Water Softening Methods
Water Softening Methods
Dr. S. K. Behera
School of Chemical Engineering
VIT, Vellore, TN, India – 632 014.
Module 1
Different types of ions are present in hard water. When two different
types of metal are present in hard water; these ions can act as
electrolyte. As a result, it leads to corrosion.
• Effects in boiler:
When hard water is used in boiler, hard crystalline deposits of
calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, magnesium carbonate are
formed.
The resulting scale reduces the heating efficiency. Hence, it
needs further heating. This overheating may damage the
boiler.
a) Pre-boiling of water
d) Phosphate treatment
• Hard water is treated with slaked lime - Ca(OH)2 and soda ash -
Na2CO3 in reaction tanks provided with stirrer.
• Lime soda process does not introduce new soluble salts to water. It
is best suited to treat both types of hardness, especially temporary
hardness.
Cold Lime soda process
• In this method, a calculated quantity of lime and soda ash are mixed
with water at room temperature.
• At this temperature, the precipitates formed are very fine and require
more time for settling which may be about 24 hours. It is not possible
to remove the fine precipitates by filtration.
• Raw water and chemicals flowing down the chamber come into close
contact because of continuous stirring and the chemical reaction takes
place to soften the water.
The sludge formed settles down to the bottom of the outer chamber
from where it is removed through sludge outlet. The softened water
rising up passes through the fiber filter which removes traces of sludge
and the filtered soft water passes through the outlet.
Soft water obtained from cold lime soda process still contains 50-60
ppm of residual hardness.
Hot Lime soda process
Hot Lime soda process
• In this process, raw water is treated with softening chemicals at a
temperature of 80 oC to 100 oC. At this temperature, the chemical
reactions are much faster than in cold process.
• Hot lime soda softeners are much faster in operation and require less
storage capacity tank.
• The sludge formed settles down rapidly and hence there is no need of
adding coagulants. In this process, the dissolved gases are driven out
due to high temperature treatment.
• They can be readily dehydrated and rehydrated and are used as cation
exchangers.
• These are capable of exchanging their sodium ions for multivalent ions of
calcium & magnesium present in water.
The washing (containing CaCl2 and MgCl2 ) are led to drain and the
regenerated zeolite bed is again used for softening purpose.
Zeolite or Permutit process
Advantages:
1. It removes the hardness almost completely and water of about 10 ppm
hardness is produced.
2. The equipment used is compact, occupying a small space.
3. No impurities are precipitated, so there is no danger of sludge formation in
the treated water at a later stage.
4. It is quite clean.
5. It requires less time for softening.
6. It requires less skill for maintenance as well as operation.
Zeolite or Permutit process
Disadvantages:
1. The treated-water contains more sodium salts than in lime-soda process.
2. The method only replaces Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, but leaves all the acidic ions
(like HCO3- and CO32-) as such in the softened water.
3. When such softened water (containing NaHCO3, Na2CO3, etc.) is used in
boilers for steam generation, NaHCO3 decomposes producing CO2 , which
causes corrosion ; and Na2CO3 hydrolysis to NaOH causes caustic
embrittlement.
4. High turbidity water cannot be treated efficiently by this method because
fine impurities get deposited on the zeolite bed, thereby creating problem
for its working.
Zeolite vs. Lime Soda process
Phosphate Treatment
• Water treated by lime-soda or Permutit process has traces of
impurities left in them which may cause scale formation in boiler.
• Soft water is free from Ca & Mg ions but can contain Na, K, Cl,
SO4 ions. However, the dimineralized water does not contain any ion.