What is chlorine dioxide used for?
Chlorine dioxide (ClO2, CAS 10049-04-4) is a selective oxidant that disinfects without forming the chlorinated by-products chlorine does.
Biosecurity Actives Library
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An active is the component doing the work. A product is the active plus everything that carries it, including the encapsulation, surfactants and carriers, and the two are not interchangeable. This library covers each active's mechanism, evidence, limits and the species it must be kept away from.
Disinfectant actives
Chlorine dioxide is a selective oxidant that disinfects without forming the chlorinated by-products chlorine does, and is the strongest technical story in the range. The disinfectants compared page sets chlorine dioxide against hypochlorous acid, peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium compounds and citric acid, which all disinfect but are not interchangeable. Each is matched to the surfaces, soil loads and water systems where it performs. Pages note where each active is used in Vegalab products and where registration limits its use.
Botanical and biological actives
The essential-oil miticide page covers nano-emulsified plant oils for animal premises, where species sensitivity is not optional. Single-active pages cover geraniol, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and thymol, plus tea saponin for molluscs, oxymatrine, entomopathogenic nematodes for larvae, fixed oils as cuticle penetrants, and nootkatone, the benchmark for what encapsulation does to residual. Pages list 25(b) status where relevant. Each page also flags species sensitivity, in particular for cats, and whether the active is volatile enough to need encapsulation for useful residual.
How to read each page
Every active page answers the same questions: what it is, what it acts against, how it works, what it does not do, what conditions change the outcome, species sensitivity, and references. Tier 1 pages cover a single active with its own mechanism and evidence base; group pages compare related actives. Where our own efficacy data is not yet available, pages say so. Links route from each active to the pests it acts on, the protocols that use it and the products that contain it.
Key facts
- Chlorine dioxide has CAS number 10049-04-4 and does not form trihalomethanes on reaction with organic matter (US EPA 1999, EPA 815-R-99-014).
- Geraniol, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and thyme oil are permitted minimum-risk actives, while thymol is not on the list (40 CFR 152.25(f)(1)).
- EPA registered nootkatone as a new active ingredient in 2020 (US EPA, Nootkatone registration 2020).
- Biofilms reduce bacterial susceptibility to biocides, including quaternary ammonium compounds, and sub-inhibitory exposure raises cross-resistance concerns (SCENIHR 2009, Assessment of the Antibiotic Resistance Effects of Biocides, European Commission).
How our delivery technology applies
The same active performs differently depending on how it is delivered. Multi-layer encapsulation, with up to 20 programmable biopolymer layers, controls release rate, shields volatile oils from oxidation and UV, and in the case of chlorine dioxide stabilizes a gas as a dissolvable powder. Each active page describes the specific delivery limit that encapsulation addresses.
Formulators and distributors: ask for technical data sheets on any active.
How do disinfectants compare?
Chlorine dioxide, hypochlorous acid, peracetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium compounds and citric acid all disinfect, but they are not interchangeable.
Essential-Oil Miticide Actives
Nano-emulsified plant oils are used on animal premises against mites and lice in housing, bedding and structures.
Geraniol
Geraniol (CAS 106-24-1) is a monoterpene alcohol from rose, palmarosa and citronella oils and a permitted FIFRA 25(b) active.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil (Mentha x piperita, CAS 8006-90-4) is a permitted FIFRA 25(b) active dominated by menthol and menthone.
Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil (Salvia rosmarinus, CAS 8000-25-7) is a permitted FIFRA 25(b) active rich in 1,8-cineole, camphor and alpha-pinene.
Thymol
Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, CAS 89-83-8) is a phenolic monoterpene from thyme oil with antimicrobial, antifungal and acaricidal activity.
Tea Saponin
Tea saponin is a triterpenoid glycoside mixture extracted from Camellia seed meal, and it is the active in Vegalab Slug Control.
Oxymatrine
Oxymatrine is a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from the root of Sophora flavescens, and it is the active in Vegalab Larva Control and MultiMite Control.
Entomopathogenic Nematodes
Entomopathogenic nematodes are microscopic roundworms that enter insect larvae and kill them with symbiotic bacteria within two to three days.
Fixed Oils as Cuticle Penetrants
Fixed oils such as cottonseed and canola oil are nonvolatile vegetable triglycerides.
Nootkatone: The Encapsulation Benchmark
Nootkatone is a sesquiterpene ketone found in grapefruit and Alaska yellow cedar, registered by the US EPA in 2020 as a new pesticide active.