The key difference between anolyte and catholyte is that anolyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing anionic species whereas catholyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing cationic species.
Anolytes and catholytes are liquid solutions containing electrolytic ionic species such as anions and cations. These electrolytic solutions have different applications in biological systems.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Anolyte
3. What is Catholyte
4. Side by Side Comparison – Anolyte vs Catholyte in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is an Anolyte
Anolytes are anion-containing electrolytic solutions. An anolyte is an oxidizing agent that is important in the water disinfection process. An anolyte has a mixture of free radicals and it has an antimicrobial effect which makes this solution an oxidizing agent. The pH range of an anolyte solution is pH 2-9.
A common anolyte is an aqueous solution of sodium chloride (NaCl) that is electrochemically activated in an envirolyte unit, which is a powerful, non-toxic, and non-hazardous disinfectant. It is the major disinfectant in most of the drinking water purification systems. Anolyte is a colorless, transparent liquid having a slight chlorine smell. This solution contains various mixed oxidants.
Figure 01: A Redox Flow Battery
The concentration of chlorine in an anolyte is generally 100-6000 mg/L. It has a very high oxidant activity and a low concentration of working substances which cannot harm chemical and other vital characteristics of the treated water. Also, it doesn’t form any toxic compounds.
An anolyte usually has a very low concentration of active chlorine, which makes this solution nontoxic. It also does not form any toxic byproducts during water purification. An anolyte can penetrate tiny pores of water pipes. This substance can eliminate biofilms and algae. Therefore, we don’t need to rinse the water pipes after disinfecting them with anolyte solutions. Also, anolyte solutions do not harm the original nature of water. We can easily store anolytes to be kept for further use when there is a necessity.
What is Catholyte?
Catholytes are cation containing electrolytic solutions. A catholyte is a reducing agent and it has some surfactant properties as well. Catholytes are important as antioxidant compounds. Catholytes mainly contain bases which influence the pH of a solution. The pH range for a catholyte is pH 12 to 13.
There are different important uses of catholyte solutions, such as reduction of surface tension of water during the conditioning of water for the improvement of oil production in wells, and reduction of microbe contamination along with anolytes. They are also useful as detergents or cleaning agents in the food and beverage industry.
Catholyte solutions are equivalent to the solutions of caustic soda. This solution can frequently replace other alkaline agents as well. A catholyte solution contains sodium hydroxide in a highly excited state. However, a catholyte has a short shelf life (about 2 days), so we sometimes need to produce it on-site according to the requirement. Moreover, along with anolytes, catholytes can be used in petroleum oil rigs, which results in higher and more effective recovery of crude oil that uses highly cost-effective chemical ingredients.
What is the Difference Between Anolyte and Catholyte?
Anolyte and catholyte are electrolytic solutions that are important in the function of biological systems. The key difference between anolyte and catholyte is that anolyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing anionic species whereas catholyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing cationic species. Moreover, the pH range of an anolyte solution is pH 2-9 while the pH range of a catholyte solution is pH 12-13.
Summary – Anolyte vs Catholyte
Anolyte and catholyte are electrolytic solutions that are important in the function of biological systems. The key difference between anolyte and catholyte is that anolyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing anionic species whereas catholyte is an electrolytic solution mainly containing cationic species.
Reference:
1.”Anolyte as a Disinfectant. ” Radical Waters. 27 July 2015, Available here.
2. “What Is a Catholyte? – Definition from Corrosionpedia.” Corrosionpedia, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Redox Flow Battery” By Colintheone – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia