ClO₂ (gas) + Ca (aq) = ?

[ChemHeads]

Firstly, let me say hello and thank you for allowing me to become a member of this forum. I'm helping to tutor a 15 year old with dyscalculia math and GCSE Science which includes chemistry and physics (the poor kid has been set up for failure as he doesn't even know the periodic table and even something as simple as division in the mind of someone with dyscalculia is greek/latin = I don't understand). I right now though have a bit of a question from a problem we have encountered with water/solution sterilisation in soilless/hydroponic growing in large production of tomato and Bell Pepper. We use chlorine dioxide gas to treat the irrigation solution that contains dissolved fertilizers including N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S (macro nutrients for plants) and Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn, B and Mo. The odd thing is that since implementing the use of chlorine dioxide (gas) to treat the irrigation solution we have found we need to add much more calcium to the irrigation solution presumably because some of the calcium is reacting with the ClO₂ to become non bioavailable for plant uptake. So my question is what could be going on here with ClO₂ (gas) + Ca (aq) = ? resulting in lower amounts of calcium being available for uptake by the plant ? Is there a reaction occurring and what is that reaction? Thanks, hoping someone might have some insights. Great to be here and look forward to chatting in future.

[ChenBeier]

The ClO₂ is an oxidiser and destroys or harm some part of the plants, who absorb Ca.
Why you need the ClO₂. Let nature do by it self.

[ChemHeads]

Hi because in hydroponic grow systems you need to sterilise the water to prevent biofilm build up in irrigation lines and drip emitters along with trying to prevent crops being utterly wiped out by root zone pathogens (which also then become airborne propagules from infected plants) such as Fusarium oxysporum etc.

[lootingbesiege]

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) is known to be a strong oxidizing agent, and it can react with certain substances, potentially affecting nutrient availability. In the case of calcium (Ca), chlorine dioxide could oxidize or react with calcium ions in the solution, leading to the formation of calcium chlorite or other chlorinated species.

The potential reaction might look like:

ClO₂(g)
+
Ca(aq)
→
Products
ClO₂(g)+Ca(aq)→Products

However, the exact nature of the reaction and the resulting products can be complex and depend on various factors such as pH, temperature, and the specific conditions of the hydroponic system.

[ChemHeads]

Thanks yes, I was pondering the formation of calcium chlorite myself but it’s very complex because there are so many elements in solution along with calcium.