 |  | How to Make? An Improved Soap .. Not just for more Foam (GTZ, 1993, 71 p.) | ||
 |  | F. Ecological implications | ||
|  | F.I. Problems | ||
| | F.II. Perspectives | ||
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The small-scale soap-making in pert-urban zones face as main ecological problems: energetic procurement and production of waste waters.
F.I.1. Energetic aspects
Purification of fat raw materials and saponification require heating. Generally wood and charcoal constitute the energy sources used for this.
Under this aspects, soaps making at small-scale level may thus greatly contribute to deforestation as well as the satisfaction of domestic energetic needs. The heating energy needs are very different according to the used processing methods for preparation.
They are low by cold process, middle by semi-hot and great by hot processing with graining out. At small-scale level, processing according to this last method is not strictly necessary for production of an acceptable quality soap. So it should be avoided for energy savings effectiveness.
F.I.2. Waste waters
Waste waters usually produced by small-scale soap making are the following:
- Purification waters of fat;
- Material cleaning waters;
- Glycerol contained waste waters from graining out;
- Waste waters from etheric oils distillation.
F.I.3. Soap usage and environmental pollution
Soap usage for washing or domestic cleaning presents the advantage to be less harmful to the natural environment (surface waters for example) than the synthetic detergents. The latter contain generally great quantities of phosphates and stimulate an unilateral increase of alga. The phenomenon can seriously disturb natural balance in the environment (up to the deterioration of the waters due to lack in oxigene balance). On the over hand, soap is [eight inactivated and assimilated by the organisms in aquatic milieu.
Considering the continuing sensibilisation to environment problems, the measures to minimize the impact of above mentioned implications should be taken into consideration before starting a small-scale soap-making business.
In this purpose measures for waste waters depollution and optimized use from energy sources may be done by planing. Installing a biogas plant in place of classical septic tanks could be for instance a great contribution. The produced biogas is usable as combustible and can efficiently replace the wood or wood charcoal.
Moreover in some climate areas, where external temperatures and the number of yearly sunny days are bright, efforts of research action are to be made for the design of a saponification method using sun as a source of energy. In fact the temperature of 35 - 55 °C necessary for the starting of saponification according to the cold and semi-ho/methods could be reached in appropriate boilers exposed to the sun rays in these zones.
Efforts of research-action for the mastering of such method and the achievement of a simple and efficient mixing system are well indicated.
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