insecticides. (It is an active ingredient in the production of bleach, removing stains
and killing of bacteria in the laundry.)
SODA ASH
Soda
Ash or Sodium Carbonate
has use
for many things, e.g. glass production, baking, dye, soaps, paper, etc. In
domestic use, it is water softener. If added in laundering water, it softens hard
water which makes your detergent to foam very well. Sodium carbonate can be
used to remove grease, oil, and wine stains from clothes. (When added in the production of bleach, it helps to soften hard water
used for laundry by preventing the detergent from bonding with hard water.)
CAUSTIC SODA
Caustic
Soda, which is also known as lye is a common name for Sodium Hydroxide. It has application in many industrial and
domestic uses also. Its main uses are in
the manufacture of paper, candle, soap and detergents, petroleum products and
chemical production. Other
applications include water treatment, food, textiles, metal processing, mining,
glass making, etc. It is used at home as a type of drain opener to
unblock clogged drains. In the industry is used as a cleaning agent because it
can dissolve grease, oils. For laundering it removes stains and bleaches cloths
very fast. (When added in the production
of bleach, it helps to neutralize acidic material in laundry thereby aiding the
remover of stains and bleaching cloths very fast.)
ALUM
Alum or Aluminium Sulfate as it is known, is
used for water purification – It
has the property of attracting the fine particles in water, that is why it is used
widely to purify muddy water. It removes
unwanted colour from water. It
has been used since ancient
times for water purification. Use
together with filtration it is
standard practice in conventional water
treatment processes around the world. (When
added in the production of bleach, it helps to purify the water used for laundry.)
This type of bleach is good in area where the water is muddy or unclear.
PRODUCTION OF CHLORINE BLEACH
Actually, to produce chlorine
bleach, all you need are: CHLORINE, CAUSTIC SODA and WATER in the right
proportion. You might decide to add SODA ASH and ALUM as the case may be as
explained above.
In this workshop, we are going to produce 20-25 litres of chlorine
bleach. But I will show you the chemicals and the right proportion needed to
produce 10-15 and 20-25 litres of chlorine bleach as stated in the tables below.
CHEMICAL
AGENTS REQUIRED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CHLORINE BLEACH 10-15 AND 20-25 LITRES OF CHLORINE BLEACH AND COST
10-15 LITRES OF CHLORINE BLEACH
|
S/N
|
COMPONENT
|
QUANTITY
|
PRICE
=N=
|
FUNCTION
|
|
1
|
Chlorine
|
1/2
Kg
|
700.00
|
active
ingredient
|
|
2
|
Caustic Soda
|
1/4
Kg
|
130.00
|
acidic
materials neutralizer
|
|
3
|
Soda Ash
|
1/2
Kg
|
150.00
|
hard
water softener, cleaning agent, prevents bonding of water and with detergent.
|
|
4
|
Alum
|
1/2
Kg
|
-
|
Cleansing,
purification
|
|
5
|
Water
|
10-15 Litres
|
|
Solvent
|
|
Total price
|
980.00
|
|
||
20-25 LITRES OF CHLORINE BLEACH
|
S/N
|
COMPONENT
|
QUANTITY
|
PRICE
=N=
|
FUNCTION
|
|
1
|
Chlorine
|
1 Kg
|
1,400.00
|
active
ingredient
|
|
2
|
Caustic Soda
|
1/2
Kg
|
250.00
|
acidic
materials neutralizer
|
|
3
|
Soda Ash
|
1 Kg
|
300.00
|
hard
water softener, cleaning agent, prevents bonding of water and with detergent.
|
|
4
|
Alum
|
1 Kg
|
-
|
Cleansing,
purification
|
|
5
|
Water
|
20-25 Litres
|
|
Solvent
|
|
Total price
|
1,950.00
|
|
||
HOW TO GET THE CHEMICAL FOR MAKING
BLEACH
These chemicals could be purchased
where chemicals are sold. In Warri, you can get the chemicals to buy at:
DANATHAM INT’L. RESOURCES
DRILLING/CHEMICAL
COMPANY,
152
Warri/Sapele Road,
Opp.
Mobile Filling Station,
Near
Warri Garage, Warri, Delta State.
OTHER THINGS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE
BLEACH
For your personal safety in handling
the chemicals, you require the following items. This is very necessary whether you
are producing large or small quantity of bleach:
1. NOSE
or FACE MASK
2. HAND
GLOVES
3. PROTECTIVE
CLOTHES
4. LONG
WOODEN TURNER
5. CONTAINER
OR BOWL OF WITH SOLID COVER
PRODUCTION PROCESS OF BLEACH
Whether
you are producing large or small quantity of bleach, you will
need the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) listed above. If you don’t have special
protective clothes, you must have a nose mask and hand gloves,
because you must not handle the chemicals with you bare hands and you must avoid
inhaling the chlorine, soda ash and caustic soda fumes, because of your health that
can be affected.
If you are ready let us go.
1. Get
a Clean Container with cover of about 30
litres in volume that could contain 20-25
litres of clean water. Pour 10 litres of clean water into it.
2. Wear
you’re your Nose Mask and Hand Gloves.
Carefully pour the CAUSTIC SODA Powder into the
Container of Water.
3. Use
the long Wooden Turner to mix the Caustic Soda Powder with the Water by stirring the content very well for about 30 seconds.
Safety Tip: (Avoid inhalation of toxic fumes as you are stirring the
content. Give a distance to protect your face and clothes, if you are not wearing
a face mask or a special protective clothes.)
4. Next
add the SODA ASH Power into the
container and mix gently with the wooden turner, for another 30 seconds.
5. Lastly
add the CHLORINE Powder and stir carefully and slowly
for another 30 seconds till you
achieve a homogenous mixture.
Safety Tip: Once again keep a distance to avoid inhalation of toxic
fumes. (Note that Chlorine and Caustic Soda solution will react to
form SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE.
That is how the name HYPO BLEACH
came about.
6. Pour the remaining 10 litres of
clean water into the mixture to make it 20 litres and then stir with the
wooden turner for 1 or 2 minutes and
then cover container with the mixture and put
it in a safe place.
7. Stir
every morning for 3 (three) consecutive
days. After stirring cover the container again.
8. After
stirring, on the third day morning,
leave the mixture to settle till the afternoon. At that time, the liquid would
have clearly separated from any particles that will have settled at the bottom
of the container.
9. Now
open the container, use a white clean cloth
to sieve the solution which is now bleach into another clean container that
will contain the whole solution.
Note: (The leftover
in the bucket can be thrown away or mix with water to get more bleach).
10. Check
to remove any impurity or suspended
particles if any then carefully pour the liquid into different plastic containers of 1 litre each with
properly fitted lids for usage at
home or for sale.
Safety Tip: (The plastic container must be rigid enough to keep the bleach for months because of the harsh nature of bleach.)
11. Clearly label plastic containers and safely store it out of reach of children.
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MAKING BLEACH
If the safety precautions are obeyed
while mixing the chemical they will be no issue. Please note that chlorine gas when release
could results in nose and throat irritation in humans. The gas released
from chlorine could cause destruction of some beneficial organisms like
bacteria, virus and fungi in the body.
So try not to inhale the fumes when
producing bleach. Don’t use bare hands to handle the chemicals use hand gloves
and if possible wear protective clothes and give a distance from the container
when mixing the chemicals.
HOW
TO USE CHLORINE BLEACH
Bleach
is a harsh chemical compound that is corrosive
and will stain clothes and surfaces
if used in the wrong way. Here are some safety tips to bear in mind when using
bleach:
1. Follow the instructions on the product
container, before using any type of bleach.
2. Never use concentrated bleach directly on
clothes, it might damage it; instead dilute it, following the directions of use
on the label.
3. To use bleach to Wash Clothes: Pour warm or cold water in the container, add
detergent and mix and then add some quantity of bleach (it depends on the
volume of clothes to be washed) and mix properly and then add the clothes you
want to wash. Make sure the clothes are totally immersed in the water. Allow
the clothes to soak for about 10 -15 minutes to allow the bleach take effect
before washing.
Note: (When chlorine bleach is used to wash
clothes, it acts as a disinfectant on bacteria and viruses and generally whitens and weakens most natural fiber fabrics like cotton. Care must be taken
to use it correctly or effectively by adding it at the correct time and at the
correct temperature to the cloths you are washing.
5. To Sanitizing Dishes with bleach: First wash and rinse dishes, glassware, and
utensils to remove oil, food remnants, etc. After washing, add 4 teaspoons of
bleach into basin
containing 10 litres of clean water and then soak the dishes and utensils for at least 2 minutes in a
solution, be sure to rinse the items well drain and leave to dry in the open
air on top of your kitchen cabinet, or where you want to leave them.
6. Make a household
disinfectant spray: Look for a spray can. Mix 2 teaspoons
of bleach into a basin of 4 litres hot water. Then fill a clean, empty spray
bottle and use it on a towel to clean countertops, furniture or wherever it’s
needed.
7. To
use bleach to disinfect bathrooms and kitchen
floors: Pour
water of about 5 litres into a plastic bucket or mopping bucket. Add 5 cap full
bleach
of the bleach cover into the water mix very well and use to disinfect the floor
with your mopping stick.
DURABILITY
Liquid
chlorine bleach has a limited shelf life. Chlorine bleach solution begins to
lose its disinfectant power quickly when exposed to heat, sunlight and allowed
to evaporate, by leaving it open. If the bottle has been open for more than six
months, it loses its effectiveness due to exposure to light and air. At this
time the bleach may have no effect on stains, loses its disinfecting quality
and should not be used.
BLEACH
FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSE
If you are producing bleach for commercial purpose
then the following three things cannot be over looked:
1. Quality
Control
2. Special
Considerations in Packaging
3. Consumer
Safety
You have to consider them seriously to avoid a brush
with the authority.
