Methods For Water Softening
Water softening methods mainly rely on the removal of Ca2+ and Mg2+ from a solution or the sequestration of these ions, i.e. binding them to a molecule that removes their ability to form scale or interfere with soaps. Removal is achieved by ion exchange and by precipitation methods. Sequestration entails the addition of chemical compounds called sequestration (or chelating) agents.
Since Ca2+ and Mg2+ exist as nonvolatile salts, they can be removed by distilling the water, but distillation is too expensive in most cases (rainwater is soft because it is, in effect, distilled).
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