Electrolysis Technology - Generating Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl)
Electrolysis is the passing of a direct electric current through an ionic substance. It was first explained by Michael Faraday in the 1830s.
Membrane Electrolysis
Membrane electrolysis generates strongly acidic HOCl and an alkaline byproduct of NaOH from a solution of NaCl (aka. table salt in water).
Single Cell Electrolysis
Single cell technology was developed to generate a more stable solution of HOCl at an optimal pH without an alkaline byproduct of NaOH.
This biggest challenge has been to create hypochlorous acid at a near neutral pH instead of chlorine gas or hypochlorite, and to do so in a stable form. Hypochlorous acid is a meta-stable molecule. It wants to revert back to salt water or convert to hypochlorite.
Membrane Cell Technology
The electrolysis cell has two compartments separated by a membrane, an anode compartment and a cathode compartment. The membrane is made from a polymer which only allows positive ions to pass through it toward the cathode compartment. A sodium chloride solution is injected into the anode compartment. The positively charged sodium ions pass through the membrane to the cathode side but the negatively charged chloride ions do not.
Two solutions are generated, an anolyte and a catholyte. On the anode side, a solution of hypochlorous acid is generated that is strongly acidic and with an ORP > 800 mV. On the cathode side, a solution of NaOH is generated that is strongly alkaline and with an ORP < -800. Neither solution generated is stable. Both the anolyte and catholyte seek to return to an equilibrium. Both solutions rapidly lose their ORP.
Single Cell Technology
Single cell electrolysis generates only one solution, an anolyte of hypochlorous acid. The electrolysis cells have a single compartment that contains both the anode and cathode and are engineered to generate a single solution with an ORP > 800. Using an acidified brine, a neutral to acidic free chlorine solution is generated that is dominated by hypochlorous acid. The HOCl solution remains stable and the HOCl molecules are only deactivated when exposed to an organic surface or the oxygen in the air.