Water treatment soda-lime process

Treated Water Quality. Predicted analyses of a typical raw water treated by various lime and lime—soda softening processes are presented in Table 3. Treatment by lime converts the sodium bicarbonate in the raw water to sodium carbonate as follows ... 

Chelants should not be used downstream of hot process or hot lime soda softening MU water treatment. 

Low-volume waste sources include water treatment processes that prevent scale formation such as clarification, filtration, lime/lime soda softening, ion exchange, reverse osmosis, and evaporation. Also included are drains and spills from floor and yard drains and laboratory streams. 

All cooling water treatment programs, whether designed in-house or via a water treatment service company, continue to focus on the minimization of hard water crystalline scales and sludges in the system as a major criteria for success. Program techniques employed are either pretreatment processes, such as lime-soda softening or ion exchange, the use of sulfuric acid or polymer-based chemicals that operate in an alkaline environment, or combinations of some or all of these processes. 

Water goes through the processes of sedimentation, filtration, aeration, lime-soda treatment and chlorination to make it safe for drinking. 

Lime-soda process. Combination of the use of slaked lime for the removal of temporary hardness and sodium carbonate for the removal of permanent hardness constitutes the lime-soda process for softening natural waters. This method is commonly used in municipal water-treatment plants and is a cheap and yet fairly effective process. If sufficient time can be allowed, the insoluble carbonates may be permitted to settle out in settling basins, or they may be more rapidly removed by means of filters. Frequently, iron or aluminum salts are added, and these hydrolyze to form gelatinous precipitates of ferric or aluminum hydroxides. As these precipitates slowly settle, they carry with them the insoluble normal carbonates, as well as any other suspended matter such as sand, clay, or organic matter which is sometimes slow in settling otherwise. 

This metaphosphate is used in water treatment in the form of sodium hexametaphosphate [(NaP03)s], which is known by the trade name Calgon, to prevent the precipitation of small quantities of calcium and magnesium salts not removed in the lime-soda process and to dissolve scale that has formed in boilers, water pipes, and so forth. 

Slaked lime is also widely used in water treatment plants for softening hard water, which involves the removal of ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+, ions that hamper the action of detergents. The softening method most often used in water treatment plants is the lime-soda process, in which lime (CaO) and soda ash (Na2C03) are added to the water. As we will see in more detail later in this chapter, the C032- ion from soda ash reacts with water to produce the HC03 ion. When the lime is added to the hard water, it forms slaked lime,... 

In the acid process, the bones and skins are treated in a vessel containing a dilute solution of acid for a predetermined period of time. Then, the acid is washed out with cold water. In the alkali process, the demineralized bones (demineralization is mostly done with acid solutions to remove calcium and other salts from the bone to prepare the collagen-rich bone material known as ossein) are placed in liming pits and soaked in a lime suspension for longer than 60 days. For the hides or skins, a caustic soda solution is used for a shorter period of time. After this treatment, the raw material is washed thoroughly to remove any residual lime. The acid pretreatment is mostly used for skin, while the alkali pretreatment is mostly used for bones (Petersen and Yates, 1977). 

A wide range of chemicals are used in water treatment. Lime is used both as an alkali and as a source of calcium ions. As an alkali, it competes in certain processes with caustic soda and soda ash. The choice between alternative chemicals is generally based on economic factors and on the ease of use in a particular installation. 

Precipitation and dissolution phenomena are extremely important in both natural waters and water treatment processes. Dissolution of minerals is a prime factor in determining the chemical composition of natural waters. Natural water chemical composition can be altered by precipitation of minerals and the subsequent sedimentation of these solids from supersaturated solutions. Water and wastewater treatment processes such as lime-soda softening, iron removal, coagulation with hydrolyzing metal salts, and phosphate precipitation are based on precipitation phenomena. 

Unless the coal being washed contains appreciable quantities of soluble salts, cleaning processes do not materially alter water composition. However, difhculties may be encountered when iron carbonates and pyrite and pyrite are present, particularly if the coal passes through stockpiles that allow some oxidation of the iron salts. The contamination is usually indicated by a substantial lowering of pH, from a normal range of 6-7.5 to values of 3 or even less, and may necessitate addition of alkali (caustic soda or lime) to restore near-neutral conditions. This type of problem is not often encountered and the nsnal type of water treatment involves clarification to remove suspended salts (slime) after which the water may be recirculated. 

Chemistry. Chemical processes are used to treat water and wastewater, to control air pollution, and for site remediation. These chemical treatments include chlorination for disinfection of both water and wastewater, chemical oxidation for iron and manganese removal in water-treatment plants, chemical oxidation for odor control, chemical precipitation for removal of metals or phosphorus from wastewater, water softening by the lime-soda process, and chemical neutralization for pH (acidity) control and for scaling control. 

For surface water, treatment is aimed primarily at removal of turbidity (fine suspended matter) and perhaps softening the water. The typical treatment processes for removal of turbidity involve the addition of chemicals such as alum or ferric chloride. The chemicals are rapidly mixed into the water so that they react with alkalinity in the water, then slowly mixed (flocculation) to form a settleable precipitate. After sedimentation, the water passes through a sand filter and finally is disinfected wdth chlorine. If the water is to be softened as part of the treatment, lime, Ca(OH)2, and soda ash, Na COj, are used in place of alum or ferric chloride, and the water hardness (calcium and magnesium ions) is removed along with its turbidity. 

Generally, sedimentation processes are used primarily for the removal of suspended material from water, but the removal of dissolved mineral impurities such as in the Ume or Ume-soda ash softening process is an equally important aspect of sedimentation in the treatment of water. In the softening process, hydrated lime or hydrated lime and soda ash are added to react with the dissolved CO2 and the calcium and magnesium salts that commonly cause the hardness of water. The following equations describe some of the reactions that take place in the formation of the calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide precipitates. 

Precipitation softening processes are used to reduce raw water hardness, alkalinity, siHca, and other constituents. This helps prepare water for direct use as cooling tower makeup or as a first-stage treatment followed by ion exchange for boiler makeup or process use. The water is treated with lime or a combination of lime and soda ash (carbonate ion). These chemicals react with the hardness and natural alkalinity in the water to form insoluble compounds. The compounds precipitate and are removed from the water by sedimentation and, usually, filtration. Waters with moderate to high hardness and alkalinity concentrations (150—500 ppm as CaCO ) are often treated in this fashion. 

Hot Process Softening. Hot process softening is usually carried out under pressure at temperatures of 108—116°C. At the operating temperature, hot process softening reactions go essentially to completion. This treatment method involves the same reactions described above, except that raw water COg is vented and does not participate in the lime reaction. The use of lime and soda ash permits hardness reduction down to 0.5 g/gal, or... 

Lime and Lime-Soda Processes. The first softening plant in the early 1900s used the lime softening process with fill and draw units. Later, continuous-treatment units, which greatiy increased the amount of water that could be treated in a faciUty of given size, were developed. More than 1000 municipahties soften water. Most are in the Midwest and in Florida. However, concern for the adverse effect of soft water on cardiovascular disease (CVD) may limit the number of plants that introduce softening. 

Modifications of the basic process are undersoftening, spHt recarbonation, and spHt treatment. In undersoftening, the pH is raised to 8.5—8.7 to remove only calcium. No recarbonation is required. SpHt recarbonation involves the use of two units in series. In the first or primary unit, the required lime and soda ash are added and the water is allowed to settie and is recarbonated just to pH 10.3, which is the minimum pH at which the carbonic species are present principally as the carbonate ion. The primary effluent then enters the second or secondary unit, where it contacts recycled sludge from the secondary unit resulting in the precipitation of almost pure calcium carbonate. The effluent setties, is recarbonated to the pH of saturation, and is filtered. The advantages over conventional treatment ate reductions in lime, soda ash, and COg requirements very low alkalinities and reduced maintenance costs because of the stabiUty of the effluent. The main disadvantages are the necessity for very careful pH control and the requirement for twice the normal plant capacity. 

In most commercial processes, the compound is either derived from the sea water or from the natural brines, both of which are rich sources of magnesium chloride. In the sea water process, the water is treated with lime or calcined dolomite (dolime), CaO MgO or caustic soda to precipitate magnesium hydroxide. The latter is then neutralized with hydrochloric acid. Excess calcium is separated by treatment with sulfuric acid to yield insoluble calcium sulfate. When produced from underground brine, brine is first filtered to remove insoluble materials. The filtrate is then partially evaporated by solar radiation to enhance the concentration of MgCb. Sodium chloride and other salts in the brine concentrate are removed by fractional crystallization. 

Hardness can also be reduced with a lime-soda ash treatment. This process involves the addition of slaked lime (calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2), to a hard water supply to convert the hydrogen carbonate hardness to carbonate, which then precipitates and can be removed by filtration ... 

The most important industrial alkalis are the weak alkali ammonia (Section 9.3), caustic soda (sodium hydroxide), and lime (calcium oxide).1-6 For many industrial and agricultural purposes, the most economical source of alkali is lime, which is used in steelmaking and other metallurgical operations ( 45% of U.S. production of lime), in control of air pollution from smokestack gases (Chapter 8), in water and sewage treatment (Sections 9.6 and 14.5), in pulp and paper production (Section 10.4), in reduction of soil acidity, in cement and concrete manufacture (indirectly, as discussed later), and in many chemical processes such as paper making (Section 10.4). In short, lime is one of the most important of all chemical commodities. 

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