Question

Define soft water and hardwater.

Answer 1

• Hard water: According to WHO, water containing calcium carbonate at concentrations of 60-120 mg/l is moderately hard, 120-180 mg/l is hard, and more than 180mg/l is very hard.
• Hard water can be classified as-
• Temporary Hardness of Water: A type of water hardness caused by the presence of dissolved bicarbonate minerals (including ionic salts such as magnesium bicarbonate and calcium bicarbonate) is often referred to as the temporary hardness of the water. These minerals, when dissolved in the water, are known to dissociate into calcium and magnesium cations (denoted by the symbols Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺), and anions of Carbonate and Bicarbonate. The presence of cations in the metal is responsible for the hardness of the water sample.
• Permanent Hardness of Water: Permanent hardness of water (usually attributed to mineral content in the water) is normally difficult to extract by boiling. When this happens, it is typically caused by the presence in the water of certain salts such as calcium chloride or calcium sulfate, and/or magnesium chloride or magnesium sulphate. It can be noted that these are the salts that do not precipitate out as the temperature rises (and cannot be extracted by simply boiling the water). Using a water softener, or an ion exchange column are great ways to extract the ions that cause permanent water hardness and obtain soft water as the product.
• The presence of minerals in the water can also affect its hardness.
• For instance, apart from minerals such as calcium, magnesium presences of sulfates, carbonates, and bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium, a variety of dissolved polyvalent metallic ions such as iron, aluminum, zinc, and strontium can contribute to the hardness of the water.
• Soft water: Soft water is defined as the type of water containing lower amounts of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. As we know, the hardness of water is also known to measure the water's capacity to react with soap and form lather.
• Therefore, we can define soft water as the water that forms foam or lather. According to WHO, water containing calcium carbonate at concentrations below 60 mg/l is soft water.
• As soft water is not rich in minerals, it mainly contains sodium ions. Thus, if you are experiencing blood pressure problems, then ingesting soft water may cause side effects due to the high sodium levels.
• Another disadvantage of soft water is that it may contain higher traces of lead.
• If the pipes are not appropriately maintained or treated for leaching of lead, then the soft water passed through these pipes is more likely to pick up lead from the inside.
• This may result in negative health anomalies.