A Comparison of Hard Water, Softened Water
By: Leanne S.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE
HYPOTHESIS
EXPERIMENT
DESIGN
MATERIALS
PROCEDURES
BACKGROUND
REPORT
RESULTS
ANALYSIS
AND CONCLUSIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX
I did a few different experiments to
find the differences of Hard Water, Softened Water and Reverse Osmosis
Water. The first test was to see how much metal the different water
types contained. The second test was to see how much soap is left
in clothes after washing them. The third test was to see the effects
of soap on each water type. I hoped to learn what water type is best.
For each test I figured (because all
the research I did) that the Hard Water would be the worst, the Soft Water
would be second best and RO Water would be the best.
For the first experiment I took readings
from a TDS meter. For the second I washed three washcloths with soap and
rinsed each with a different kind of water, then filled each container
with 2 quarts RO Water and shook each for a minute. For the third
test I took three glass jars, filled with different water types then put
soap in each and shook.
I found
that hard water should not be used. It doesn't work well with soap
and it has a high amount of minerals. Softened water works well with
soap and RO Water had the best results for each experiment.
Test #1
The purpose of this experiment is to
measure the conductivity of the different types of water. I wanted to solve
this problem so I would know how much metal the water contains. This can
help people by letting them know how much metal is in their water for health
issues, and cleaning.
Test #2
The purpose of this experiment is to
see which kind of water rinses out the most amount of soap from clothing
fabrics. This will help everyone who wears and washes clothes.
The experiment can help us learn what kind of water we would want to wash
our clothes in. The water we would want to choose is the one that
rinses out the most amount of soap. The least amount of soap is the
best because it shows that most of the soap has been rinsed out.
You don’t want soap in your clothes because soap causes skin irritation
and the colors in your clothes to fade quicker than usual.
Test #3
The purpose of this experiment is to
find the effects of minerals in water on soap. I wanted to solve this problem
so I know what kind of water is best to use to rinse soap out of clothes,
off dishes etc. This can help people by letting them know that a certain
kind of water is better to use to reduce amounts of soap in clothes and
raise the efficiency of rinsing soap off of used objects.
Test #1
My hypothesis is that hard water will
contain more metal parts per million. Secondly softened water will have
some but not tremendous amounts of metal. RO water will have a very low
count of metal parts per million. I arrived at this hypothesis because
I found that hard water contains a lot of minerals. I have also found that
softeners are used to reduce great amounts of minerals. Finally I found
that Reverse Osmosis reduces about 99% of the minerals that the water contains.
Test #2
My hypothesis is that the hard water
will have quite a few suds, I think that the bubbles will be at an average
of about 5 millimeters. The softened water will have a very small
amount of soap left. The softened water will have about a millimeter of
soap. Finally I don’t think there will be any soap with the RO water. I
have arrived at this hypothesis because I have read that hard water does
not rinse out very much of the soap that it has been washed in. Instead
of rinsing the soap out it causes it to form a paste and it sticks to the
cloth. I have also read that soft water has a reduced amount of minerals
so as a result the paste will not form and sick to the cloth. The RO water
has almost 99% of the minerals removed so it won’t make even the slightest
bit of paste, so the soap will not stick to the cloth.
Test #3
My hypothesis for this experiment is
that RO water will have the most amount of bubbles from one drop of soap,
while softened water will have the second highest amounts of bubbles and
hard water will have very few bubbles if any at all. I have come to this
hypothesis from the research I did that involved soap. When the fats in
the soap mixes with the minerals in the water precipitation occurs. When
the calcium and magnesium ions form insoluble salts with the fat in the
soap, a curd-like precipitate occurs and settle. So as a result the soap
is mixed with the water minerals and is not able to make bubbles like it
is supposed to. The hard water has the most amount of minerals so it should
not have very many bubbles, while the softened water has very little amounts
of minerals, so it is aloud to form more bubbles. The RO water should have
the most amount of bubbles because 99% of the minerals have been taken
out so the soap doesn’t have to compete with as many minerals as the other
two.
In my project the manipulated variables
are the three different types of water, Hard water, Soft water and Reverse
Osmosis water. The Responding variables in test number one were how much
conductivity was in each water type. Each were measured by parts per million.
In test number two the responding variables were how many millimeters high
the bubbles were from the soap that was left in each cloth. In my final
test (number three) the responding variables were again how high the bubbles
were in millimeters. In this test it showed how well the bubbles formed
with each water type.
The control groups in test number
one and test number three were tap water because the water is natural and
not processed. In the second test the control group was Reverse Osmosis
water because it was the most processed water and has the least amount
of minerals. You would want the water with the least amount of minerals
so that the soap would not stick to the minerals and cause the soap in
the cloth not to form bubbles.
Test #1
·Same
TDS meter
·Same
water source for each type
·Same
length of time in water
·Glass
used must be clean
Test #2
·Measure
amount of bubbles directly after shaking
·Water
from the same source for each type
·Same
amounts of soap
·Measure
from the surface of the water to the top of the bubbles
·Water
temperature must all be the same
Test
#3
·Same
amount of water
·Water
comes from same source for each type
·Shake
for the same amount of time
·Measure
from the surface of the water to the top of the bubbles
·Water
temperature must be the same
My first experiment I measured the conductivity
in each water type by parts per million. In my second test I measured the
amount of suds left from each piece of cloth in millimeters, from the surface
of the water to the top of the bubbles. My final test (3rd)
I again measured the amount of suds, the difference is that it showed how
well the soap interacted with each water type. I measured the bubbles from
the surface of the water to the top of the bubbles in millimeters.
|
Test
#1
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1
3 2 oz 2 oz 2 oz |
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Test
#2
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Test
#3
Liquid Soap (.75ml)
Glass Bottles (clear, with lids)
RO Water Hard Water Soft Water Metric Ruler 3 (.25 for each bottle) |
3 3
100ml
100ml
100ml
|
Test #1
1. Fill glass with enough hard water
to reach the line on the TDS meter.
2. Fill a second glass with RO water
(to reach line).
3. Fill a third glass with softened
water, also to reach the line.
4. Put TDS meter in glass 1.
5. Push button to turn on.
6. Keep in water for about one minute.
7. Clean meter with RO water.
8. Put meter in glass 2.
9. Let sit for a minute.
10. Clean meter.
11. Put probe in glass 3.
12. Put in water for one minute.
Test #2
1. Cloth #1, wash with soap and 1 quart
hard water.
2. Rinse container with hard water.
3. Rinse Cloth #1 in 1 quart hard water.
4. Dry.
5. Cloth #2, wash with soap and 1 quart
softened water.
6. Rinse container with soft water.
7. Rinse cloth with 1 quart soft water.
8. Dry.
9. Cloth #3, wash with soap and 1 quart
RO water.
10. Rinse container with RO water.
11. Rinse cloth with 1 quart RO water.
12. Dry.
13. Fill gallon container #1 with 1
quart RO water.
14. Fill container #2 with 1 quart
RO water.
15. Fill container #3 with 1 quart
RO water.
16. Shake each for 30 seconds.
17.Measure the bubbles from the surface
of the water to the top of the bubbles.
Test #3
1. Run tap water into a container (100ml.)
2. Run hard water to a separate container
(100ml.)
3. Run RO water to a third container
(100ml.)
4. Put one drop (.25ml) of liquid soap
into each container of water.
5. Put a cap on each container.
6. Shake each bottle for a few seconds.
7. Measure from the surface of the
water to the top of the bubbles.
BACK GROUND REPORT
In the next few pages
I will be telling you bout three different kinds of water. I will be including
how water becomes hard and the effects of hard water. I will also be talking
about the process of how water is softened and its great advantages. Finally
I will be talking about Reverse Osmosis Water and its advantages and disadvantages.
Hard Water
Hard water contains
dissolved calcium and magnesium ions. Commonly called “hardness minerals,”
dissolved calcium and magnesium can cause many problems when present in
a water supply. When it’s from a well or municipal water utility, water
usually contains these elements. When water has fallen from the sky in
it’s different forms, it absorbs carbon dioxide in the air and becomes
slightly acidic. The water then reaches and enters the ground and because
it is acidic it absorbs calcium magnesium, among other things, from layers
of rock that it passes through. Minerals neutralize the water’s acidity
but also make it hard. Then the water finds bigger bodies of water (either
above or below the ground) and eventually ends up in your home.
Water hardness is
usually measured in “grains per gallon,” an indication of the amount of
dissolved magnesium and calcium the water contains. With as little as one
grain per gallon is classified as “hard” to certain extent.
Hard water usually
causes soap scum in the tub and shower, and hard water spots on faucets
and fixtures. According to Ohio State University study, that the average
person with hard water spends more than six hours a month on cleaning tap
water spots, streaks and scum alone.
Hardness minerals
react with soaps and detergents, which forms an insoluble, sticky residue
that is very difficult to remove from bathtubs, sinks, faucets and fixtures.
That exact same soap is often left on hair, skin and clothing which causes
rashes, your skin to dry and itch, and clothing to fade and wear prematurely.
Hard water can cause
plants to suffer. When you water them with hard water sometimes the water
has certain minerals that are not good for the plants. There have been
cases in which the water contained so much iron that it has turned grass
orange-red, and some cases were the iron has turned inside appliances the
same color.
Hard water causes
other problems as well. After a while scale formed from continuous contact
with dissolved minerals in water can collect inside plumbing and on the
internal parts of water-using appliances. Hard water scale can also coat
the inside of a water heater and drastically reduce its heating ability.
So basically hard
water is a poor choice of water. The only possible good use of hard water
is that it has good flow rates. Although it has good flow rates it doesn’t
even come close to comparing against its negative results in the long run,
or sometimes the short run. Soap scum builds, ruins house equipment and
is unhealthy. Hard water is definitely not a good water source.
Softened Water
Softened water is
mainly free of all dissolved calcium or magnesium. There is a small amount
of houses that have naturally softened water. A huge percentage of homes
with soft water are equipped with bought products known as Water Softeners.
The most common process
of softening water is ion exchange. First the water enters the water softener.
Then it comes in contact with a bed of tiny beads that contain sodium chloride
or potassium chloride ions. The beads are chemically attracted to calcium
and magnesium ions and as a result ion exchange occurs. After that the
calcium and magnesium ions “stick” to the surface of the beads, which dislodges
the sodium or potassium. When the beads are completely exhausted (covered
with calcium and magnesium), a solution is brought to the system to wash
away the calcium and magnesium. Then it replaces the sodium or potassium
(a process that is known as regeneration). After the extra solution has
been rinsed from the risen bed, the entire ion exchange cycle begins again.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse
Osmosis is the most economical method of removing 90%-99% of all contaminants.
The RO membrane’s pore structure is much tighter than Uf membranes. RO
membranes can reject almost all particles, bacteria and organic 300 Dalton
macular weight (including pyrogens).
Ro involves an ionic
exclusion process. Only solvent is allowed through the semi-permeable Ro
membrane, while all ions and dissolved molecules are retained (including
salts and sugars). The semi-permeable membrane rejects all salts (ions)
by a charge phenomena action: the greater the charge, the greater the rejection.
So as a result the membrane rejects nearly all (99%) strongly ionized polyvalent
ions but only 95% of the weakly ionized monovalent ions like sodium.
Osmosis occurs when
a semi- permeable membrane separates solutions that have two different
concentrations. The osmotic pressure drives water through the membrane;
the water dilutes the more concentrated solution; and the end result is
equilibrium. While in the purification system hydraulic pressure is applied
to the concentrated solution to counteract the osmotic pressure. Pure water
is driven from the concentrated solution and collects downstream of the
membrane.
Different feed of
water may require different types of RO membranes. Membranes are manufactured
from cellulose acetate or thin- film composites of polyamide on a polysulfone
substrate.RO membranes are very restrictive; they yield very slow flow
rates. Strong tanks are required to produce an adequate volume in a reasonable
amount of time.
There are several
advantages of Reverse Osmosis. The number one advantage is that it effectively
removes almost all types of contaminants (particles, pyrogens, microorganisms,
colloids and dissolved inorganics).
The only disadvantage
of RO water is that it has limited flow rates. So as you can see having
RO water is not a bad idea because the only problem is slow flow rates
but that isn’t a big factor compared to its advantages.
This project can benefit
you and generations to come because if we are all aware of what water supply
we have, it can help us with health issues and save money on appliances
and soaps etc. This report was written to let you know about these three
different types of water, their advantages and disadvantages.
Test #1
What I wanted to learn from
this experiment is how much conductivity each water type has. Each water
type had at least a little bit of conductivity. The RO water had a very
small amount of parts per million (conductivity). The Softened water had
more parts per million but not even close to the amounts of the hard water.
The hard water had the most amount of conductivity.
Test #2
Test #3
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Test
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Test
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What we can learn from my results is
that Reverse Osmosis water is the best choice for usage. The RO water had
the least amount of conductivity was found in this water, soap interacted
well with RO water and the RO water rinsed out the most soap in the cloths.
Soft water is the second best choice out of these three for every experiment
but the soft water does contain more conductivity than the other two. Finally
that hard water is a poor choice. This water is unhealthy, does not interact
with soap well and it does the worse job at rinsing out soap in fabric
materials.
Test #1
My hypothesis is that hard water will
contain more metal parts per million. Secondly softened water will have
some but not tremendous amounts of metal. RO water will have a very low
count of metal parts per million. I arrived at this hypothesis because
I found that hard water contains a lot of minerals. I have also found that
softeners are used to reduce great amounts of minerals. Finally I found
that Reverse Osmosis reduces about 99% of the minerals that the water contains.
Test #2
My hypothesis is that the hard water
will have quite a few suds, I think that the bubbles will be at an average
of about 5 millimeters. The softened water will have a very small
amount of soap left. The softened water will have about a millimeter of
soap. Finally I don’t think there will be any soap with the RO water. I
have arrived at this hypothesis because I have read that hard water does
not rinse out very much of the soap that it has been washed in. Instead
of rinsing the soap out it causes it to form a paste and it sticks to the
cloth. I have also read that soft water has a reduced amount of minerals
so as a result the paste will not form and sick to the cloth. The RO water
has almost 99% of the minerals removed so it won’t make even the slightest
bit of paste, so the soap will not stick to the cloth.
Test #3
My hypothesis for this experiment is
that RO water will have the most amount of bubbles from one drop of soap,
while softened water will have the second highest amounts of bubbles and
hard water will have very few bubbles if any at all. I have come to this
hypothesis from the research I did that involved soap. When the fats in
the soap mixes with the minerals in the water precipitation occurs. When
the calcium and magnesium ions form insoluble salts with the fat in the
soap, a curd-like precipitate occurs and settle. So as a result the soap
is mixed with the water minerals and is not able to make bubbles like it
is supposed to. The hard water has the most amount of minerals so it should
not have very many bubbles, while the softened water has very little amounts
of minerals, so it is aloud to form more bubbles. The RO water should have
the most amount of bubbles because 99% of the minerals have been taken
out so the soap doesn’t have to compete with as many minerals as the other
two.
Test #1
For my first test I accepted and rejected
my hypothesis. My first hypothesis was accepted because RO water contained
the least amount of metal. My hypothesis was also rejected because the
soft water had more metal parts per million than the hard water. The reason
why the soft water contained more metal is because the potassium does not
do much to the hard minerals; you have to use more potassium than the minerals
that the water already contained to get rid of most the minerals.
Test #2
My second test I had rejected it. My
test was rejected because the hard water had an average of 7.3 instead
of 5. The soft water had an average of 5 and finally the RO water did have
suds, it had an average of 4.
Test #3
The third test I took I accepted and
rejected my hypothesis. My hypothesis was accepted because the RO water
had the most amount of bubbles and Soft water had the second highest amount
of soap. It was rejected because there was not bubbles what so ever.
Questions
Test #1
-
I
wonder if there was a different amount of water the numbers would be bigger,
smaller or the same.
Test #2
-
I
wonder if I added more soap and less water if there would be a difference
for the hard water.
-
I
wonder if the size of the cloth mattered.
-
I
wonder if there were three different types of material if it would change
the results.
-
I
wonder what would happen if there was more soap and less water or if there
was less soap and more water if there would be a big difference.
- I wonder what would happen if the size of the container was a different size.
-
Glass
my not have been completely clean to start out.
-
TDS
meter may have not been cleaned thoroughly to between tests.
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A
finger may have touched the water.
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Some
water may have escaped.
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Some
soap may have stuck to the measuring tool.
-
Cloths
may have not been the same exact size.
-
Container
may not have been rinsed thoroughly between tests.
-
Put
soap directly into the water.
-
Water
may have escaped.
-
Some
soap may have stuck to the measuring tool.
-
May
not have shaken the same amount of time and not as well as the other two.
-
Soap
may have been a little higher than the measuring tool causing there to
be more soap.
-
Put
the soap directly into the water.
Gilfond,
Henry, Water A Scarce Resource, New York, Franklin Watts,1978.
1970
What
is hard water?
Hard
water is water that contains dissolved minerals from rock, mainly calcium,
magnesium and manganese.
Soft
water is basically water that is free of calcium, manganese and magnesium.
RO
water is water that has been treated through the process of Reverse Osmosis.