Stable Bleaching Powder (SBP) an effective & useful disinfectant product; provides disease free water to Shrimps & facilitates high crop yield in Shrimp farming

Introduction:

Shrimp farming sector is one of the fastest growing segment in India today. This segment has widely spread across Indian coastal line. It involves raising of shrimps in an organized & professional manner to sell them as a food in domestic and international market. Shrimps carefully grown to a particular size and weight to attract better selling value.

Over the years, the Indian shrimp farming process have gone through various operational modifications. This is to overcome the difficulties & problems faced while shrimps grown in farming. Disease attack is one of such difficulty faced by famers across India. To achieve successful shrimp farming and protecting shrimps from disease, proper operational practices are prime necessary to follow. Disinfection of intake water to provide a safer environment to growing shrimps is one of such crucial activity. Stable Bleaching Powder (SBP) has proved to be the best economical yet safer product over the years in providing effective disinfection of intake water in which the shrimps are cultivated. A chlorine based Stable bleaching powder product has a strong ability to kill troublesome microorganisms present in intake water and provide a safer water quality to facilitate the healthy & high growth of shrimps. This paper discusses the proper handling & proper utilization of this effective Disinfectant product to become the best friend of farmers and improving shrimp production yield in their farming.

Why Stable Bleaching Powder is a preferred choice?

Chlorine & chlorine-allied products are the most widely used disinfectants in various cases over several years globally. All the halogens from periodic table possess biocidal properties, however among them Chlorine is a popular, readily available and cheapest.

Many water treatment bodies worldwide consume chlorine in treating drinking water. Chlorine effectively kills various types of microorganisms from water.

Chlorine gas feeding & handling in aquaculture ponds is a high risk:

While Chlorine is a popular choice, regarding the use of gaseous Chlorine at shrimp ponds, one need to be extreme careful about and possibly avoid of using it at aquaculture ponds. Chlorine at ambient conditions observed as greenish-yellow gas with an irritating odor. It is about 2.5 times heavier than atmospheric air. Any mishandling or an unfortunate incident can lead to fatality. At Shrimp pond farming locations, we do not commonly see the availability of highest standards of safety infrastructural facilities, thus one need to think twice before opting to dose gaseous chlorine in shrimp pond and maintaining chlorine containers at farming area. In addition, it is utmost necessary for each of us to understand and strictly follow the policies & guidelines laid down by our various government & safety regulatory authorities on gaseous chlorine handling.

Stable Bleaching powder (SBP):

Among the currently market available disinfectant products, Stable bleaching Powder is most preferably used in aquaculture ponds across India due to its readily availability, low purchasing cost and user-friendly properties. SBP is in various use to human kind since last many years. History references state that SBP widely used during First World War time for preventing spreading infectious dieseas emerged out of war situation. SBP is an inorganic compound baring Ca(OCl)2 chemical formulae. It is commercially and widely known as Stable Bleaching Powder in India. This white colored powdery solid- state compound offer around 35% Chlorine to user. It carries pungent chorine smell. Chlorine gas and hydrated lime are the major compounds with which Stable Bleaching Powder manufactured in large industries. The right quality of hydrated lime & chlorine along with professionally managed manufacturing process plays a crucial role in producing superior quality of SBP product. This ensures an elimination the presence of heavy metals in final product and thus providing safer water quality to shrimp and ultimately a safer food to the consumers.

Stable Bleaching powder reaction with water:

SBP when reacts with water, decomposes to liberate Chlorine. Chlorine is an excellent biocide as its strong oxidizing nature, pulls in electron while the victimized bacteria loses electron. Chlorine attack microorganisms by oxidizing cellular structure, passing through the cell wall and disturbing its metabolic activities. This killing mechanism arrest developing immunization effect by these microorganisms over chlorine and its allied products. That is why these products commonly used for disinfection over several years and yet they are still very effective against the microorganism. Chlorine and its allied products including Stable Bleaching Powder are called as oxidizing biocides

Right way of achieving residual chlorine from stable bleaching powder:

Generally, proper measurement of residual Chlorine, its monitoring and maintaining in pond water, help disinfecting water properly. Enough residual level of chlorine in water most times kill microorganisms present in pond water. This facilitates proper growth of shrimps in pond. At field site, there are couple of field test methods followed by farmers for measuring residual chlorine level in pond water. Sometimes some of these Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) measurement techniques does not differentiate free residual and combined residual of chlorine in water at absolute level. In such cases, it gives high residual chlorine values and bring satisfaction at farmer’s end, however this can be misleading. This Combined Residual Chlorine (CRC) is observed when we feed Chlorine (through SBP product) reacts with contaminants present in water. These contaminants present in water eat up all the chlorine, we dose. This consumed chlorine for oxidizing contaminants present in water is not available for effective killing of microorganism. The amount of chlorine requires oxidizing inorganic & organic contaminants present in water called as “chlorine demand” of water. Such high presence of contaminants in water generate high chlorine demand and warrants higher quantity dosing of SBP product. There are some of geographical areas in our country, where nearby industrial effluent and city sewage water is being discharged in such creek water and unfortunately, the shrimp farming intake water location are also nearby to it. This create a high risk of contaminants entering in pond water and abnormally increasing chlorine demand of water. Some time, we also see that the shrimp pond water after harvesting, is also discharged near to someone else’s intake point for fresh crop. This also ingresses contaminant’s entry in fresh pond water. We need to note that in such contaminated water, unless we first oxidize all contaminants present in water, we will not able to reach true and helpful Chlorine residual level in pond water. It is advisable to check chlorine demand test of water as a first point. This will help you to understand the SBP requirement as a real case. This will also help farmers avoiding over as well as underfeeding of SBP product in ponds. In case of presence of contamination in water, the further investigation

Chlorine Demand of water:is also solicited for finding the nature & extent of contaminants. Sometime some of these contaminants can be detrimental to shrimp growth. Eg. Heavy metals etc.

Generally, market available, BIS standard complying stable bleaching Powder possess 35% Chlorine in it. This states, to achieve about 1-part residual Chlorine in clean water with SBP product, one need to dose about 3 part of product assuming zero no presence of oxidizable contaminant in that water and possess zero chlorine demand.

Water pH:When chlorine, come in contact with water, it forms Hypochlorous acid, Hydrochloric acid and hypochlorite Ions. pH of the water decides the extent of formation of above three. Acidic water pH favors Hydrochloric acid formation, whereas alkaline water pH >7.5, the hypochlorite ion formation starts predominating. While water pH window of 6.5-7.5 generate hypochloprous acid. HOCl- has found to be carrying the most capability of effectively killing microorganisms.

ORP technology:Oxidation Reduction Potential is an old and user-friendly gadget to monitor and maintain the residual Chlorine in water. This has been in use at various water treatment applications worldwide.

Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) is a potential of disinfectant to kill microorganisms present in water. It is a direct measure of disinfection power of any oxidizing disinfectant fed in water at a given circumstance. ORP measured in mili Volts. Higher ORP value indicate higher ability of disinfection power. More the contaminants & chlorine demand in water, lesser will the ORP values. Generally drinking water, swimming pool water are adequately disinfected at around 500 mV to 800 mV.

It advised to follow ORP measurement while chlorine is fed in water. ORP, measure only free residual chlorine and not combined chlorine. This is highly advantageous to optimize the SBP dosage in water yet earning maximum output from SBP. Very handy & portable (pocket carrying) ORP maters are much available in market and they have found it as a very useful tool at field.

On-field guidance from Grasim’s technical team:

Superlative performance delivery from every chemical is depended on two major factors.

1) Manufacturing of superior quality product and

2) Adhering right product application knowledge to get the best out-put from that product.

We at Grasim provide utmost importance to both these factors and dedicatedly work on both these factors to see that the shrimp framer’s purpose behind buying Grasim SBP fully achieved. Grasim’s expertise technical team spend time on field with shrimp farmers, carries field training workshops, testing demonstrations etc. to bring the right teaching & awareness to farmers on SBP product handling to get the best return from it.

Summary:

Stable Beaching Powder is an effective, useful & farmer’s userfriendly product to achieve proper disinfection in intake water. This product provides right environment for growth of shrimps. While saying so, it is also necessary for farmers to follow right operating practices and techniques to get the most out of SBP. It is always advisable to conduct detailed study of intake water first. Some of the key suggested parameters to be checked would be Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Chlorine Demand, Oxidation Reduction potential (ORP), Dissolved oxygen etc. A proper disinfection of intake water would be a right baseline for proper growth of shrimps and this can be achieved following right free residual chlorine measurement techniques. Oxidation Reduction potential (ORP) can be a technique can help in achieving adequate level of free residual chlorine level in water for disinfection. This can also help in optimizing the consumption of SBP yet to get to most out of SBP

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