The development of indigenous liquid soap for the prevention of infectious diseases in impoverished rural communities

This industrial project is designed to develop a chemical process for the formulation of liquid soap. Three ingredients required to make liquid soap are rainwater, oil, and potassium hydroxide. These three ingredients, when mixed to exhibit a chemical reaction, generate the saponification reaction and can produce soap and byproduct glycerol. The liquid soap is made from indigenous materials including coconut oil, palm oil, rainwater, cinnamon hydrosol, and potassium hydroxide extracted from wood ash as well as commercially available materials including potassium hydroxide. The Fourier Transfer Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) measures the functional groups, while the surface tension measures the critical micelle concentration; both instruments measure the standard Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS). The SDS results are then compared to oils, soap products, and byproduct glycerol. These measurements are made to determine the effectiveness of soap and to compare the wood ash potassium hydroxide with commercially available potassium hydroxide in the soap products