LIME-SODA PROCESS: Water Treatment and Hardness Removal

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary advantage of removing hardness from water?

  • To reduce the quantity of minerals in water
  • To prevent corrosion in pipelines (correct)
  • To eliminate pathogenic bacteria
  • To reduce the amount of coagulants required

What is the disadvantage of the zeolite process in water treatment?

  • It is a costly process
  • It requires a large amount of coagulants
  • The softened water is not completely free from hardness (correct)
  • It is not effective in removing pathogenic bacteria

What is the primary function of cation exchange resins in the ion exchange process?

  • To exchange H+ ions with other cations (correct)
  • To exchange OH− ions with other anions
  • To add minerals to water
  • To remove pathogenic bacteria from water

What is the advantage of the ion exchange process over the lime-soda process?

<p>It produces less sludge (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between cation and anion exchange resins?

<p>Their ability to exchange OH− ions with other anions (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the zeolite process in water treatment?

<p>To remove hardness from water (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the disadvantage of the lime-soda process in water treatment?

<p>It produces a large amount of sludge (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of anion exchange resins in the ion exchange process?

<p>To exchange OH− ions with other anions (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the advantage of the zeolite process over the ion exchange process?

<p>It requires less coagulants (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of water treatment?

<p>To remove pathogenic bacteria from water (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Lime-Soda Process

  • The lime-soda process converts soluble hardness-causing salts into insoluble precipitates through the addition of soda (Na2CO3) and lime [Ca(OH)2].
  • Key hardness issues addressed include temporary hardness, permanent magnesium hardness, dissolved iron, aluminum salts, and gases like CO2 and H2S.

Lime Functionality

  • Hydrated lime removes temporary hardness by reacting with calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO3)2) and magnesium carbonate (Mg(CO3)2) to produce insoluble calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide.
  • Permanent hardness, primarily from magnesium salt impurities, is reduced by reacting hydrated lime with magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2).
  • Calcium-based impurities such as calcium chloride (CaCl2) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) remain soluble and are not removed by lime treatment.

Soda Functionality

  • Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) addresses permanent hardness caused by magnesium sulfate, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and calcium sulfate.

Advantages of Lime-Soda Process

  • Economical and faster than the cold lime-soda process.
  • Increases water pH, reducing pipe corrosion risks.

Zeolite Softening

  • Synthetic zeolites (Natrolite, Laumonite) are gel-like, porous compounds made from sodium carbonate, aluminum oxide, and silicon dioxide.
  • Zeolite softening involves passing hard water through a zeolite bed, where sodium ions replace calcium and magnesium ions, rendering the water soft.
  • Resulting reactions include:
    • Na2Ze + Ca(HCO3)2 → CaZe + 2NaHCO3
    • Na2Ze + Mg(HCO3)2 → MgZe + 2NaHCO3

Regeneration of Zeolite

  • Exhausted zeolite beds are regenerated using a 10% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution:
    • CaZe + 2NaCl → Na2Ze + CaCl2

Advantages of Zeolite Process

  • Highly effective with nearly complete hardness removal (to 10 ppm).
  • Compact design needing less time for softening and no sludge formation.
  • Operational under pressure.

Disadvantages of Zeolite Process

  • Increased sodium salt concentration in softened water.
  • Not suitable for turbid water.
  • Does not exchange carbonate (CO3²⁻) and bicarbonate (HCO3⁻) ions, making it unsuitable for boiler use.
  • Excess iron (Fe²⁺) or manganese (Mn²⁺) can hinder regeneration by forming respective zeolites.
  • High alkalinity or acidity can decompose zeolite, making it ineffective.

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