Chlorine Speciation and pH Effectiveness

One mechanism from Chapter 9: Microbiology.

flowchart LR
  A["Free chlorine residual"] --> B["HOCl, strong biocide"]
  A --> C["OCl-, weak biocide"]
  B -->|"rising pH"| C
  C -->|"falling pH"| B
  D["pH 6.5: about 90 percent HOCl"] --> E["Excellent kill"]
  F["pH 7.5: about 50 percent HOCl"] --> G["Good kill"]
  H["pH 8.5: about 8 percent HOCl"] --> I["Poor kill"]

Diagrams · The Big Picture · Chapter 9