Bleaching Powder

Calcium ox chloride is the chemical name for bleaching powder (CaOCl2). Bleaching powder has a strong chlorine odor and is yellowish white in color. Bleaching powder emits a chlorine odor when exposed to air. This is because bleaching powder produces calcium carbonate and chlorine when it combines with carbon dioxide in the air. Bleaching powder is used to bleach cotton and linen in the textile industry, as well as wood pulp in the paper industry. It is also used to bleach washed clothes in the laundry, as a disinfectant and germicide, and in water purification and sanitation because it releases chlorine when exposed to the air, which kills germs. In several chemical industries, it is also utilized as an oxidizing agent. The demand for the product, as well as the possibility of exporting it to other parts of the country, justifies the construction of a small facility that will make bleaching powder, given the availability of raw materials in the area. Bleaching powder for water purification is consumed in large quantities by the Departments of Public Health Engineering and Potable Water Supply. When bleaching powder is dissolved in water, ionized Calcium Chloride and hypochlorite are produced. The government is encouraging entrepreneurs to invest heavily in this activity.