HARDNESS
OF WATER
JSS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY
BRANCH :ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
SUBJECT : ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY AND
APPLICATIONS
SUBJECT CODE :20EV320
SUBMITTED TO :
DR.VISHISHTTA NAGARAJ
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ENV ,SJCE.
SUBMITTED BY ;
SONUCHANDRASHEKAR, PRATHVI S KUNDAR,PREETHU S
WATER
SOFT WATER HARD WATER
Soft Water
Water which is obtained from the rains is soft water. This water is suitable for household
purposes for example laundry and cleaning.
Water consists of low concentration of calcium and magnesium salts.
It gives foam with soap
Examples:
• Tap water.
• Drinking water.
Hard Water
Hard water is due to the presence of high concentration of
calcium and magnesium salts that are dissolved in water.
It doesn’t form foam with soap.
Examples:
• Sea water.
WHAT IS HARD WATER?
Hard water has high mineral content. It is formed when water percolates through the deposits of chalk and
limestone which are made up of magnesium and calcium carbonates. It does not lather with soap, so it is not
suitable for laundry purposes.
The hardness of water is harmful to the boilers as the deposition of salts occurs, which reduces the efficiency of
the boiler. Hard water is safe to drink but using over a long interval of time can lead to many problems like:
Strains in skin
Spots appear on clothes and linens
Water appliances work harder resulting in higher water bills .
THE COMPOUNDS/ SALTS THAT CAUSE HARDNESS OF WATER INCLUDE:
Calcium hydrogen carbonate (ca(hco3)2),
Magnesium hydrogen carbonate(mg(hco3)2)
Calcium sulphate (caso4)
Magnesium sulphate (mgso4).
TYPES OF HARDNESS OF WATER
THE HARDNESS OF WATER CAN BE CLASSIFIED INTO TWO TYPES:-
1) TEMPORARY HARDNESS
2) PERMANENT HARDNESS
TEMPORARY HARDNESS OF WATER:
The presence of magnesium and calcium carbonates in water makes it temporarily hard. In this case, the
hardness in water can be removed by boiling the water.
When we boil water the soluble salts of mg(hco3)2 is converted to mg(oh)2 which is insoluble and hence gets
precipitated and is removed. After filtration, the water we get is soft water.
Note: Temporary hard water after boiling requires less volume of soap solution to form lather than the
unboiled one. Permanent hard water even after boiling requires the same volume of soap solution to form
lather as the unboiled. This is because even after boiling.
PERMANENT HARDNESS OF WATER:
When the soluble salts of magnesium and calcium are present in the form of chlorides and sulphides in
water, we call it permanent hardness because this hardness cannot be removed by boiling.
We can remove this hardness by treating the water with washing soda. Insoluble carbonates are formed when
washing soda reacts with the sulphide and chloride salts of magnesium and calcium and thus, hard water is
converted to soft water.
Advantages of hard water
1. Hard water contains calcium which is important for formation of animal shells, bones and
Teeth.
2. Hard water tastes better and it is used in the brewing industry.
3. It prevents lead poisoning especially when lead pipes are used in transporting water.
Disadvantages of hard water
1. Requires a lot of soap to form permanent lather hence wasting soap.
2. When hard water ids used for washing, it leaves dirty marks on cloth due to formation of scum.
3. Hard water forms kettle fur and boiler scales which are insulators, therefore a lot of fuel or electricity is used
during boiling of water.
4. The boiler scales may block the pipes carrying boiling water hence causing the pipe to burst.
Removal of Temporary Hardness of Water
1) By Boiling:
Soluble bicarbonates are converted into insoluble carbonates which are removed by filtration.
Reactions:
Ca(HCO3)2(aq) → ΔCaCO3(s)↓ + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
Mg(HCO3)2 → ΔMgCO3↓ + H2O + CO2
2) By Clarks Method:
Calcium hydroxide is Clark’s reagent. It removes the hardness of water by converting bicarbonates into
carbonate.
Reaction:
Ca(OH)2 + Ca(HCO3)2 → 2CaCO3↓ + 2H2O.
3) Addition of calcium hydroxide (lime water)
Calcium hydroxide reacts with the soluble magnesium or calcium hydrogen carbonates to form insoluble
magnesium or calcium carbonates.
Reaction:
Ca(HCO3)2(aq) + Ca(OH)2(aq) 2CaCO3(s) + 2H2O(l)
Removal of permanent hardness of water
i) Addition of sodium carbonate solution (washing soda)
Sodium carbonate converts magnesium or calcium ions into insoluble carbonates.
Na2CO3(aq) + CaSO4(aq) Na2SO4 (aq) + CaCO3(s)
ii) Distillation :
The soft water is collected as the distillate and the dissolved calcium and magnesium ions remain in the
distillation flask as residue (expensive method). The water obtained by this method is pure.
iii) Ion exchange method (permutit method) :
Used to soften water on a large scale. Hard water is passed through a chemical called permutit and the
calcium and magnesium ions are removed by exchanging them for sodium ions. For example;
MgSO4(aq) Na2Y(aq) MgY(s)2Na2SO4(aq)
DETERMINATION OF HARDNESS OF WATER
Aim: Determine the total hardness of given water samples.
Introduction:
Hardness in water is due to the presence of dissolved salts of calcium and magnesium. It is unfit for drinking,
bathing, washing and it also forms scales in boilers. Hence it is necessary to estimate the amount of hardness
producing substances present in the water sample. Once it is estimated, the amount of chemicals required for the
treatment of water can be calculated. The estimation of hardness is based on complexometric titration. Hardness
of water is determined by titrating with a standard solution of ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) which is
a complexing agent. Since EDTA is insoluble in water, the disodium salt of EDTA is
taken for this experiment. EDTA can form four or six coordination bonds with a metal ion. Two type of hardness
is present in water first is temporary hardness and second is permanent hardness. Temporary hardness is due to the
presence of bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium ions. It can be easily removed by boiling. Permanent
hardness is due to the presence of chlorides and sulphates of calcium and magnesium ions. This type of hardness
cannot be removed by boiling.
Requirements:
Water sample
Burette 25-30ml
Glass funnel
Pipette 1ml
Flask
Dropper
Measuring cylinder
Reagents: EDTA, Eriochrome Black-T, NH2CL, Ammonia Buffer, Magnesium Carbonate, 90% ethyl alcohol,
Distilled water.
Reagent preparation:
1. EDTA solution: 4gm EDTA and 0.1gm magnesium bicarbonate dissolve in 800 ml distilled water.
2. Eriochrome Black-T: 0.4gm Ericrome Black T, 4.5 gm hydroxylmine hydrochloride add in 100ml 95% ethyl
alcohol.
3. Ammonia Buffer: Stock A: 16.9gm of NH4CL in 143ml of conc. NH4OH, Stock B: 1.25gm magnesium salt of
EDTA dissolve in 50 ml distilled water. Mix both stock solutions and dilute to 250ml with DDW. Dilute 10ml of
the solution to 100ml with DDW.
Procedure:
1. The burette is filled with standard EDTA solution to the zero level.
2. Take 50ml sample water in flask. If sample having high Calcium content then
take smaller volume and dilute to 50ml.
3. Add 1ml Ammonia buffer.
4. Add 5 to 6 drop of Ericrome black – T indicator. The solution turns into wine
red colour.
5. Note the initial reading.
6. Titrate the content against EDTA solution. At the end point colour change
from wine red to blue colour.
7. Note the final reading and record it. Repeat the process till we get concordant
value.
8. Take 50ml sample in another flask and boiled it. (Add distilled water to get
final volume of water).
9. Repeat step 3-7.
Calculation
S.No Water sample Initial value Final value ml of EDTA
(50ml)
1
Total hardness of water mg/L (CaCO3 Scale) = ml of EDTA used (unboiled) *103 /ml of sample
Permanent hardness of water mg/L (CaCO3 Scale) = ml of EDTA used (boiled) *103/ml of sample
Temporary hardness of water mg/L (CaCO3 Scale) = Total hardness of water - Permanent hardness of water
Observation :
The colour of soluble distilled water and R.O water instantly changed
into blue while tap water and pond water turned wine red when
Ericrome black T was added and therefore after turned blue when
titrated against EDTA solution.
Result:
The collected water sample contains Total hardness = ___ppm
Permanent hardness = ___ppm
Temporary hardness = ___ppm
THANK YOU
