A group of students researched turning old cooking oil into soap

Using the saponification reaction of fat when exposed to a strong alkaline solution, a group of students successfully researched recycled soap from used cooking oil.

After more than 9 months of research, a group of students from the Faculty of Environment - Saigon University (HCMC) - including: Sato Do, Doan Trong Kha, Cao Hoang Phuc and Le Hoang Khanh Ngan - have produced a finished soap sample. fairy. Two types of solid and liquid soap researched by the team cost from 30,000 VND/product.

A group of students from Saigon University (HCMC) received awards at the 2023 Scientific Research Student Competition - Euréka. (Photo provided by character).

Presenting about the project, team leader Sato Do said that through surveys, most used cooking oil is discharged directly into the sewer. This is one of the reasons why urban drainage systems are clogged and cause water pollution due to cooking oil accumulation. From this reality, the student group aimed to research solutions to recycle used cooking oil into cleaning products.

Old cooking oil is collected from households, filtered, deodorized and then stirred with diluted NaOH solution. Then, continue to add clay powder and pigment to the solution mixture and stir until it thickens and then pour into the mold. Finally, the mixture is dried in a cold room for complete saponification. After 7 weeks, the soap product can be used.

Soap products made from used cooking oil. (Photo provided by character).

Cao Hoang Phuc said that the group has researched and researched a formula to calculate the appropriate amount of NaOH needed to saponify cooking oil, avoiding the phenomenon of soap having a high pH, ​​making the user susceptible to caustic skin. hand. The team also adds essential oils to the soap to create a pleasant scent and creates many shapes to make the product look more beautiful.

A group of students at Saigon University said that at first, they encountered many difficulties in balancing the main task of studying at school while ensuring research progress. Although they applied a lot of knowledge, the group's first tests all failed when the soap product still smelled of cooking oil. After each failure, the whole group evaluated together to find a correction formula for the next experiment.

"The group is continuing to perfect the cooking oil recycling process in a simple way so that people can make their own soap at home. Thereby, each person will both contribute to protecting the urban drainage system and save money." received money to buy detergent" - group leader Sato Do excitedly.

MSc Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thao, lecturer at the Faculty of Environment - Saigon University, highly appreciates the community significance of soap products recycled from used cooking oil. However, if producing this product on a large scale, the team needs to consider difficulties, especially the process of collecting raw materials for recycling.

"Usage shows that soap made from old cooking oil has good cleaning ability but does not retain the scent for a long time. Besides, compared to regular soap, this soap is softer and less foamy" - MSc Thao commented.

Soap product made from used cooking oil won third prize in the field of Natural Sciences in the school-level "Student Scientific Research" competition , consolation prize in the 2023 Student Scientific Research Competition - Euréka Organized by the City Youth Union in coordination with Ho Chi Minh City National University.

Open a workshop to "upgrade" the product

Along with research, the student group also organizes workshops for those who need and want to protect the environment and relax on weekends. Besides sharing experiences and research results, the group also directly instructs how to recycle used cooking oil into soap.

Through organizing the workshop, the group has additional funds to continue research and acknowledge customers' comments during the process of using the product. From there, the team "upgrades" new versions with better quality.