Production of Laundry Soap

____________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

____________________

by

Caballero, Nadyah Ginice B.

March 31, 2023

I. TITLE: PRODUCTION OF LAUNDRY SOAP

II. OBJECTIVE:

To be able to (1) produce laundry soap using basic formulation, (2)

use hydrometer to confirm lye concentrations, (3) demonstrate safety
handling procedures in handing chemicals in the production of laundry
soap, (4) establish material balance in the production of laundry soap and
(5) compute production cost and suggested price for laundry soap.

III. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT:

MATERIALS:
Refined Coconut Oil Ethylene diamine tetra acetate (EDTA)
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) Coco diethanol amide (CDEA)
Sodium Chloride (NaCl) Light Mineral Oil
Scent of Choice Color / Pigment
Water
APPARATUS / EQUIPMENT:
Hydrometer, 0 - 70°Be Plastic Pail (20L & 16L Capacity)
100 mL Graduated cylinder Stirring Rod
25 mL Graduated cylinder Molder for Soap
Beaker (500 mL & 250 mL) Weighing Scale
Wooden Stirrer

IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS:

Materials Preparation
1. 1kg of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is dissolved in 2.8kgs of water. Cool to
room temperature.
2. In a 100 mL water, dissolve EDTA, citric acid and salt.
3. In a 1kg of coconut oil, dissolve 10 g of dye or 1g of 100g coconut oil.

Soap Preparation
1. Weigh the required coconut oil. When making colored soap, add about
10 mL of the 1.0% dye solution or as needed. To achieve uniformity, take
 note of the amount consumed and apply the same amount to the next
batches.
2. Add the lye solution to the oil. Upon adding, the mixture is being stirred
constantly for 45 minutes to an hour to achieve a condensed-milk like
consistency.
3. Add the dissolved additives and stir the mixture for 5 minutes or more.
4. Add in light mineral oil, CDEA and the scent of choice. Stir the mixture
for 5 minutes.
5. Pour the soap mixture into the soap molders lined with papers or
parchment. Let the mixture set at room temperature for 24 hours or until
soap solidifies.
6. Once the soap solidifies, remove the soap from the molder and cut it to
its desired size.
7. Cure the soap for at least three weeks to complete the saponification
process.

V. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND:

Since then, cleaning and washing clothes have both been done with
laundry soap. In order to remove dirt, stains, and oil from fabrics, this
mixture of surfactants, enzymes, builders, and other components works
together. Depending on the type of soap being created, laundry soap may
have a different specific formulation. To improve the smell and feel of the
clothes, laundry soaps might include additives like scents, dyes, and
softening agents.

Midway through the 1800s, blue soaps with mottled patterns were
first marketed in Germany as laundry soap bars. Up until the introduction of
powdered detergents in the 1950s, everyone in the world washed their
clothing with a bar of laundry soap once it gained popularity in the next
country.
 Laboratory-scale soap production is different from soap production
on an industrial scale in that laboratory-scale soap production is done in
small batches with the use of inexpensive raw materials, whereas industrial-
scale soap production uses machinery and processes to produce laundry
soap in bulk. The only difference between the procedure and the laboratory
scale is that the process is being up scaled.

VI. DATA AND OBSERVATIONS:

Time:
Mixing to pouring
Preparation Curing Packaging
into mold
50 minutes 1 hour 5 minutes 15 minutes

Table 1. Preparation of Laundry Soap

Color: White and Blue (Marble Effect)

Texture: Solid, Firm, and Smooth
Smell: Lavender
Volume: 8,421.74 mL
Weight: 8,133.81 g

Raw Materials Amount Unit Price (Php) Cost (Php)

Coconut Oil 5L 165/L 825.00

Caustic Soda 1 kg 70/kg 70.00
Sodium Chloride 4.5g 56.50/kg 0.25
Citric Acid 70g 120/kg 8.40
CDEA 50g 155/kg 7.75
EDTA 70g 480/kg 33.60
Light Mineral Oil 70g 105/kg 7.350
Scent 20mL 110/60 mL 36.67
Color 10g 5/10g 5.00

Table 2. Cost of Raw Materials

 Total Raw Material Cost: Php 994.02
Yield (Volume): 8,421.74 mL
Raw Material Cost/Volume: Php 118.03/L
Php 122.21/kg

VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Saponification is a process by which triglycerides are reacted with

sodium or potassium hydroxide (lye) to produce glycerol and a fatty acid
salt called "soap". The use of different chemical in making lye solution would
affect the final soap product. For instance, when sodium hydroxide is used,
a hard soap is produced. Then, when potassium hydroxide is used, it results
in a soft soap. Saponification is the basic chemical reaction in making soap.

3NaOH + (C17H35COO)3C3H5 3C17H35COONa + C3H5(OH)3

Caustic Glyceryl Sodium Glycerin
soda stearate stearate

Soaps are salts of a long chain of fatty acids, either potassium or

sodium salts. In nature, soaps are water soluble. In general, the dirt has an
oily texture and is water insoluble. With the creation of micelles, the soap
removes the dirt. A cluster of molecules that arranges themselves into a
spherical shape with the hydrophobic end facing inside and the hydrophilic
end facing outwards is known as a micelle.

The numerical values known as SAP values make it possible to

determine the specific quantity of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or potassium
hydroxide (KOH) needed to fully saponify a specified weight of oil or oils.
The data can be used in order to compute the number of acids in a fat or
oil. The more saponification, the more short- and medium-chain fatty acids
are present in the fat. A hydrometer is an instrument that we used to
determine the concentration of the chemicals. In soap production, a
hydrometer is used to determine specific gravity. It operates based on the
Archimedes principle which as solid body displaces its own weight within a
liquid in which it floats. Hydrometer has two classes: Scaled for liquids
heavier than water, and liquids that are lighter than water.

Soaps have different types for different uses. This includes: Liquid
soap for hand washing, moisturizing soap has a moisturizing agent that
moisturizes your hands as frequent washing of hands can eventually dry
out your hands. Moisturizing agents that are typically used in soaps are
aloe, cocoa, butter, and Shea butter. Antibacterial soap, natural soap, foam
soap, bar soap, and body soap are just some of the types of soaps available
in the market today. Additionally, soap has a lot of uses. Different soaps has
different purposes. Some soaps are intentionally made for cleaning the
body and some are used to clean household items and clothes. Soap and
detergents are commonly interchanged by consumers, but, they differ from
each other. Soap and detergents differ from each other as soaps are made
from natural ingredients such as oils from plants or acids from animal fat.
Detergents, on the other hand, are synthetic, man-made cleaning agents.

Cold process and hot process are two methods of soap making, each
with its unique advantages and disadvantages.

The cold process involves mixing oils and lye together at room
temperature, allowing the mixture to saponify over several weeks. This
method allows for more control over the ingredients and produces a mild
and gentle soap. However, it takes longer to cure and harden, and there is
a risk of lye-heavy soap if the measurements are not precise.

The hot process involves heating the oils and lye together, causing
the mixture to saponify within hours instead of weeks. This method
produces a harder and more rustic-looking soap with a rough texture. It also
allows for the addition of fragrance and colorants at the end of the process.
However, the high temperature and vigorous stirring required can cause the
soap to lose some of its moisturizing properties. In addition to the cold and
hot process methods, other methods of soap production include melt and
pour, rebatching, and continuous process. Melt and pour involves melting
pre-made soap and adding fragrances and colorants. Rebatching involves
grating pre-made soap and adding additional ingredients. Continuous
process is used for commercial soap production.

By adding 5% more oil that needed for your soap recipe, your end
product would be a super fatted soap. A lye discount, also known as super
fat, is the process of leaving some oils in a soap recipe unreacted with lye.
This results in a soap that is more moisturizing and gentle on the skin. To
make soap with a lye discount, a soap maker adds extra oils or fats to the
recipe, which are not completely saponified by the lye. A lye discount of 5-
10% is common. Soap can be made using different natural oils. Other than
coconut oil, soybean oil, olive, and palm oil can be used in making soap. By
determining the lye need using the SAP (Saponification) value of the oils
and fats used in the recipe, the soap-making process might be modified. To
calculate the precise amount of lye required to thoroughly saponify the oils
and fats, multiply the weight of each oil or fat by its SAP value. High-quality
ingredients, exact measurements, and temperature control during the soap-
making process could all be added as improvements to the process.
 Figure 1. Basic Soap Making Process

If the soap-making production method is being scaled-up for small-

scale batch production, additional equipment may be needed to ensure a
smooth and efficient production process. Some of the possible equipment
that may be needed includes a digital scale for accurate measurement of
ingredients, a stainless steel pot or crockpot for melting oils and fats, an
immersion blender for mixing oils and lye, a thermometer for monitoring
temperatures, and silicone molds for shaping the soap. Additionally,
depending on the specific recipe and desired outcome, other equipment that
may be needed includes a double boiler for melting ingredients, a spatula
for stirring ingredients, and a pH test kit for measuring the pH of the soap.
It is also important to have safety goggles and gloves for protection, as well
as a stick blender for mixing and blending ingredients. By investing in this
equipment, it can ensure a safe, efficient, and successful soap-making
production process.

Figure 2. Cold process that is used in commercial production

Figure 3. Hot process that is used in commercial production
VIII. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER WORK:

Future experiments in the production of laundry soap can use

different oils and fats as the base and comparing the results after.
Additionally, the objective of the experiment can be improved by adding
more learning outcomes in performing the experiment such as learning
about the effectiveness of the laundry soap by using it into different types
of stained fabrics. Along with that, it is beneficial to the students to engage
them with a commercial scale production process rather than performing a
small, laboratory scale experiment. In this way, they can utilize their
knowledge about the laundry soap making process done in commercial
scale and also exposing them in an industrial process can be beneficial for
their plant design undergraduate requirement.

IX. REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:

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