Vol. 15(1), pp.

1-10, January-March, 2020

DOI: 10.5897/SRE2019.6649
Article Number: FEC1AE762643
ISSN 1992-2248
Copyright©2020
Author(s) retain the copyright of this article Scientific Research and Essays
http://www.academicjournals.org/SRE

Full Length Research Paper

Preparation of Laundry Soap from Used Cooking Oils:

Getting value out of waste
Legesse Adane
Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawassa University, Ethiopia
Received 16 August, 2019; Accepted 14 October, 2019

Palm oil is commonly used to prepare laundry soap by treating it with alkaline solutions. However,
using it for this purpose is becoming expensive as palm oil is imported from few major exerting
countries. Moreover, it is used for biodiesel production. Therefore, looking for alternative raw material
that substitutes palm oil for soap production is imperative. Used cooking oils (UCOs) are good
candidates in this regard. In the present study, laundry soaps were prepared using UCOs and sodium
hydroxide solution. The cleaning actions and physicochemical properties were evaluated and
compared with that commercial soaps purchased from local market. The pH, moisture content, free
caustic alkali, % chloride and total alkali content values of the prepared soap materials were found to be
in range of 9.31 to 10.56, 6.67 to 14.47%, 0.19 to 0.22%, 0.12 to 0.21%, 0.78 to 1.09%, 75.42 to 88.53%,
70.35 to 84.68%, 0.98 to 1.52%, and 0.28 to 0.67%, respectively. The results obtained in this study were
comparable with the physicochemical properties of the commercial soap products used in the study.
Moreover, the observed data were comparable with similar data reported in literature and East African
Standards (EAS) suggesting that UCOs can be used as raw materials to prepare good quality laundry
soap by replacing imported palm oil.

Key words: Laundry soap, used cooking oil, saponification, physicochemical properties, saponification.

INTRODUCTION

Soap is the sodium (Na) or potassium (K) salt of a long affinity for grease (dirt) and the carboxyl group for water.
chain fatty acid (at least 12 carbons hydrocarbon chain In this way, the dirt is dissolved in the alkyl groups of the
and linked with carboxylic acid functional group). Soaps soap molecules while the ionic end allows it to be
could be solid and liquid depending on ingredients used dissolved in water. This process, ultimately, results in
for preparation. For instance, solid soaps typically consist removal of dirt from clothes and skins of human body
of sodium salts of fatty acids and liquid soaps consist of (Gunstone et al., 1986; Phansteil et al., 1998; Okeke,
potassium salts of fatty acids (Schuman and Siekman, 2009; Mao et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2014). The general
2005; Gunstone et al., 1986; Head et al., 1995). Their saponification reaction used in soap preparation is shown
cleansing action can be attributed to the presence of long below (Figure 1).
hydrocarbon chains attached to a carboxyl group Most of the modern or commercial soap preparation
(carboxylate anion). The hydrocarbon chain has an methods that are being used today have evolved from

E-mail: adanelegesse@gmail.com. Tel: 00251916395678.

Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
License 4.0 International License
2 Sci. Res. Essays

Triglyceride Caustic soda Glycerin Soap

Figure 1. A general scheme of soap preparation (or saponification) processes

ancient methods with some modifications through times. Riera et al., 2000). With the increasing numbers of fast
The methods involve treatment of raw material such as food processing industries, hotels and restaurants in the
lard and tallow (from animal sources), coconut, palm and present modern world, it is expected that considerable
olive oils (from vegetable sources) with alkaline solutions amounts of UCOs are discarded into human environment
such as NaOH or KOH (Pavila et al., 1982; Donkor, 1986; and cause pollution. Therefore, proper collection and
Mabrouk, 2005; Sani and Hassan, 2007; Oghome et al., reusing them for other purposes such as biofuel and soap
2012). making (Khalisanni et al., 2008; Panadare and Rathod,
It is well known that almost all soap making process 2015; Hazwani et al., 2013; Alemayehu and Abile, 2014;
involves use of oils from plant sources (mainly palm oil) Kazuo and Kasukabe, 1989;
and animal fats (e.g., tallow). Palm oil is imported by https://www.changemakers.com/discussions/entries/) is a
soap manufacturing industries of many countries mainly very important option in order minimize environmental
from two major exporting Asian countries (namely, pollution caused by UCOs as well as extending the finite
Malaysia and Indonesia) (Bazmi et al., 2011; Sonja and natural resources through reusing these wastes for other
Nathalie, 2006). Current trends are showing that these (new) purposes.
raw materials are being used for other competitive Similar to elsewhere in developing world/countries,
purposes such as biodiesel production by developed UCOs are treated as wastes in Ethiopia, and disposed
countries of the western world (Tincliffe and Webber, into environment without any concern by users or
2012; Arifin, 2009; Grain, 2007; Rudy, 2006). These concerning authorities. Thus, this study was initiated to
completive uses of palm oil and animal fats are expected prepare laundry soap materials by treating UCO samples
to create severe scarcity of raw materials for soap with sodium hydroxide, and to evaluate their
industries. Therefore, in the near future, their continuous physicochemical properties and cleaning powers, and
and sufficient supply may be difficult to soap also to see the possibility this approach to minimize
manufacturing industries. This fact made looking for pollution of UCOs in the environment. The re-use of
alternative raw materials for soap production to be an UCOs as raw materials for soap production is expected
urgent issue. Used cooking oils (UCOs) could be good to have two advantages; the first is its use as substitute
candidates in this regard (Peters et al., 2013; Araujo et for palm oil and animal fat for ecofriendly laundry soap
al., 2013). production, and secondly used as disposal options or to
UCOs are left overs of oils and fats that have been avoid environmental problems (Dimple et al., 2017). They
used for cooking/frying in food processing industries, are also easy to collect from food processing industries,
restaurants, fast food making institutions and at a street food venders, restaurants and hotels. Moreover,
consumer (household) level. They are usually disposed they are relatively cheaper than other oils (refine oils).
to environment as wastes after repeated uses for However, before using the collected UCOs directly for
cooking/frying. When disposed to environment, they soap making, their suitability (quality) need to be
cause many environmental problems such as sanitary evaluated.
sewer over flowing as a result of blockade of sanitary
sewer systems in cities, clog sewer and septic system,
and also unnecessarily increased organic load on water MATERIALS AND METHODS
bodies. They also contaminate water and land resources
(Arjun et al., 2008; Gomez and Machado, 2015; Collection and pre-treatment of UCOs
Babatunde and Bello, 2016). UCOs have also been
The UCOs samples were collected from restaurants, hotels and
reported to cause serious human health hazards such as street food venders from Addis Ababa in the month of August 2017.
heart diseases, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s Literature reported procedures were employed to do the pre-
disease, liver disease, gastrointestinal disorders and treatment on the collected UCOs in order to remove solid, inorganic
even mutagenesis in human body (Potgieter et al., 2004; material and other contaminants. It was carried out, first, by heating
 Adane 3

Figure 2. UCO samples obtained from hotel, restaurant and street food vender.

them at 60 °C. The hot oil samples were then allowed to cool to Determination of saponification value
room temperature. Suction filtration was also used to remove the
above mentioned impurities and to make UCOs suitable for soap The saponification number (value) is defined as the milligrammes of
preparation (Dennis and Kevin, 1988; Bernard et al., 1990; Pocknell potassium hydroxide (KOH) required to saponify 1g of fat or oil
and Venni, 2010; Araújo et al., 2013) (Figure 2). [Odoom and Edusei, 2015; Nielson, 1994]. Two grams of the oil
sample was weighed into a clean dried conical flask and 25 ml of
alcoholic potassium hydroxide (KOH) was added. The flask was
Analyses of physicochemical properties of UCOs heated for an hour with frequent shaking. 1 ml of 1%
phenolphthalein indicator was added and the hot excess alkali was
Though there are several parameter to evaluate qualities of oils titrated with 0.5 mol/L hydrochloric acid (HCl) until it reached the
[Kumar, 2014), the two important parameters namely iodine and end point where it turned colorless. A blank titration was carried out
Saponification values were considered in this experiment to assess at the same time and under the same condition (Nkafamiya et al.,
the properties of the collected UCOs for soap making. 2010). The saponification value was calculated using Equation 2.

Determination of iodine value

(2)
Iodine value (iodine number) is the amount (in g) of iodine absorbed
by 100 g of the oil or fat. The value gives an idea of the average B and S are titre values of blank and sample, respectively, M is the
degree of unsaturation of an oil/fat or number of carbon-carbon Molarity of HCl and 56.1 is the molecular weight of KOH.
double bonds. Thus, the higher the iodine value, the greater the
number of C=C double bonds and also reflects susceptibility oil to
oxidation or low stability as oil fats with a greater number of double Preparation of laundry soap
bonds provide more sites for oxidation (Akinhanmi et al., 2008;
Nelson, 1994; Odoom an Edusei, 2015). One gram of oil sample 60 mL of UCO samples (Figure 2) was heated to 40°C in separate
was weighed in a 250 ml beaker, and 10 ml of carbon tetrachloride flasks. Then 90 ml of 20% sodium hydroxide solution was diluted
was added to the oil. Then, 20 ml of Wijs solution was added and with distilled water and mixed with hot UCOs in separate flasks. The
allowed to stand in the dark for 30 min. After 30 min, 15 ml of (10%) mixtures were stirred using magnetic stirrer. The mixtures were
potassium iodide and 100 ml of water was added. The resulting continuously stirred until foam was subsided in each flask. Then
mixture was then titrated with 0.1 mol/ml thiosulphate solution using saturated sodium chloride solution was added, followed by filtration
starch as indicator just before the end point. A blank was also and drying in oven at 60°C for 24 h to get yellowish soap bars. All
prepared alongside the oil samples. The iodine value was obtained the experiments were done in triplicates.
using the following equation (Eq. 1) (Nawal et al., 2014)).

Physicochemical tests/experimental details

(1) The physicochemical characteristic of soap depends on several

factors such physicochemical characteristics including pH, moisture
Where, B and S are titre values of blank and sample, respectively. content, free caustic alkalinity and total fat matter (TFM) (Atiku et
M is the molarity of Na2S2O3, 12.69 is the conversion factor from al., 2014). The physico-chemical properties of the soap samples
Meq Na2S2O3 to gram iodine molecular weight of iodine and W is were analyzed using standard procedures reported in literatures al.,
the weight of oil. (Hautfenne, 1982; AOCS, 1997; Onyegbado et al., 2002; Vivian et
4 Sci. Res. Essays

2014). The experiments were carried out in triplicates. chloride causes soaps to crack. One cause of high chloride content
in soaps could be use of chlorinated water to dissolve NaOH pellets
for soap preparation (Taiwo et al., 2008). 10 grams of soap
Determination of pH samples were dissolved in distilled water. The solution was made
up to 100 mL by adding water and then heated to dissolve sample.
pH values (or acidity and basicity) refer to the degree of acidity or
The resulting solution was transferred into a 250 mL volumetric
basicity of a given solution (Pure Appl. Chem., 2002). The powder
flask. 20 mL of 15% (Ca(NO3)2) solution was added to the mixture,
of commercial soap bars (10 g) were weighed and dissolved in
and it was shaken to dissolve the soap completely. Distilled water
distilled water. The solution was made up to 100 mL to prepare
was added to the solution up to the 250 mL mark. The solution was
10% soap solution. The pH meter was calibrated using a buffer
then filtered and methyl red was added to 100 mL of the filtrate. The
solution of pH 7 and 10 before measuring the pH of the soap
solution was titrated against 10 N H2SO4 (aq) until a pink color was
solutions. The meter used for pH determination was Hanna pH-211
obtained. Finally, the resulting solution was titrated against 0.1 M
microprocessor pH meter. Two grams of each of prepared soap
AgNO3 using K2Cr2O7 as indicator till a brick red color is obtained.
was dissolved in 10 mL of distilled water and retained till sample
Equation 5 was used for calculating the % chloride:
dissolved, and their pH values were determined with the same
instrument.

Determination of moisture content

(5)
The moisture content (MC) of soaps is the quantity of water present
in soap. It is determined by heating soap samples at 103±2°C until Determination of total alkali content
constant mass was observed. 5 g of each soap material was put in
clean and dried dish and dried in an oven for 2 h and temperature Total alkalinity is the total alkaline material present in soap. It is
of 101°C. The heating was repeated until a constant weight was expressed as a percentage (n/rn) of sodium hydroxide or potassium
reached. The % moisture was calculated using Equation 3: hydroxide according to whether sodium or potassium soaps are
concerned (Hautfenne, 1982). It was determined by titrating excess
acid contained in aqueous phase with standard volumetric NaOH
solution. 10 grams of soap samples were mixed with 100 mL of
neutralized ethanol. 5 mL of 1 N H2SO4 (aq) solution was added to
(3) the mixture and was heated till the soap sample dissolved. The
flask was gradually cooled to room temperature, and the remaining
Where, CW = weight of crucible, CS = weight of crucible + sample, amount of sulphuric acid (after hydrolysis and neutralization of all
CL = weight of crucible + sample after floating alkaline components in soap) was estimated by back titrating test
mixture with standard 1N NaOH using phenolphthalein as an
indicator. The total alkali was obtained with Equation 6:
Determination of free caustic alkali

The key to make good soap is to ensure that there is no free or

excessive alkali. Free caustic alkali was determined by the method
described by Milwidsky and Gabriel (Carlos et al., 2011). The free (6)
caustic alkali content of sodium soaps of ordinary quality is the Where, VA = volume of acid added in the experiment, VB = volume
quantity of free caustic alkali, expressed as a percentage (rn/n) of of base at the end point, W = weight of soap used in the
sodium hydroxide (Hautfenne, 1982). It is one of the parameters experiment.
that determine the abrasiveness of any given soap materials. This
mostly results from improper or incomplete saponification
(Onyekwere, 1996). 5 grams of finished soap was weighed and
Determination of total fatty matter
dissolved in 30 mL of ethanol. Few drops of phenolphthalein
indicator and 10 mL of 20 % BaCl2 were added into the soap
Total Fatty matter (TFM) is defined as total amount of fatty matter,
solution. The resulting solution was then titrated against 0.05 M
mostly fatty acids, that can be separated from a sample after
H2SO4 (aq) till the solution becomes colorless. For free caustic alkali
splitting with mineral acid, usually HCl (Betsy et al., 2013). TFM was
the volume of the acid obtained was calculated using Equation 4
one of the crucial characteristics describing quality and nature of
(Carlos et al., 2011):
soap. This is the reason why TFM is always specified in commercial
soap. In the present study, determination of TFM was done
following a method described in AOCS (ISO, 1975), with slight
modifications. The tests were carried out by reacting soaps samples
(4) with acid in the presence of hot ethanol and measuring the fatty
acids obtained. 10 grams of soap samples was mixed with 150 mL
Where, VA = Volume of acid added in the experiment, W = Weight of warm neutralized ethanol, and was heated; the soap materials
of soap used in the experiment were dissolved. The dissolved solution was then filtered, and the
residue was dried in oven at 110°C for 1 h and weighed again. The
total fat matter was obtained using Equation 7 (AOCS, 1997):
Determination of % chloride

The chloride content of commercial soaps is the quantity of sodium

chloride or potassium chloride, expressed as a percentage by mass (7)
(rn/rn). The determination of percentage chloride in soap is a very
important parameter (Hautfenne, 1982). This is because excess Where, MC = moisture content and MIA = matter insoluble in
 Adane 5

Table 1. Iodine value and saponification value of UCOs

Iodine value Saponification value

Type of UCOs
(g I2/g) (mg KOH/g)
UCOs obtained from hotel 31.03±0.45 201.33±0.58
UCOs obtained from restaurant 30.00±1.00 205.00±2.00
UCOs obtained from street food vender 32.30±0.62 196.60±0.53

alcohol. hotels and restaurants, respectively (Table 1). The

saponification values of oil samples obtained from hotels
Test of cleaning power and lather formation of the prepared
and restaurants are relatively higher, and characterized
soap materials by the presence of relatively high concentration of low
molecular weight free fatty acid in their triglycerides as
The cleaning power of the prepared soap bars was evaluated using revealed. The observed values are lower than the
pieces of cotton clothes that were stained with Chicken sauce (Doro reported saponification values of palm oil (191 mg
wot in local language). Their lather foaming abilities were evaluated KOH/g) (Adulkadir and Jimoh, 2013). The values are also
in distilled water by adding equal amount of soap solution in test
tube and shaken vigorously by placing a stopper in the tube. For
in line with the standard guidelines set by NAFDAC and
the sake of comparison, the same procedures were done with CODEX as well as some other literature reports (Wali et
randomly selected threes commercial laundry soaps purchased al., 2015; Nkafamiya et al., 2010; Musa et al., 2012;
from local market. CODEX, 1969). It is reported that the larger the
saponification number, the better the soap making ability
of the oil (Nielson, 1994). Thus, the UCOs used in the
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION study were found to possess comparable saponification
values with that of palm oil suggesting that UCOs can be
Analysis of properties of UCOs used as a substitute for palm oil in soap making.
The greater the iodine value, the more the unsaturation
and the higher the susceptibility to oxidation. Thus, the Physicochemical properties of the prepared soaps
iodine values of the UCO samples were analyzed using
procedure reported in literature (Anyasor et al., 2009). There are reports on the use of UCOs to soaps of low to
The finding of the study showed that 30±1.00g I2/g for medium grades by direct saponification method (Kazuo
UCOs was obtained from restaurants, 31.03± g I2/g for and Kasukabe, 1989). In the present study, laundry
UCOs was obtained from hotels and 32.3±0.62g I2/g for soaps were prepared, and their phyisco-chemical
UCOs was obtained from street food venders (Table 1). It properties as well as cleaning abilities of the prepared
has been reported that lowering the iodine value soaps were also evaluated. The results were compared
improves the stability and good yield of the liquid oil with literature reports and some standards.
(Akinola et al., 2010). The values obtained from the
analyses were lower as compared to the data reported
values in literature (Akinyeye et al., 2011). Moreover, the pH
observed iodine values of the oils were lower than
reported iodine value of palm oil (53.87) (Adulkadir and The observed pH values of the prepared laundry soaps
Jimoh, 2013) suggesting that the UCOs can be used as were in the range of 9.31±0.81 to 10.56±0.44, and were
suitable raw materials for soap making. also comparable to each other. In the case of commercial
Studies showed that high saponification values indicate soap samples, the pH values were in the range of
oil samples/products are normal triglycerides and will be 10.34±0.11 to 11.41±0.21, and these values are
useful in the production of soap (Yourself et al., 2013; comparable to each other but relatively higher than that
Tan et al., 2002). On the other hand, the lower the of the prepared soap materials (Table 2). High pH values
saponification value, the larger the molecular weight of showed the presence of incomplete hydrolysis. It can be
fatty acids in the glycerides or the number of ester bonds overcome by adding excess fat or oil or any other super
is less (Musa et al., 2012). The saponification values of fatting agent to reduce the harshness of soap (Wara et
UCOs samples were also analyzed to evaluate their al., 2011). Superfatting also helps to prevent development
potential as substitute of palm oil (widely used raw of cracks in soap bars, produce better lathering
material for soap production). The results obtained from properties and good hand feel. The observed data were
the study showed that the saponification values to be consistent with the report by Shoge who stated that
196.6±0.53 mg KOH/g, 201.33±0.58 mg KOH/g and soaps whose pH values fall in the range of 9.0-11.0 are
205±2.00 for UCOs obtained from street food venders, skin and fabric friendly (Shoge, 2011).
6 Sci. Res. Essays

Table 2. The pH values of the prepared and commercial soaps used in the study.

Type of soap used pH of the solutions prepared

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotels 9.86 ±0.53
UCOs obtained from restaurants 9.31±0.81
UCOs obtained from street food venders 10.56±0.44

Commercial soap
Sky 10.34±0.11
Lia 11.41±0.21
Picolo 11.09±0.26

Table 3. The moisture contents of the prepared soap samples and some
commercial laundry soaps.

Types of soap used Moisture content (%)

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel 6.67±0.95
UCOsobtainedfrom restaurant 10.73±0.34
UCOs obtained from street food vender 14.47±0.84

Commercial soap
Sky 17.0±0.27
Lia 4.80±0.65
Picolo 7.60±0.52

Moreover, the data are comparable with the data obtained 2013).This suggests that the prepared soaps can be
from commercial soap products (Table 1). used for cleaning/washing purposes.

Moisture content Free caustic alkali

Reports showed that moisture content (MC) is a The results from this study indicated that free caustic
parameter that is used in assessing the shelf-life of a alkali contents of the laundry soaps prepared from the
product. High MC values in soap would lead to reaction UCOs obtained from restaurant, hotel and street food
of excess water with unsaponified fat to give free fatty vender were 0.22±0.03%, 0.20±0.02% and 0.19±0.03%,
acid and glycerol (Victoria et al., 2011). The percentage respectively (Table 4). These values are comparable to
of MCs of the prepared laundry soap samples was free caustic alkali contents of commercial soaps used in
observed to be in the range of 6.67±0.95% to the experiment (Table 4). The data indicate the prepared
14.47±0.84% whereas the percentages of MC for the soaps can be used for laundry purpose without any
commercial soap samples used in the study were problems on human skins. Moreover, the data (values)
4.80±0.65% to 17±0.27% (Table 3). The analyses results are below or within permissible limit of free caustic alkali
in the study indicated that MC of the soap prepared from contents of laundry soaps proposed by EAS (0.2%)
UCO obtained from hotel was lowest (6.67±0.95%) and (EAS, 2013). This suggested that the prepared soaps will
that UCO from street food vender was the highest have no adverse effect on cloth or skin.
(14.47±0.84%). These differences could be due to
differences in chemical compositions of the oils. The
degree of heating and frequency of re-use of oils for Percentage of chloride
frying or cooking may be different in hotels, restaurants
and street food venders. The obtained data also showed In his study, the percentage of chloride of the laundry
that MC values of the prepared soaps are below soap prepared using UCOs is comparable to each other,
permissible limits of EAS (30% for laundry soaps) (EAS, and also with that of commercial soaps used in the study
 Adane 7

Table 4. The free caustic alkali contents of the prepared soap materials and
commercial soaps used in the study.

Types of soap used Free caustic alkalinity (%)

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel 0.20±0.02
UCOs obtained from restaurant 0.22±0.03
UCOs obtained from street food vender 0.19±0.03

Commercial soap
Sky 0.12±0.005
Lia 0.16±0.008
Picolo 0.19±0.01

Table 5. The % of chloride of soap prepared from UCOs and commercial

soaps used in the study.

Types of soap used Percentage (%) chloride

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel 0.20±0.03
UCOs obtained from restaurant 0.12±0.01
UCOs obtained from street food vender 0.18±0.01

Commercial soap
Sky 0.15±0.02
Lia 0.15±0.05
Picolo 0.12±0.03

(Table 5). The data are also below the data reported in samples were found to be in the range of 82.10±0.81% to
literature (1.15%) [50], and also below the limit set by 88.42±1.12% (Table 7). All the data are comparable to
EAS (1.5%) (I Hautfenne, 1982). each other, and also with ISO specifications of laundry
soaps (76%) (ISO, 1975), indicating that the prepared
soaps have good or acceptable quality.
Total alkali content

The obtained data for the prepared laundry soaps Cleaning action and lather formation of the prepared
indicated that the total alkali to be in the range of soaps
0.78±0.02% to 1.09±0.05% and that of the commercial
soaps used in the test were in the range of 0.47±0.01% Cleansing power, bubbly, hardness, conditioning, creamy
to 0.78±0.01% (Table 6).The data obtained for all the and lather formation are the main characteristics
prepared soaps are slightly higher than the values commonly used to evaluate quality of laundry soaps.
obtained from commercial soaps used in the experiment These characteristics can be explained based on the fatty
(Table 6). The results obtained in the current study are all acid compositions of the oils used in soap formulation.
below the value set by ISO specification that states for For instance, the presence of saturated fatty acids such
soaps should have only below 2% of alkali content (ISO, as lauric acid and myristic acids is known to produce
1975). soap with fluffy lather and high cleansing power
(Phansteil et al., 1998). The cleaning powers of the soaps
prepared from UCOs (of different sources) were tested
Total fatty matter on cotton clothes stained with Chicken sauce (Doro wot).
The results showed that the soap obtained from UCOs
The TFM values of the prepared laundry soap samples that were collected from hotel, restaurant and street food
were observed to be in the range of 75.42±0.96% to vender to be medium, good and excellent, respectively
88.53±1.25% whereas the TFM data of commercial soap (Table 8).
8 Sci. Res. Essays

Table 6. The total alkali contents of the prepared soaps and the
commercial soaps used in the experiment

Types of soap used Total alkali (%)

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel 0.78±0.02
UCOs obtained from restaurant 0.93±0.03
UCOs obtained from street food vender 1.09±0.05

Commercial soap
Sky 0.47±0.01
Lia 0.78±0.01
Picolo 0.62±0.03

Table 7. Total fatty matter of the soap samples prepared from UCOs and
that of commercial soap samples used in the study.

Types of soap used Total fatty matter (%)

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel 82.52±0.83
UCOs obtained from restaurant 88.53±1.25
UCOs obtained from street food vender 75.42±0.96

Commercial soap
Sky 82.10±0.81
Lia 86.92±0.88
Picolo 88.42±1.12

Table 8. Cleaning power and lather formation of the prepared and commercial laundry soaps.

Type of soap used Cleansing power Lathering formation

Soap product prepared from
UCOs obtained from hotel Medium Medium
UCOs obtained from restaurant Good Medium
UCOs obtained from street food vender High Good

Commercial soap
Sky Medium High
Lia Poor High
Picolo Medium Good

Moreover, the cleaning powers of the soaps were found also natures (types) of fatty acid composition of the oils
to be relatively better than that of commercial soap used in the soap preparations; some commercial soaps
samples (Sky, Lia and Picolo) included in study. also have foam stabilizer which helps the foam to stay
However, the results showed that only the soap sample longer. Thus, fatty acid compositions of the oils (UCOs)
prepared from UCO collected from street food vender used to prepare soap materials need to be determined
showed comparable lather formation with that of Picolo before soap preparations in order get adequate chemical
soap. In this regard, Sky and Lia soaps were found to information about soaps to be prepared. The observed
produce very high lather as compared to the prepared properties of the soaps prepared from UCOs are
soaps (Table 8). The observed difference could be comparable with that of commercial soap samples used
attributed to the method used for soap preparation and in the study, suggesting such oils can be used to prepare
 Adane 9

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 3. Soap bars prepared from the UCOs collected from restaurant (a), street food vender (b) and hotel (c).

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soaps were found to show promising cleaning power and American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) (1997). Official and
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