CIRCULAR REVOLUTION: FROM WASTE TO FMCGs

You might not believe it but this article is about my business plan.

I’m willing to share it with others simply because the market has room for all of us – the bottom line is how the product is packaged.

I know that not many eyeballs will interact with this info but nevertheless, it’s worth noting it down – at least for myself.

So let’s go…

FMCGs

When we think of fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), what comes to mind?

Well, we think of the things we use on a daily basis and must be replenished at least on a monthly basis.

Soap, cooking oil, toothpaste, lotion, match sticks, foodstuffs etc.

But what if we could produce some of these commodities from waste all around us?

SOAP

Soap is made up of surfactant – substances that bear a striking resemblance to a tadpole.

Yes…that young one of a frog.

Surfactants have a polar ‘head’ (a section that’s friendly to water), and a non-polar ‘tail’ (a section that’s unfriendly to water).

So when the soap comes into contact with dirt, both the water soluble and not so soluble dirt are dealt with firmly.

Now, if we think that soaps are only produced through chemical intensive processes, think again.

WASTE OIL

Take a walk into your nearby eatery.

Probably, they have loads of used cooking oil because of the consumption of french fries in your neighbourhood.

Bargain for that used oil for a few shillings – mind you, it’s unhealthy to keep on reusing oil, especially from deep frying.

So after you secure your batch, search for a soap calculator app on Google and get the exact amount of lye solution (sodium hydroxide solution) to add to the mix.

What am I talking about?

This process is called saponification.

It involves converting oils into soap using an alkaline substance like sodium hydroxide.

But there’s a catch…

First, you’ll need a weighing scale for accuracy.

Why? You don’t want to sell caustic soap that damages people’s skins.

This is because saponification is a neutralization reaction between oil and lye.

So ALL the lye MUST be neutralized before the soap is used.

Second, you’ll need to take precaution when mixing lye with water.

You see, ALWAYS add lye to water and NOT the other way round.

So you could use gloves and goggles.

Mind you, lye is accessible in chemical shops or lab supply stores and its affordable.

So next time, think of approaching that fish n chips restaurant – think of striking a deal with the owners for the used oil.

But don’t stop at that.

Create soapy goodness out of it.

Originally posted on Cleannovate Blog