FORMULATION AND PRODUCTION OF LEVERA SOAP
ABSTRACT
The production of the soap was carried out using all the necessary equipment like the reactor, mold, stirrer, hygrometer gauge, etc., and all the required reagents for soap production in correct proportion.
In the production, palm kernel oil (P.K.O) was used instead of tallow or grease. This was because soap produced from grease or tallow tends to dissolve slowly at room temperature, whereas, soap of palm kernel oil product gives a quicker lather which is relatively suitable.
Different formulations were developed, but the most appropriate was the ratio 2:1 of P.K.O to caustic soda solution. This ratio gave a very quality soap. The other formulation is 3:1 and 1:1 of good quality and physically, they were observed to be brittle.
The test and analysis carried out on the P.K.O and the soap produced proved that the saponification value of the P.K.O was 248.24; the refractive index was 1.451, the free fatty value of 1.58; the acid value of 4.43; the moisture content of 26.78%; free alkali of 0.214%, alcohol insoluble matter of 1.43% and PH value of 9.98 at a temperature reading 2980c. The soap was moderately soft and very soluble in water.
The quality of soap produced conformed to all the requirements for toilet soap from the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON). It was found out that the soap has no inferiors effect on the skin; does not contain any visible foreign matter which means that the soap was properly mixed, does not encourage microbial growth and lathers effectively.
It was also found that the cost of producing the herbal/medicated or antiseptic soap was N63.00k compared to that sold in the market for N100.00k per tablet. Thus, the production based on the research work was profitable and more economical.
CHAPTER ONE
Soap is defined as the sodium salt of fatty acid. It is a saponification product of fat and oil.
The washing industry, usually known as the soap industry, has roots over 2000 years in the past, a soap factory is found in the Pompeii excavation. However, among the many chemical process industries, none has experienced such a fundamental change in chemical raw materials as have the washing industries. It has been generally accepted that the per capita use of toilet soap is a reliable guide to the standard of living for any country.
Moreover, the process of soap making has progressed from batch-wise saponification process to continuous saponification process, which was first installed in 1937 by Procter and gamble.
In other words, soap is the earliest detergent known to man and apparently was first made by the Roman from animal fats and wood ashes (which contains the alkali potassium carbonate) about 2500 years ago. In colonial America and until the 1940s, most soap was manufactured by an alkaline hydrolysis reaction called saponification.
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