Hardness of Water

Hard water is water that has high mineral content(mainly

calcium and magnesium ions).Hard water minerals primarily consist of calcium(ca ) and magnesium(Mg ) metal cations and sometimes other dissolved compounds such as bicarbonates(HCO -) and sulfates(SO -).
Hardness in water can cause water to form scales and a resistance

to soap. It can also be defined as water that does not produce lather with soap solutions, but produces white precipitate(scum) RCOO-Na+ + Ca /Mg (RCOO)2Ca(s) + 2Na or (RCOO)2Mg(s) (scum formation)
(aq)

Types of hardness
Temporary hardness
This is caused by a combination of calcium ions(Ca ) and bicarbonate ions(HCO3-) in the water. It can be removed by boiling the water or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide). Boiling promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate and precipitates calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is softer upon cooling.

Permanent hardness
This is a hardness (mineral content) that can not be removed by boiling. It is usually caused by the presence in the water of calcium and magnesium sulfates and/or chlorides which become more soluble as the temperature rises. This can be removed using a water softener or ion-exchange column, where the calcium and magnesium ions are exchange with the sodium ions in the column.

Water treatment
There are two main types of water treatment.
Precipitation process
The common one is lime soda process, where the hardness of water is precipitated by adding lime and sodium carbonate in the water. Removal of temporary hardness Ca(HCO3)2 + Ca(OH)2 CaCO3(s) + H2O

Ion-exchange process
This process involves the use of a high ion exchange resin. There are two exchange methods. 1.Cation exchange method 2.Anion exchange method Cation exchange method RSO3- H+ + Na+ RSO3-Na+ + H+ RSO3-Na+ + Ca2+ (RSO3)2Ca + 2Na+

Removal of permanent(nonalkaline) hardness CaCl2 + Na2CO3 CaCO3(s) + NaCl Anion exchange method CaSO4 + Na2CO3 CaCO3(s) + Na2SO4 Cl- + ROH RCl + H2O MgCl2 + Na2CO3 MgCO3(s) + NaCl CO32- + ROH R2CO3 + 2H2O

Ion-exchange process
The water to be treated passes through a bed of the resin. Negatively-charged resins absorb and bind metal ions, which are positively charged. The resins initially contain univalent (1+) ions, most commonly sodium, but sometimes also hydrogen (H+) or potassium (K+). Divalent calcium and magnesium ions in the water replace these univalent ions, which are released into the water. The "harder" the water, the more hydrogen, sodium or potassium ions are released from the resin and into the water.

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