Purification of several contaminants in tap, ground, and river
water is needed for the drinking and industrial purposes.
Among the contaminants, hard water minerals such as
calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese ions can react
with soap anions, decreasing the cleaning efficiency (Park
et al., 2007a). The minerals also induce scaling problems and
serious failures in pipelines of boilers, heat exchangers, and
electrical appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers
and steam irons (Gabrielli et al., 2006).