You are on page 1of 23

2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

LimeSodaAshSoftening



Chemicalprecipitationisoneofthemorecommonmethodsusedtosoftenwater.Chemicalsnormallyusedarelime(calciumhydroxide,Ca(OH)2)
andsodaash(sodiumcarbonate,Na2CO3).Limeisusedtoremovechemicalsthatcausecarbonatehardness.Sodaashisusedtoremovechemicals
thatcausenoncarbonatehardness.

Whenlimeandsodaashareadded,hardnesscausingmineralsformnearlyinsolubleprecipitates.Calciumhardnessisprecipitatedascalcium
carbonate(CaCO3).Magnesiumhardnessisprecipitatedasmagnesiumhydroxide(Mg(OH)2).Theseprecipitatesarethenremovedbyconventional
processesofcoagulation/flocculation,sedimentation,andfiltration.Becauseprecipitatesareveryslightlysoluble,somehardnessremainsinthe
waterusuallyabout50to85mg/l(asCaCO3).Thishardnesslevelisdesirabletopreventcorrosionproblemsassociatedwithwaterbeingtoosoft
andhavinglittleornohardness.


CO2doesnotcontributetothehardness,butitreactswiththelime,andthereforeusesupsomelimebeforethelimecanstartremovingthehardness.


https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 1/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

CO2=carbondioxide,Ca(OH)2=calciumhydroxideorhydratedlime,CaCO3=calciumcarbonate,Ca(HCO3)2=calciumbicarbonate,
Mg(HCO3)2=magnesiumbicarbonate,MgCO3=magnesiumcarbonate,Mg(OH)2=magnesiumhydroxide,MgSO4=magnesiumsulfate,CaSO4=
calciumsulfate,H20water.Na2CO3=sodiumcarbonateorsodaash

Foreachmoleculeofcalciumbicarbonatehardnessremoved,onemoleculeoflimeisused.Foreachmoleculeofmagnesiumbicarbonatehardness
removed,twomoleculesoflimeareused.Foreachmoleculeofnoncarbonatecalciumhardnessremoved,onemoleculeofsodaashisused.Foreach
moleculeofnoncarbonatemagnesiumhardnessremovedonemoleculeoflimeplusonemoleculeofsodaashisused.





CONVENTIONALLIMESODAASHTREATMENT

Whenwaterhasminimalmagnesiumhardness,onlycalciumneedstoberemoved.OnlyenoughlimeandsodaashareaddedtowatertoraisepHto
between10.3and10.6,andcalciumhardnesswillberemovedfromthewater(butminimalmagnesiumhardnesswillberemoved).






EXCESSLIMETREATMENT
https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 2/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Whenmagnesiumhardnessismorethanabout40mg/lasCaCO3,magnesiumhydroxidescaledepositsinhouseholdhotwaterheatersoperatedat
normaltemperaturesof140to150F.Toreducemagnesiumhardness,morelimemustbeaddedtothewater.ExtralimewillraisepHabove10.6to
helpmagnesiumhydroxideprecipitateoutofthewater.




SPLITTREATMENT

Whenwatercontainshighamountsofmagnesiumhardness,splittreatmentmaybeused.Approximately80percentofthewateristreatedwithexcess
limetoremovemagnesiumatapHabove11,afterwhichitisblendedwith20percentofthesourcewater.Splittreatmentcanreducetheamountof
carbondioxiderequiredtorecarbonatethewateraswellasofferasavingsinlimefeed.

Sincethefractionofthewaterthatistreatedcontainsanexcesslimedose,magnesiumisalmostcompletelyremovedfromthisportion.Whenthis
waterismixedwiththewaterthatdoesnotundergosoftening,thecarbondioxideandbicarbonateinthatwaterrecarbonatesthefinalblend.Split
treatmentreducestheamountofchemicalneededtoremovehardnessfromwaterby20to25percent(asignificantsavings).





DESIGNCONSIDERATIONS

Inlimesodaashsofteningplants,thesofteningprocessmaybecarriedoutbyasequenceofrapidmix,flocculation,andsedimentationorinasolids
contactor.Inthesolidscontactortherapidmix,flocculation,andsedimentationoccurinasingleunit.Theprocessbeginswiththemixingofthe
chemicalsintothewater,followedbyviolentagitation,termedrapidmixing.Thisallowschemicalstoreactwith,andprecipitatecalciumor
magnesiumhardnessinthewater.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 3/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Flocculationallowsflocstocontactotherflocsandgrowlargeenoughtosettleinthesedimentationstage.Waterismixedgentlywithasmallamount
ofenergy.Mostflocculatorsarecompartmentalized,allowingforataperedmix,solessenergymustappliedastheflocsgrowinsize.

Detentiontimeintheflocculatorisimportanttoallowparticlestocomeincontactwitheachother.Theminimumtimerecommendedis30minutes
forconventionalwatersoftening.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 4/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Sludgereturnedtotheheadoftheflocculatorreducestheamountofchemicalneededandprovidesseedflocsfortheprecipitation.Theestimated
returnsludgeis10to25percentofthesourcewater.

Sedimentationfollowsflocculation.Settlingratesforthesetanksareafunctionofparticlesizeanddensity.Detentiontimesinthesettlingbasins
rangefrom1.5hoursto3.0hours,andtheycanberectangular,square,orcircular(somedesignsincorporateinclinedtubesettlers).
Sedimentationcanalsooccurinthesolidscontactunit,inwhichthewaterismixedwithchemicalsandflocculatedinthecenterofthebasin,then
forceddownandtrappedforremovalinasludgeblanketinthebottomofthetank.





SludgeRemoval

Residue created from limesoda ash softening is normally very high in calcium carbonate or a mixture of calcium carbonate, and magnesium
hydroxide. Calcium carbonate sludges are normally dense, stable inert, and dewater readily. Solids content in the sludge range from 5 to 30 total
solidswithapHgreaterthan10.5.

Limesodaashsludgesmaybetreatedwithlagooning,vacuumfiltration,centrifugation,pressurefiltration,recalcination,orlandapplication.The
mostcommonmethodisstorageofsludgeinlagoonsandapplicationtofarmlandorlandfillsdisposal.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 5/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening




Calculations

Thereare two methods for calculating lime and soda ash dosages (conventional dosage method and conversion factor method). The conventional
method,althoughmuchlonger,ishelpfulinunderstandingthechemicalandmathematicalrelationshipsinvolvedinsoftening.Theconversionfactor
methodissimpler,quicker,andmorepracticalfordailyoperations.

In both calculation methods, lime and soda ash dosages depends on carbonate and noncarbonate hardness in the water. Lime is used to remove
carbonateharness,andbothlimeandsodaashareusedtoremovenoncarbonatehardness.Iftotalhardnessislessthanorequaltototalalkalinity,

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 6/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

there is no noncarbonate hardness (only carbonate hardness). If total hardness is greater than total alkalinity, noncarbonate hardness equals the
differencebetweentotalhardnessandtotalalkalinity(andcarbonatehardnessequalstotalalkalinity).

Iftotalhardnessisequaltoorlessthantotalalkalinity,then:
LimeDosage=thecarbondioxideconcentration[CO2]+thetotalhardnessconcentration

[TotalHardness]+themagnesiumconcentration[Mg]+[Excess]



Optimumchemicaldosagescanbeevaluatedwithajartest.

Alkalinity(mg/lasCaCO3)isthecapacityofwatertoneutralizeacids.Thisisdeterminedbythecontentofcarbonate,bicarbonateandhydroxide.
AlkalinityisameasureofhowmuchacidcanbeaddedtoaliquidwithoutcausinganysignificantchangeinpH.

WhenpHislessthan8.3,allalkalinityisinthebicarbonateformandiscommonlyreferredtoasnaturalalkalinity.WhenpHisabove8.3,alkalinity
mayconsistofbicarbonate,carbonate,andhydroxide.AspHincreasesthealkalinityprogressivelyshiftstocarbonateandhydroxideforms.Total
alkalinityisthesumofbicarbonate,carbonate,andhydroxidealkalinity.Variouschemicalseffectwaterdifferently:
https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 7/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 8/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening


Ifhydratedlime(CaOH)isusedinplaceofquicklime,themolecularweightofquicklimeof56shouldbereplacedwiththeweightofhydratedlime
(74).

Whentreatingwaterthatcontainsnoncarbonatehardness,sodaashisrequired.Theamountofsodaashcanbeestimatedbyusingthefollowing
formula:
SodaAsh(NaCO3)mg/l=mg/lNonCarbonateHardnessasCaCO3xNa2CO3/CaCO3

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 9/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening


=mg/lNonCarbonateHardnessasCaCO3x106/100
=mg/lNonCarbonateHardnessasCaCO3x1.06

Aftersoftening,pHofthewaterisgenerallyabove10.IfleftatthispH,waterwillplatefiltersandandcauseproblemsinthedistributionsystem.
Carbondioxide(throughrecarbonation),isaddedtolowerthepH.Theamountofcarbondioxide(CO2)requiredcanbeestimated:



ConversionMethod

Equivalentweightconversionsrequiredintheconventionalmethodhavebeencombinedintosinglefactorsshowninthetablebelow.Thesefactors,
multipliedbytheconcentrationofthecorrespondingmaterial,willgivethelimeorsodaashdosageneededtoremovematerialinunitsofmilligrams
perliterorpoundspermilliongallons.Thetotaldosageisthesumofallmaterialremovedfromthewater,suchasthecarbondioxide,bicarbonate
alkalinity,andthemagnesium,plustheamountofexcessthatisrequiredtoreducethehardnessinthewater.Thetotalsodaashdosageisfoundinthe
samemannerbyfindingthesumoftheamountsneededtoremovethenoncarbonatematerialfromthewater.Anadditionalcalculationisneededto
adjustforthepurityofthelimeorsodaashused.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 10/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 11/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Recarbonation

Afteraddinglimeand/orsodaash,treatedwaterwillgenerallyhaveapHgreaterthan10.ItisnecessarytolowerthepHtostabilizethewaterand
prevent deposition of carbonate scale on filter sand and distribution piping. Recarbonation is the most common process used to reduce pH. This
procedureaddscarbondioxidetowateraftersoftening.Generally,enoughcarbondioxideisaddedtoreducethepHofthewatertolessthan8.7.The
amountofcarbondioxideaddedisdeterminedusingasaturationindex.TheLangelierIndex(LI)isthemostcommonstabilizationindexused,but
someplantsinsteadusetheRiznerIndex,(reciprocaloftheLangelierIndex).TheLangelierIndexisexpressedaspHofstabilization(pHs)minus
actualpHmeasured(pHspH).WhentheLangelierIndexispositive,pipestendtobecomecoatedwithscale.Whenitisnegative,thewatertendsto
becorrosive.

Whenlowmagnesiumwaterissoftened,noexcesslimeneedstobeadded.Aftersoftening,waterbecomessupersaturatedwithcalciumcarbonateand
hasapHbetween10.0and10.6.Whencarbondioxideisadded,theexcesscalciumcarbonateisconvertedbacktopermanenthardnessorcalcium
bicarbonatebythefollowingformula:

Ca2+ (calciumion)+CO32(carbonateion)+CO2(carbondioxide)+H2O(water)=2HCO3(bicarbonateions)



Whenhighmagnesiumwaterissoftened,excesslimeneedstobeaddedtoraisethepHabove11,andmagnesiumhydroxideprecipitatesout.After
treatment,enoughcarbondioxidemustbeaddedtoneutralizetheexcesshydroxideions,aswellasconvertcarbonateionstobicarbonateions.The
firststageofthisreactionreducesthepHtobetween10.0and10.5.Inthisrange,calciumcarbonateisformedandmagnesiumhydroxidethatdidnot
precipitate,ordidnotsettleout,isconvertedtomagnesiumcarbonate.

Ca2+ (calciumion)+2OH(hydroxylions)+CO2(carbondioxide)<>CaCO3(calciumcarbonate)+H2O(water)

Mg2+ magnesiumion)+20H(hydroxylions)+CO2(carbondioxide)<>MgCO3(magnesiumcarbonate)+H20(water)




Additional carbon dioxide needs to be added to lower the pH to between 8.4 and 8.6. The previously formed calcium carbonate redissolves and
carbonateionsareconvertedtobicarbonateionsasshownbelow:

CaCO3(calciumcarbonate)+H20(water)+CO2(carbondioxide)<>Ca2+ (calciumion)+2HCO3(bicarbonateions)

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 12/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Mg2+ (magnesiumion)+CO32+ (carbonateion)+CO2(carbondioxide)+H20(water)<>Mg2+ (magnesiumion)+2HCO3(bicarbonate


ions)



Fortreatmentoflowmagnesiumwater(whereexcesslimeadditionisnotrequired)singlestagerecarbonationisused.Thewaterismixedwithlime
orsodaashintherapidmixbasin,resultinginapHof10.2to10.5.Ifnoncarbonatehardnessremovalisrequired,sodaashwillalsobeaddedatthis
step.Afterrapidmixing,theresultingslurryismixedgentlyforaperiodof30to50minutestoallowthesolidstoflocculate.Afterflocculation,the
waterisallowedtoflowintoasedimentationbasinwherethesolidswillberemovedbysedimentation.Followingsedimentationtheclearwaterflows
to the recarbonation basin where carbon dioxide is added to reduce the pH to between 8.3 and 8.6. Any particles remaining in suspension after
recarbonationareremovedbyfiltration.





TwoStageSoftening

Twostagesofteningissometimesusedfortreatmentofhighmagnesiumwater(whereexcesslimeisrequired).Excesslimeisaddedinthefirststage
toraisepHto11.0orhigherformagnesiumremoval.Followingfirststagetreatment,carbondioxideisaddedtoreducethepHtobetween10.0and
10.5,thebestvalueforremovalofcalciumcarbonate.Ifnoncarbonatehardnessremovalisneeded,sodaashwillbeaddedatthispoint.Aftersecond
stagetreatment,thewaterflowstoasecondaryrecarbonationtank,wherepHisreducedtobetween8.3and8.6.





SingleStageSoftening

Singlestagerecarbonationistheonemostcommonlypracticed(Becauseofthehighcapitalcostforbuildingthistypeoftwostagetreatmenttrain).
Therearesomebenefitstousingthetwostagemethod,includingreducedoperatingcostsincelesscarbondioxideisneeded.Betterfinishedwater
qualityisusuallyobtainedthroughthetwostageprocess.





LimeSoftening

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 13/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Chemistry
Limesofteninginvolvesarelativelycomplicatedseriesofchemicalreactionswhichwillbediscussedindepthbelow.Thegoalofallofthese
reactionsistochangethecalciumandmagnesiumcompoundsinwaterintocalciumcarbonateandmagnesiumhydroxide.Thesearetheleastsoluble
calciumandmagnesiumcompoundsandthuswillsettleoutofthewateratthelowestconcentrations.Forexample,calciumcarbonate(whichis
essentiallythesameaslimestone)willsettleoutofwateratconcentrationsgreaterthan40mg/L.

Inordertoproducecalciumcarbonateandmagnesiumhydroxide,thepHofthewatermustberaisedbytheadditionoflime.Calciumcompoundsin
waterwillberemovedatapHofabout9.0to9.5whilemagnesiumcompoundsrequireapHof10.0to10.5.Whensodaashisusedtoremove
noncarbonatehardness,anevenhigherpHisrequired10.0to10.5forcalciumcompoundsand11.0to11.5formagnesiumcompounds.

CarbonDioxideDemand
Thefirststepinlimesofteningistheadditionoflimetowaterusingatypicaldryfeeder,eithervolumetricorgravimetric.Asinthechlorination
process,limereactswithsubstancesinthewaterbeforeitcanbeginsofteningthewater.Carbondioxideistheprimarycompoundwhichcreatesthe
initialdemandforlime.Thefollowingreactionoccurs,usingupcarbondioxideandlimeandcreatingcalciumcarbonateandwater:

Carbondioxide+LimeCalciumcarbonate+Water
CO2 +Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 +H2 O

Theresultingcalciumcarbonateprecipitatesoutofsolution.

Whenwater,especiallygroundwater,hasahighcarbondioxideconcentration,thewaterisoftenpretreatedwithaerationbeforesofteningbegins.
Aerationremovestheexcesscarbondioxideandlowersthelimerequirements.

RemovalofCarbonateHardness
https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 14/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Oncethecarbondioxidedemandhasbeenmet,thelimeisfreetoreactwithandremovecarbonatehardnessfromthewater.Calciumcompounds
reactwithlimeinthereactionshownbelow.

Calciumbicarbonate+LimeCalciumcarbonate+Water
Ca(HCO3 )2 +Ca(OH)2 2CaCO3 +2H2 O

Wehavefocussedoncalciumbicarbonatesinceitisthemostcommoncalciumcompoundinwater,butothercalciumbasedhardnesscompounds
havesimilarreactions.Inanycase,thecalciumcarbonateproducedisabletoprecipitateoutofsolution.

Magnesiumcompoundshaveaslightlydifferentreaction.First,magnesiumbicarbonatereactswithlimeandproducescalciumcarbonate(which
precipitatesoutofsolution)andmagnesiumcarbonate.

Magnesiumbicarbonate+LimeCalciumcarbonate+Magnesiumcarbonate+Water
Mg(HCO3 )2 +Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 +MgCO3 +2H2 O

Thenthemagnesiumcarbonatereactswithlimeandcreatesmorecalciumcarbonateandmagnesiumhydroxide.Bothofthesecompoundsareableto
precipitateoutofwater.

Magnesiumcarbonate+LimeCalciumcarbonate+Magnesiumhydroxide
MgCO3 +Ca(OH)2 CaCO3 +Mg(OH)2

RemovalofNoncarbonateHardness
Inmanycases,onlythecarbonatehardnessneedstoberemoved,requiringonlytheadditionoflime.However,ifnoncarbonatehardnessalsoneeds
toberemovedfromwater,thensodaashmustbeaddedtothewateralongwithlime.

Eachnoncarbonatehardnesscompoundwillhaveaslightlydifferentreaction.Here,wewillconsiderthereactionsofmagnesiumsulfate.Thelime
firstreactswiththemagnesiumsulfate,asshownbelow:

Magnesiumsulfate+LimeMagnesiumhydroxide+Calciumsulfate
MgSO4 +Ca(OH)2 Mg(OH)2 +CaSO4


https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 15/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Theresultingcompoundsaremagnesiumhydroxide,whichwillprecipitateoutofsolution,andcalciumsulfate.Thecalciumsulfatethenreactswith
sodaash:

Calciumsulfate+SodaAshCalciumcarbonate+Sodiumsulfate
CaSO4 +Na2 CO3 CaCO3 +Na2 SO4

Thecalciumcarbonateresultingfromthisreactionwillsettleoutofthewater.Thesodiumsulfateisnotahardnesscausingcompound,soitcan
remaininthewaterwithoutcausingproblems.

Recarbonation
ThereactionswhichremovecarbonateandnoncarbonatehardnessfromwaterrequireahighpHandproducewaterwithahighconcentrationof
dissolvedlimeandcalciumcarbonate.Ifallowedtoenterthedistributionsysteminthisstate,thehighpHwouldcausecorrosionofpipesandthe
excesscalciumcarbonatewouldprecipitateout,causingscale.Sothewatermustberecarbonated,whichistheprocessofstabilizingthewaterby
loweringthepHandprecipitatingoutexcesslimeandcalciumcarbonate.

Thegoalofrecarbonationistoproducestablewater,whichiswaterinchemicalbalance,containingtheconcentrationofcalciumcarbonateinwhich
itwillneithertendtoprecipitateoutofthewater(causingscale)nordissolveintothewater(causingcorrosion.)Thisgoalisusuallyachievedby
pumpingcarbondioxideintothewater.Excesslimereactswithcarbondioxideinthereactionshownbelow,producingcalciumcarbonate:

Lime+CarbondioxideCalciumcarbonate+Water
Ca(OH)2 +CO2 CaCO3 +H2 O

RecarbonationalsolowersthepH,whichencouragestheprecipitationofcalciumcarbonateandmagnesiumhydroxide.

Recarbonationmayoccurinonestep,inwhichthepHisloweredtoabout10.4andcarbonatehardnessisprecipitatedout.Insomecases,asecond
recarbonationstepisusedtolowerthepHto9.8andencourageyetmoreprecipitation.Ineithercase,theprocessmustbecarefullycontrolledsince
carbondioxidecanreactwithcalciumcarbonateanddrawitbackintosolutionascalciumbicarbonate,negatingthesofteningprocess.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 16/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Alternatively,recarbonationcanbeachievedthroughtheadditionofacidssuchassulfuricorhydrochloricacidsorthroughpolyphosphateaddition.
Thesetypesofrecarbonationworkdifferentlyfromcarbondioxideaddition.

InTheTreatmentProcess

EquipmentUsed
Limesofteningusestheequipmentalreadyfoundinmosttreatmentplantsforturbidityremoval.Anoverviewofthelimetreatmentprocessisshown
below.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 17/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Sludge
Limesofteningproduceslargequantitiesofsludge.Infact,foreverypoundoflimeused,abouttwopoundsofsludgeareformed.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 18/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening


Limesludge

Thesofteningprocessusuallyrequirestwosedimentationbasins,eachwithadetentiontimeof1.5to3hours,todealwiththelargequantitiesof
sludge.Onesedimentationbasinhandlesthesludgeresultingfromlimeandsodaashsofteningandtheothersedimentationbasindealswiththe
sludgeresultingfromrecarbonation.

Disposaloflimesludgeisthesameasforsedimentationbasinsludge.Landfilldisposalisthemostcommonmethod,althoughsludgemaysometimes
besenttosanitarysewers.LimesludgehasahighpHandhasincreasinglybeendisposedofbyapplyingittoagriculturallandtoincreasethepHof
acidicsoils.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 19/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Monitoring
Ifsofteningproblemsarediscovered,thecauseusuallyliesineitherchemicalfeedermalfunctionsorsourcewaterqualitychanges.Avarietyof
watercharacteristicscaninfluencelimesodaashsoftening:

Waterhardnesswilldeterminethequantityofchemicalswhichmustbeaddedtosoftenthewater.
pHinfluencesthechemicalreactionsinthesofteningprocess.AhigherpHmakestheprocessmoreefficient.

Alkalinitydetermineswhetherthehardnessinthewateriscarbonateornoncarbonatehardness.
Temperatureinfluencestherateofthereactionandtheamountofhardnesswhichthewaterwillhold.

Thesefourwatercharacteristicsshouldbemonitoredcarefullywhensofteningwaterusinglime.Inaddition,coagulantsusedtoremoveturbiditycan
influencethealkalinityorpHofthewater,thusaffectingthesofteningprocess.Aftersoftening,theLangelierIndexofthewatershouldbetestedto
ensurethatthewaterisnotcorrosive.WewillstudytheLangelierindexandcorrosivewaterinmoredepthinthenextlesson.

Softeningisespeciallywellsuitedtotreatinggroundwatersincegroundwatercharacteristicstendtoremainrelativelyconstant.Changingwater
conditionsrequireagreatdealofmanipulatingthesofteningprocesstokeepitefficient.Inaddition,thehighturbidityfoundinsurfacewater
sometimesrequirespresedimentationpriortosoftening.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 20/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

ChemicalsUsedinLimeSoftening

TypesofLime

Thelimeusedforsofteningcomesintwoformshydratedlimeandquicklime.Bothtypesoflimesoftenwaterinthesameway,buttheequipment
requiredforthetwotypesoflimeisdifferent.

Hydratedlime(Ca(OH)2)isalsoknownascalciumhydroxideorslakedlime.Hydratedlimecanbeaddedtowaterasitiswithoutrequiringany
specialequipment,soitisapopularchoiceforsmallwatertreatmentplants.

Incontrast,quicklime(CaO),alsoknownascalciumoxideorunslakedlime,mustbeslakedbeforeitisused.Slakingistheprocessofconverting
quicklimetohydratedlimebyaddingwater,asshownbelow:

Calciumoxide+WaterHydratedlime
CaO+H2 OCa(OH)2

Slakingrequiresspecializedequipment.Thecostofequipmentandtheoperatortimerequiredtoruntheequipmentusuallymakequicklimeuse
uneconomicalinsmallplants.However,sincethechemicalcostofquicklimeislessthanthecostofhydratedlime,quicklimeisoftenusedinlarge
plants.

Theslakingprocesscanalsoallowalargeplanttoreusealargequantityofthelimesludgeproducedinthesofteningprocess.First,thesludgeis
heated,andthecalciumcarbonateinthesludgeproducescalciumoxide:

CalciumcarbonateCalciumoxide+Carbondioxide
CaCO3 CaO+CO2

Thenthecalciumoxidecanbeslakedandreusedintheplant.Reusinglimesludgecutsdownonbothchemicalpurchaseandsludgedisposalcosts.

LimeHandlingandStorage

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 21/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Operatorsshouldobservesafetyprocedureswhilehandlingbothhydratedlimeandquicklime.Limedustcanbeharmfulwhenitcomesincontact
withtheeyes,nose,ormouth,andskincontactcancauseburns.Asaresult,operatorsshouldweargogglesanddustmasksaswellasprotective
clothing.

Bothhydratedlimeandquicklimecandeteriorateinqualityovertimewhileinstorage.Inaddition,storingquicklimecancausesafetyproblems.If
quicklimecomesincontactwithwater,itbeginstoslake,aprocesswhichproducesagreatdealofheatandcancauseexplosionswhenuncontrolled.
Quicklimeshouldneverbestoredwithalumsincethequicklimewillabsorbwaterawayfromthealumandcauseanexplosion.

SodaAsh

Sodaash(Na2CO3)comesinonlyoneformanddoesnotrequireanytreatmentbeforeitisaddedtothewater.Safetyissuesresemblethoseforlime
handling.Sodaashdustirritatestheeyesandmucousmembranesofthenose,sotheoperatorshouldwearprotectiveclothing,goggles,andadust
mask.Inaddition,areasinwhichsodaashisusedshouldbeequippedwithaventilationsystemtodealwiththedust.

CausticSoda

Causticsoda(NaOH),alsoknownassodiumhydroxide,canreplacesodaashandsomeofthelimeinthetreatmentprocess.Thetreatmentprocess
usingcausticsodafollowsthesamestepsasthatoflimesodaashsoftening.

First,carbondioxidereactswiththecausticsodatomakesodiumcarbonateandwater.

Carbondioxide+CausticsodaSodiumCarbonate+Water
CO2 +2NaOHNa2 CO3 +H2 O

Thentheremainingcausticsodacanreactwithcalciumbicarbonateandmagnesiumbicarbonate.

Calciumbicarbonate+CausticsodaCalciumcarbonate+Sodaash+Water
Ca(HCO3 )2 +2NaOHCaCO3 +Na2 CO3 +2H2 O


https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 22/23
2/28/2017 LimeSodaAshSoftening

Magnesiumbicarbonate+CausticsodaMagnesiumhydroxide+Sodaash+Water
Mg(HCO3 )2 +4NaOHMg(OH)2 +2Na2 CO3 +2H2 O

Thecausticsodacanalsoreactwithmagnesiumnoncarbonatehardness,asshownbelow.Alsonotethatthereactionsbetweencausticsodaand
carbonatehardnessproducedsodaash,whichcanreactwithnoncarbonatehardnessaswell.

Magnesiumsulfate+CausticsodaMagnesiumhydroxide+Sodiumsulfate
MgSO4 +2NaOHMg(OH)2 +Na2 SO4

Causticsodahastheadvantagesofstabilityinstorage,lowersludgeformation,andeasyhandling.However,safetyissuesstillapply.Causticsodais
dangeroustotheoperatorandcancausesevereburnstotheskin.Asaresult,rubbergloves,duskmasks,goggles,andarubberapronshouldbeworn
whilehandlingthechemical.

https://water.me.vccs.edu/exam_prep/limesodaash.htm 23/23

You might also like