Steam boilers do exactly as their name implies, they produce steam; however, may factors must be considered and managed to do this, including corrosion, scale, water minimization, fuel efficiency, safety, and Total Cost of Operation. Boiler feedwater often contains dissolved gases, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ammonia. These dissolved gases are problematic for the boiler system because they may cause corrosion, leading to equipment failures (e.g., carbon dioxide can form carbonic acid in boiler condensate, lowering the pH, and corroding the condensate piping). To minimize corrosion, the dissolved gases must be removed or neutralized. This can be achieved through the use of deaerators, which work to remove such dissolved gases to low levels reducing the amount of follow-up neutralization required (e.g., sulfite-based oxygen scavenging).