Technological Institute of the Philippines - Manila

CHE 409, 2nd semester, S.Y. 2015-2016

Faz, John Leonard B., Garcia, Gellene O., Lopez, Charmaine A.,
Miguel, Dana May S., Pelagio, Maria Mikaela V.

Final Laboratory Experiment: Lowering of Total

Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, and
Water Hardness of Tap Water being used for
Boiler Feed Water.

research. These ions when precipitated after boiling causes a

decrease in the efficiency of the boiler that will be used.
Water impurities come from where the tap water is supplied
such as dams. Most problems due to impurities present in
the water can be solved chemically. It is usually most
economical, and can identify the impurities by physical or
mechanical means.

Abstract an experimental method for lowering total

hardness, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids in
tap water. The problem undertaken in this study is to apply the
unit operation method in tap water treatment. The initial total
hardness of water was found to be 291ppm which is classified
as very hard water. After treating the sample, it lowers to a
value that can be acceptable for drinking. In looking at one
industry in particular Conglomerate Company, the problem
with water hardness is evident because of their manufacturing
process, an abundance of dissolved solids, suspended solids and
hardness of water may cause overheating and rupture of the
boiler. There are three concentrations used in lime treating and
through the results gathered

I.

All natural waters contain varying amounts of dissolved and

suspended matter and dissolved gases the amount of
minerals dissolved in water varies from 30 g/l in sea water
to anything from 0.005 to 1500 mg/l in fresh water supplies.
Since water impurities cause boiler problems, careful
consideration must be given to the quality of the water used
for generating steam.

INTRODUCTION

Boilers require good quality water for their safe and efficient
operation. Natural water accumulates impurities rendering it
unfit for use in boilers without treatment. Though water
treatment is costly, in the long run it is economic in terms of
fuel and time savings. Treated water also increases safety of
boilers during operation.

The composition of boiler feed water must be such that the

impurities in it can be concentrated a reasonable number of
times inside the boiler, without exceeding the tolerance
limits of the particular boiler design. If the feed water does
not meet these requirements it must be pretreated to remove
impurities. The impurities need not be completely removed
in all cases, however, since chemical treatment inside the
boiler can effectively and economically counteract them.

There are many negative aspects resulting from hard water

both for domestic and industrial usage. For example, in
lather production, if the water is hard, it requires
considerable amounts of soap before a lather can be
produced. In the ordinary life, hard water produces scale in
hot water pipes, heater, boilers, and other units where the
temperature of the water is increased appreciably.

The first anti-scaling preventative measure is to supply good

quality demineralized water as make up feed water. The
pure the feed water is the weaker the driving mechanism to
form scale. Scale forming minerals that do enter the boiler
can be rendered harmless by internal chemical treatment. A
long established technique is to detach the hardness cations,
magnesium and calcium, from the scale forming minerals
and to replace them with sodium ions.

Boiler water treatment is a type of industrial water treatment

focused on the removal of magnesium and calcium ions or
technically reducing the hardness of the water used as feed
on a boiler. In order to fully understand what a given boiler
needs for treatment, a basic study of its supply water is done
first by conducting a hardness test. Impurities other than
magnesium and calcium ions will not be considered in this

Sludge is the accumulation of solids that precipitate in the

bulk boiler water or enter the boiler as suspended solids.
Sludge deposits can be hard, dense, and tenacious. When
exposed to high heat levels (e.g., when a boiler is drained
hot), sludge deposits are often baked in place. Sludge
deposits hardened in this way can be as troublesome as
scale.

Manuscript received January 21, 2016.

Faz, John Leonard B., Chemical Engineering Department, Technological
Institute of the Philippines-Manila, Cavite, Philippines/ 09065258190, (email: johnbalboafaz@yahoo.com).
Garcia, Gellene O., Chemical Engineering Department, Technological
Institute of the Philippines-Manila, Bulacan, Philippines / 09151493325 (email: gellenegarcia@yahoo.com).
Lopez, Charmaine A., Chemical Engineering Department, Technological
Institute of the Philippines-Manila, Manila City, Philippines/ 09157968649,
(e-mail: cmaine05@outlook.ph).
Miguel, Dana May S., Chemical Engineering Department, Technological
Institute of the Philippines-Manila, Pampanga, Philippines/ 09357743224,
(e-mail: danamay@yahoo.com).
Pelagio, Maria Mikaela V., Chemical Engineering Department,
Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila, Mandaluyong,
Philippines/ 09152681869, (e-mail: mariamikaelapelagio@gmail.com).

II. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Part A: Preparing for Reagents
The buffer solution was prepared by dissolving 16.9 g
ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) in 143 mL ammonium
hydroxide. This solution was diluted to 250 mL with
distilled water. The titrant used was 0.01 M EDTA solution.
It was prepared by diluting 1.865 g of EDTA salt in 500mL
of distilled water. 50% w/v of NaOH was prepared by
diluting 0.125g of NaOH in 250mL distilled water.

Final Laboratory Experiment: Lowering of Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, and Water Hardness of
Tap Water being used for Boiler Feed water.
Part B: Determination of Water Hardness
25 mL of tap water was pipetted into a conical flask. The
researcher added 1mL of buffer solution followed by 3 drops
of Eriochrome Black T indicator to the solution. It is then
titrated with 0.01 M EDTA until the solution turned from
wine red to sky blue with no hint of red. The solution was
saved for color comparison. Repeat this titration to obtain
more accurate results.

This setup is for lowering of

water hardness where in
500ml each of ground water
have been added with 10
grams, 15 grams and 20
grams of Calcium Hydroxide.

Part C: Determination of Concentration of Ca2+(aq) ions

25 mL of tap water was pipetted into a conical flask. The
researcher added 30 drops of 50% w/v NaOH solution, and
waited for a couple of minutes to completely precipitate the
magnesium ions as Mg(OH)2(s). 3 drops of Eriochrome
Black T indicator were added then titrated with 0.01 M
EDTA until it changed to sky blue. The solution was saved
for color comparison. Repeat this titration to obtain more
accurate results.

After 10 minutes, the

solution was filtered using a
filter paper. The supernatants
were collected and measured
for all the parameters
described.

Part D: Lowering of water hardness

Two beakers with 500ml each of ground water have been
added with 10 grams, 15 grams and 20 grams of Calcium
Hydroxide. The solution was stirred for about 20 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the solution was filtered using a filter
paper. The supernatants were collected and measured for all
the parameters described.
Part E: Removal of Total Suspended Solids and Total
Dissolved Solids
To remove TSS, the tap water was filtered using a filter
paper. In removing TDS, samples (tap water) were first
filtered to remove suspended solids then the filtrate
undergone to distillation process where in the liquid vapor
became free from TDS.

IV. MATH
In this experiment, the researcher used the equation below to
compute for the desired concentration where in the volume
of each concentration is provided.

M 1 V 1=M 2 V 2

III. EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP

Where,
M1 = concentration of titrant (EDTA for this study)
V1 = volume of titrant used (Vinitial Vfinal)
M2 = concentration of analyte
V2 = initial volume of analyte

.This is the set up for the

determination
of
water
hardness. The burette was
filled with titrant (0.01 M of
EDTA) and the analyte used
was tap water with buffer
solution for EDTA and 3
drops of Eriochrome Black T
as an indicator.

To compute the concentration needed, we used this

equation:

M=

mol
L

Where,
M = molar concentration
mol = mol of solute
L = liter of solution

V. UNITS

Starting Point

M (molarity)
This concentration is equal to mol of solute/ liter of
solution.
V (volume)
Volume can be expressed as mL or L.
ppm (parts per million)
This is equivalent to mg of solute/ liter of solution.

End Point

Technological Institute of the Philippines - Manila

CHE 409, 2nd semester, S.Y. 2015-2016

Concentration
Initial Volume
Final Volume
Water Hardne
0.3 M
25mL
22.8
49.28
VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
0.5 M
25mL
23.50
33.60
0.7 M
25mL
24.50
11.20
The sample was tested to get its initial properties. The
Table 6. Trial 5 of lowering water hardness in different
properties were recorded in the table below:
concentrations
Hardness due to Ca2+, mg/L as
218
CaCO3
Hardness due to Mg2+, mg/L as
CaCO3
Total hardness, mg/L as CaCO3
pH
Alkalinity, mg/L as CaCO3
Temperature
Total dissolved solids (TDS) mg/L
Total suspended solids (TSS) mg/L
Table 1. Initial Properties of tap water

73
291
7.73
302
25
352
21

Fig.-1. Water Hardness Scale

In lowering the water hardness of a sample, the researchers

performed 3 trials in each concentration of CaO (lime).

Different concentrations of CaO were used in this

experiment. The water hardness of 0.3M CaO ranges from

49-50ppm which is, based on Fig.-1, is classified as slightly

Concentration
Initial Volume
Final Volume
Water Hardness
hard water. This shows that the water hardness was lowered
0.3 M
25mL
22.80
0.5 M
25mL
23.60
by 82.55%. The water hardness of 0.5M CaO ranges from
0.7 M
25mL
24.30
29-35ppm and based on Fig.-1, it is also classified as
Table 2. Trial 1 of lowering water hardness in different
slightly hard water. This shows that the water hardness was
concentrations
lowered by 88.97%. The water hardness of 0.7 M CaO
ranges from 11-15ppm. Based on Fig.-1, it is already
Concentration
Initial Volume
Final Volume
Water Hardness
classified as soft water. It shows that the water hardness was
0.3 M
25mL
22.90
0.5 M
25mL
23.40
lowered by 94.87%.
0.7 M
25mL
24.30
Table 3. Trial 2 of lowering water hardness in different
Based on Table 1, the initial concentration of total dissolved
concentrations
solids (TDS) is 352 ppm and the total suspended solids
(TSS) are 21 ppm. The initial concentrations were brought
UNILAB Research and Development Center in
Concentration
Initial Volume
Final Volume
WatertoHardness
0.3 M
25mL
22.50
Mandaluyong City. After performing distillation and
0.5 M
25mL
23.70
filtration, the samples were also brought to UNILAB for
0.7 M
25mL
24.50
Table 4. Trial 3 of lowering water hardness in different
testing. The selected samples were the ones with the lowest
concentrations

water hardness in each concentration. Table 7 summarizes

the properties of selected sample.

Concentration
Initial Volume
Final Volume
Water Hardness
0.3 M
25mL
22.70
Selected Sample were named as:
0.5 M
25mL
23.30
Sample A (0.3 M CaO)
0.7 M
25mL
24.40
Table 5. Trial 4 of lowering water hardness in different
Sample B (0.5 M CaO)
concentrations
Sample C (0.7 M CaO)

Water Hardness of Selected Sample:

47.04
29.12
11.2

Table 7. Water Hardness of Selected Sample

Final Laboratory Experiment: Lowering of Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, and Water Hardness of
Tap Water being used for Boiler Feed water.

Based on Table 7, the water hardness of Sample C was 11.20

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (ppm)

287.32 ppm. After distillation, the water hardness was reduced to

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (ppm)

18.75

TOTAL WATER HARDNESS (ppm)

9.30 ppm, and the total dissolved solids was reduced to 72.3

ppm and the total suspended solids was reduced from 21

40.23 ppm (refer to Table 1) to 18 ppm as show in Table 9.

ALKALINITY

300.2

pH

7.65

Table 8. Sample A properties from UNILAB-RDC

Fig. 2 TDS Scale in ppm
Based on Table 7, the water hardness of Sample A was 47.
04 ppm. After distillation, the water hardness was reduced to

Based on Fig.2, the total dissolved solids in Sample a

40.23 ppm, and the total dissolved solids was reduced to

(287.32 ppm) is classified as marginally acceptable average

287.32 ppm and the total suspended solids was reduced

tap water. By comparing it to its initial properties (refer to

from 21 ppm (refer to Table 1) to 18.75 ppm as shown in

table 1), the TDS was lowered by 18.38%. Sample B (186

Table 8.

ppm) is also classified as marginally acceptable average tap

water and by comparing it to its initial properties; the TDS
was lowered by 47.16%. Sample C (72.3 ppm) is classified
as mountain spring water, or carbon filtered water. By

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (ppm)

186

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (ppm)

comparing it to its initial properties, the TDS of Sample C

18.2 was lowered by 79.46%.

TOTAL WATER HARDNESS (ppm)

23.22

ALKALINITY

298

pH

7.2

Table 9. Sample B properties from UNILAB-RDC

Range
Characteristic
TSS<20
Clear
21<TSS<80
Low Turbidity
TSS>81
High Turbidity
Table 11. TSS Range and Characteristic

Based on Table 7, the water hardness of Sample B was

Initially, the total suspended solids (TSS) of water are 21

29.12 ppm. After distillation, the water hardness was

ppm, which has the characteristic of having low turbidity.

reduced to 23.22 ppm, and the total dissolved solids was

After performing the procedures for treating water, Sample

reduced to 186 ppm and the total suspended solids was

A, having a TSS of 18.75 ppm is classified of having a clear

reduced from 21 ppm (refer to Table 1) to 18.2 ppm as show

characteristic. Also, with Sample B having a TSS of 18.2

in Table 9.

and Sample C having a TSS of 18 have a clear

characteristic.

TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (ppm)

72.3

TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (ppm)

18

VII. CONCLUSION

In this study, the researchers were able to lower the water

9.30 hardness, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids of
tap water. Based on the results gathered, the different unit
ALKALINITY
298 operation methods used was effective. In lowering water
hardness, the unit operation used is sedimentation. It was
pH
7.2 found that the higher concentration of lime (Cao) used, the
lower the water hardness. In lowering the total dissolved
Table 10. Sample C properties from UNILAB-RDC
solids (TSS), the unit operation used was distillation. The

TOTAL WATER HARDNESS (ppm)

Technological Institute of the Philippines - Manila

CHE 409, 2nd semester, S.Y. 2015-2016
distillation process also lowers the water hardness.
However, the suspended solids will remain the same. In
lowering the total suspended solids, the unit operation used
was filtration. Based on the data obtained, the total
suspended solids was also reduced.

[7] Ion Exchange Treatment of Drinking Water (2009).

New Hampshire Department of Environmental
Services,2.12,1-6. Retrieved from
http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/fa
ctsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-2-12.pdf
[8] Ion Excane Resins.Retrieved from
http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/water/13D.pdf
[9] Crotts, Aaron (1996). UNLV,4-37. Retrived from
http://www.uwyo.edu/uwe/pubs/b1183/_files/tds.pd
f
[10] Seyrig,Gregoire and Shan, Wenqian (2007).
College of Engineering,Michigan State
University,5-14. Retrieved from

APPENDIX
Appendixes,
if
acknowledgment.

needed,

appear

before

the

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The students wish to express their sincere and deepest
gratitude to all who have made this study possible. For their
families, who have provided for financial support, friends
and colleagues, who have given them the encouragement to
continue this project, to their instructor, Engr. Crizaldy V.
Tugade, for supervising the students for theoretical
procedure, to the TIP Chemical Laboratory technicians, for
providing the chemicals and apparatus needed in conducting
this experiment, and the UNILAB chemists who help the
students in testing the samples accurately using their
advance technology. Without their cooperation, this research
will not be possible. And to our Almighty God who gave the
strength and wisdom to pursue this study.
REFERENCES
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[2] Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 2nd ed. Vol.
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http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g14
91.pdf

Faz, John Leonard B., pursues his bachelor degree in Chemical

Engineering at TIP MNL. He is currently a member of Philippine
Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Garcia, Gellene O., pursues her bachelor degree in Chemical
Engineering at TIP MNL. She is currently a member of Philippine
Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Lopez, Charmaine A.., pursues her bachelor degree in Chemical
Engineering at TIP MNL. She is currently a member of Philippine
Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Dana May S. Miguel, fourth year Chemical Engineering student at the

Technological Institute of the Philippines.

Pelagio, Maria Mikaela V., pursues her bachelor degree in Chemical

Engineering at TIP MNL. She is currently a member of Philippine
Institute of Chemical Engineers.