Factory waste often contains acid. If it reaches a river, the acid will kill fish and other river life. This is prevented by adding slaked lime to the waste. How do you think slaked lime helps?

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Solution

The acids in factory waste can cause severe environmental damage by altering the pH level of a water body. Thus, calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂], which is an alkali, is added to the factory waste. All metal hydroxides are alkaline in nature. Being a metal hydroxide, slaked lime or calcium hydroxide has alkaline properties. When a base or an alkali reacts with an acid, it undergoes neutralisation reaction and neutralises the acid to form salt and water. The products formed are neutral in nature, and even if they are discharged in a nearby water body, they cannot harm the water body as much as an acid can.

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