Salome kikvadze

Chemistry

Hydrates for Flint, Michigan

02/26/2017

Hydrates

Water scarcity and the contaminated water, always stands as a one of the significant

problem around the world. People dont have access to the clean water which affects

the residents of the country and the risk of having health problems are increasing. One

of the clear example is Flint water crisis. Flint water crisis is the drinking water issue

which did begin in April 2014 when the Flint river became the drinking water source for

the city of Flint, Michigan. The water was contaminated with significant amounts of lead,

which appears in water, because of the dissolving metal caused by a chemical reaction

between the water and plumbing while the orange color occurs due to a high

concentration of chloride in the Flint river. Most of the Flint residents were affected, due

to government officials slow reaction to the problem and when the officials decided to

take action and somehow overcome this problem the children had already bathed and

consumed the toxic water, which has a huge influence on the brain development as well

as the risk of behaviour issues are increasing and even after the lead exposure stops

the effects can last for a few years or be permanent. The pregnant women unknowingly

had also consumed the toxic water jeopardizing the health of the unborn baby which

empysizes that the health of the resident of Flint was already jeopardized. However, as

scientists have discovered the only one way to clean the contaminated water are the

substances that help to separate the distillated water and provide it for the residents.
 The crystalline structured substances, that can be used to alleviate the water crisis in

Flint Michigan are hydrates -ionic substances which often include definite amounts of

water as a part of the crystal structure and are the compounds that absorb water

molecules from its environment and include them as parts of its structure. Hydrates are

formed when the water molecules are chemically bonded with anhydrous salt to make it

hydrated crystal. For example copper sulfate with the formula CuSO4 * 5H2O is

hydrated crystal, and means that for every CuSO4 five water molecules present.

Crystalline structures especially hydrates have some interesting and important

properties, including the color change and solubility. When the hydrates are heated, the

water molecules are released in the environment and the crystal structure of the

compound changes too. Heating the crystal affects the color of the compound, for

example the blue hydrate crystal becomes white, anhydrous, easily soluble crystal when

it is heated and anhydrous white crystal becomes blue hydrated crystal when the water

is added. The other examples of hydrates include sodium carbonate decahydrate which

is the washing soda with the formula Na2CO3*10H2O and methane hydrate. The

researchers consider the methane hydrate as an excellent source of energy and

reservoir of the fossil fuel because it contains the methane which is the main component

of the natural gas. As researchers noticed the total amount of energy trapped in

gas(methane) hydrate is greater than the energy present in all the fossil fuels. However,

the main point of using this methane hydrate is still to alleviate water chrisi in Flint.

Methane hydrate can be the beneficial source to solve the problem in Flint and to

provide the clean water for the residents. It has been found at the bottom of the oceans

and looks like a lumps of ice. During the first experiment, the researchers released the
compressed gas into small types of seawater at depth and noticed how the crystal float

to the surface of the water and how the hydrated crystal formed immediately. They

observed this process and came up with a method that would become the primary

source of fresh water on the planet. The gas hydrates are formed when the hydrocarbon

gases like methane and ethane come into reaction with water at the low temperature

and high pressure. These gas molecules become trapped inside a lattice structure of

water, creating the crystals. This crystals are at the bottom of the ocean and when they

float up because of their dense which is less than the salt water, sea water pressure

decreases, forcing the crystals to melt. When the crystals melt, the gas and distillated

water are separated. As scientists were wondering this will be the most economically

feasible way to unlock the methane, creating the natural gas supply that can last for

centuries. Overall the main concept is to build a longest tube along the coast or in the

ocean which will be filled with pressurized gas in order to make the hydrated crystals at

the bottom of the ocean, which will then start melting process in the middle and will

release fresh water at the upper area and the gas at the very top. The fresh water will

be pumped out while the gas will be released in the environment or recycled. By using

this method, they will be able to provide the clean water and overcome the problem in

Michigan as well as save the lives of many people.

As a conclusion, gas hydrates are particularly significant and as scientists believe the

only one way to alleviate the water crisis and create the clean water source for the

people. The method of separation of distillated water and gas seems complicated and

somehow impossible but at the same time This is the first step in what could be a

revolution in wringing freshwater from the sea.

 Work cited page

Wolman, David. Friedberg, Adam. Hydrates, Hydrates Everywhere. 1 october, 2004.

Web.