ZEOLITE PROCESS

Zeolite
Zeolite is hydrated sodium alluminium silicate. Its chemical formula is
Na2. O.Al2O3. XSiO2 YH2O (where X=2–10andY=2–6)
It is represented as Na2Ze, which is capable of exchanging reversibly its Na ions for
hardness producing ions in water. It is also known as Permutits.
Classification
They are classified into two types (a).Natural zeolites (b).Synthetic zeolites
Natural zeolites
Natural zeolites are derived from greensand. They are non–porous zeolites.
Example
Netrolite (Na2O.Al2O3.4SiO2.2H2O)
Synthetic zeolites
Synthetics zeolites are porous and gelly structure. It is prepared by heating together china
clay, feldspar and soda ash. These zeolites are higher exchange capacity per unit weight than
natural zeolites.

Process
In this process the hard water is allowed to perculate through a bed of sodium zeolite (Na2Ze)
The hardness causing ions (Ca2+andMg2+) in hard water is replaced by loosely held sodium
ions in zeolite bed.
(i) The outgoing soft water contains sodium ions.

Reaction
Na2Ze+Ca(HCO3)2 CaZe +2NaHCO3
Na2Ze+Mg(HCO3)2 MgZe +2NaHCO3
Na2Ze+CaCl2
Na2Ze +MgCl2
→ CaZe +2NaCl
MgZe+2NaCl
Na2Ze +CaSO4 CaZe+Na2SO4
Na2Ze+MgSO4 MgZe+Na2SO4
 Regeneration
After the softening process, the zeolite is completely converted into calcium and magnesium
zeolites and it gets exhausted.
At this stage the hard water supply is stopped and the exhausted bed is regenerated by
treating with a concentrated (10%) NaCl (brine)solution.
CaZe + 2NaCl Na2Ze + CaCl2

MgZe + 2NaCl Na2Ze + MgCl2

Exhausted zeolite regenerated zeolite

Advantages of Zeolite process

(i) It reduces hardness upto 5 ppm.
(ii) The equipment is quite compact.
(iii) It requires less time for softening.
(iv) It requires less skill for maintenance and operation.
(v) No impurities are precipitated, so there is no danger of sludge formation.
(vi) This method is very cheap because the regenerated permutit can be used again.
Disadvantages of zeolite process
(i) Highly turbid water cannot be treated by this method.
(ii) This process removes only the cations (Ca2+and Mg2+).
(iii) All the acidic ions like HCO3-, CO32-, Cl- and SO42-,etc., are not treated by this method, which
can cause corrosion.
(iv) Acidic water cannot be treated because it decomposes the structure of zeolite.
(v) Brackish water cannot be treated by this method.
DEMINERALIZATION (OR) DEIONIZATION (OR) ION EXCHANGE PROCESS
In this process almost all the ions (both anions (Cl-, SO42-) and cations (Ca2+, Mg2+) present in
hard water are removed. This process is also called demineralization process.
In the demineralization process, the ions present in water are removed by ion exchangers. Ion
exchange resins are insoluble; cross - linked, long chain organic polymers with a micro
porous structure, and the functional groups attached to the chains are responsible for the ion
exchanging properties. They are of two types.
Cation exchangers.
Anion exchangers.
Cation exchangers
Materials capable of exchanging cations are called cation exchangers. Cation exchanger
resins containing acidic groups (-COOH,-SO3H) are capable of exchanging their H+ ions with
other cations (Ca2+,Mg2+) of hard water.
Cation exchange resin is represented as RH2 (or) RH.
Anion exchangers
Materials capable of exchanging anions are called anion exchangers. Anion exchanger resins
containing basic groups (-NH2,-OH) are capable of exchanging their OH-ions with the other
anions of hard water.
Anion exchange resin is represented as R1(OH)2 (or) R1OH.
Process
Water is passed through a tank having cation exchanger which absorbs all the cations present
in water.
RH2+ CaCl2 RCa + 2HCl
RH2+MgSO4 RMg+H2SO4
The cation free water is now passed through another tank having anion exchanger which
absorbs all the anions present in water.
R1 (OH)2+2HCl R1Cl2 + 2H2O
R1 (OH)2+ H2SO4 R1SO4 + 2H2O
The water coming out of the anion exchanger is completely free from cations and anions
responsible for hardness. It is known as deionized water (or) demineralized water. It is as
pure as distilled water.
 Regeneration
Cation exchange resins are regenerated by passing a dilute solution of HCl through them.
RCa+2HCl RH2 +CaCl2
Resin

Similarly, the anion exchange resins are regenerated by passing a dilute solution of NaOH
through them.
R1Cl2+ 2NaOH R1(OH)2 +2NaCl
Resin

Advantages of ion exchange process

(i) Highly acidic (or) alkaline water can be treated by this process.
(ii) This produces water of very low hardness nearly 2 ppm.
Disadvantages of ion exchange process
(i) The equipment is costly and more expensive chemicals are needed.
(ii) If water contains turbidity, then the output of the process is reduced. The turbidity must be
below 10 ppm.

DESALINATION
The process of removal of extra common salt (NaCl) from the water is known as desalination.
Depending up on the quantity of dissolved salts the water is graded as,
1. Freshwater
It contains less than (<)1000 ppm of dissolved salts
2. Brackish water
It contains1000–35,000 ppm of dissolved salts
3. Seawater
 It contains greater (>) than35,000 ppm of dissolved salts.
Brackish water
Water containing dissolved salts with a peculiar salty (or) brackish taste is called brackish
water. It is totally unfit for drinking purposes. Sea water and brackish water can be made
available as drinking water through desalination process.
Desalination is carried out by the following methods
 Reverse osmosis
 Electro–dialysis
 Freezing method
 Distillation method
REVERSE OSMOSIS
Osmosis
When two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a semipermeable membrane,
flow of solvent takes place from the region of low concentration to high concentration until
the concentration is equal on both the sides. This process is called osmosis. The driving force
in this phenomenon is called osmotic pressure.
Principle of reverse osmosis
If a hydrostatic pressure in excess of osmotic pressure is applied on the higher concentration
side, the solvent flow reverse. That is solvent is forced to move from higher concentration to
lower concentration. This is the principle of reverse osmosis.
Using this method pure water is separated from sea water. This process is also known as
super – filtration (or) hyper– filtration.
Process
In this method, pressure (15 – 40 kg/cm2) is applied to the sea water to force its pure water
out through the semipermeable membrane leaving behind the dissolved salts. Earlier,
cellulose acetate membrane, cellulose butyrate membrane was used for this purpose. Now – a
– days a number of synthetic semi permeable membranes such as polyamide, polysulphones,
etc., are used.
 Advantages
(i) It removes ionic, non–ionic, colloidal and high molecular weight organic matters.
(ii) It also removes colloidal silica which is not removed by demineralization process.
(iii) The process is cheap, simple and does not require skilled labour.
(iv) The maintenance cost depends on the replacement of the semi–permeable membrane, usually
once in three years.

TREATMENT OF DOMESTIC WATER (OR) PURIFICATION OF WATER FOR

DRINKING PURPOSE
Drinking water
Water which is safe to drink and fit for human consumption is called drinking water. It is
otherwise called potable water or municipal water.
Essential requirements of drinking water
(i) It should be sparking clear and odourless.
(ii) It should be pleasant in taste.
(iii) It should be perfectly cool.
(iv) Its turbidity should not exceed10 ppm.
(v) It should be free from dissolved gases like H2S, CO2, NH3,etc.,
(vi) It should be free from minerals like lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr) and manganese
(Mn) salts.
(vii) It should be free from disease producing micro-organism.
(viii) It’s TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is less than500 ppm.
(ix) pH of the drinking water should be 6.5–8.5.
The various stages in the treatment of water for domestic supply
Block Diagram

Source of water(Raw Screening Aeration

water)

Sterilization and Filtration Sedimentation and

disinfection coagulation

Storage and
distribution
Source of water
The main sources of water is,
(i) Surface water
(ii) Under ground water
These untreated waters are called raw water.

Screening
The raw water is passed through screens having large number of small holes, where floating
matters like wood pieces, leaves etc., are removed.
Aeration
The process of mixing water with air is known as aeration
The main purpose of aeration is,
 Increase the content of oxygen in water and makes it fresh and promotes
taste.
 Remove unwanted gases like H2S, CO 2and other volatile substances.
 Salts of iron and manganese are also removed.
Sedimentation
It is the process of removing suspended impurities by allowing the water to stand undisturbed
for 2-5 hours in a big sedimentation tanks about 5 m deep. Most of the suspended particles
are settle down at the bottom due to forces of gravity and they are removed. Sedimentation
process removes only 75% of the suspended impurities.
Coagulation
In sedimentation process all the impurities cannot be removed. So certain chemicals are
added to fasten the sedimentation and the process is called coagulation.
Alum [Al2(SO4)3] and sodium aluminate (NaAlO2) are widely used in water treatment plants.
These are called coagulants.
Al2(SO4)3+3Ca(HCO3)2 2Al (OH)3 + 3CaSO4 +6CO2↑
Alum calcium bicarbonate Aluminium hydroxide
(Flocculant.precipitate)

NaAlO2 +2H2O Al(OH)3 + NaOH

Sodiumaluminate Aluminium hydroxide(Gelatinous precipitate)

The gelatinous precipitate of Aluminium hydroxide settles to the bottom and can be
removed by filtration method.
*Salts of iron [(FeSO4, FeCl3)] are also used as coagulant.
FeSO4+ Mg(HCO3)2 Fe(OH)2↓ + MgCO3 + CO2 + SO3
Ferrous sulphate Ferrous hydroxide

4Fe (OH)2↓+ O2 + 2H2O → 4Fe(OH)3↓

Ferric hydroxide (Heavy floc)

Fe(OH)3 is in the form of heavy floc, which causes quick sedimentation.

Filtration
It is the process of removing colloidal matter and most of the bacteria, micro-organisms etc,
by passing water through a bed of fine sand and other proper-sized granular materials.
 Generally filtration is carried out by using sand filter.

Sterilization (or) Disinfection

The complete removal of harmful bacteria is known as sterilization. The chemicals (or)
substances used for this purpose are called disinfectants.
This process can be carried out by the following methods.
(a) Boiling method.
(b) Ozonation (By using ozone).
(c) UV Radiation method (By using UV Radiations)
(d) Chlorination method.
 By adding chlorine gas (Cl2).
 By adding chloramines (ClNH2).
 By adding bleaching powder (CaOCl2).
 Break point chlorination (or) free residual chlorination.
Boiling method
Just boiling the water 100oC for 10 to 15 minutes, all the disease producing bacteria are killed
and water becomes safe for use.

Ozonation
Ozone (gas) is an excellent disinfectant. Ozone is produced by passing silent electric
discharge through cold and dry oxygen.
3O2 (Oxygen) 2O3 (Ozone)
 Ozone (O3) is highly unstable and decomposes to give molecular and nascent oxygen
[O].
O3 O2 + [O]
Ozone Nascent Oxygen

The nascent oxygen is highly powerful oxidizing agent and kills all the bacteria’s and germs.
It also oxidizes the organic matter present in the water.
Advantages
1. Ozone not only removes bacteria’s but also removes colour, unpleasant taste and bad odour.
2. If present excess in water, it is not harmful, because it is unstable and decomposes to oxygen.
Disadvantages
1. This method is expensive and cannot be employed for municipal water works.

UV Radiation method
UV rays are produced by passing electric current through mercury vapour lamp. This is
particularly used for sterilizing swimming pool water. This process is highly expensive.
Advantages
1. It effectively kills the majority of bacteria, viruses and other harmful microorganisms.
2. It does not introduce any chemicals to the water and produces no by
– products.
3. It does not alter the taste, pH or other properties of the water.
Disadvantages
1. This method requires electrical connection
2. Prefilteration is a must for effective disinfection.

Chlorination Method
The process of adding chlorine to water is called chlorination. Chlorination can be done by
the following methods.
By adding chlorine gas
Chlorine(gas or liquid form) produce hypochlorous acid (powerful germicide) with
filtered water.
Cl2 + H2O HOCl+ HCl.
Hypochlorous acid

Bacteria/germs + HOCl Bacteria/germs are killed.

By adding chloramines (ClNH2)

When chlorine and ammonia are mixed in the ratio 2:1 compound chloramines is formed.
Cl2+NH3 ClNH2 + HCl
Chloramine
 ClNH2+ H2O HOCl+NH3
Hypochlorous acid

Chloramine is a better disinfectant than chlorine and it gives good taste to treated water.
By adding bleaching powder (CaOCl2)
When bleaching powder is added to water, it produces hypo chlorous acid, which is a
powerful germicide.
CaOCl2 +H2O Ca(OH)2+Cl2
Cl2 + H2O HOCl+ HCl
Hypochlorousacid

HOCl +Bacteria/ Germs Bacteria/Germs are destroyed

Hypochlorousacid

Advantages
1. This method is very effective and economical.
2. Storage requires only little space.
3. It can be used at both high and low temperatures.
4. It does not produce any salt impurities in the treated water.
Disadvantages
1. Excess chlorine when added, imparts unpleasant taste and bad odour.
2. It is effective at lower pH (below6.5) and less effective at higher pH(>6.5).
Break point chlorination or Free residual chlorination
It involves in addition of sufficient amount of chlorine to water in order to oxidize organic
matter, reducing substances and free ammonia; leaving behind mainly chlorine for
disinfecting disease producing bacteria.
Explanation
This involves in addition of sufficient amount of chlorine to oxidize;
1. Organic matter
2. Reducing substances and
3. Free ammonia in raw water, leaving behind mainly free chlorine, which
possesses disinfecting against pathogenic bacteria.
When chlorine is added, it first kills the bacteria; further addition will appear as residual
chlorine. After a certain point, the residual chlorine suddenly decreases with the evolution of
bad smell and objectionable taste. That is, the chlorine being used for oxidizing the organic
impurities or ammonia.
After sometime, there is sudden increase in residual chlorine indicating that oxidation is over.
The addition of chlorine at the dip or break is called break-point chlorination. This indicates
the point at which free residual chlorine begins to appear.
Break–Point Chlorination Curve

Advantages
It oxidizes organic compounds reducing substances and free ammonia.
It removes unwanted colour from water, bad odour and taste.
Disadvantages
Over–chlorination after BPC may lead to unpleasant taste and odour in water.