RECYCLING DOMESTIC COOKING OIL (DCO) INTO SOAP: KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING IN PERLIS

Abstract

Malaysia generates a significant amount of waste from domestic cooking oil (DCO), which can be used as a raw material for soap production. This study examines the functionality of soap made from household cooking oil in Perlis, Malaysia. The community project provides awareness, exposure, and training to 30 participants of Sekolah Menengah Sains Syed Putra, Kangar to recycle used DCO into soap production at their homes or business premises. The approach includes identifying communities and training locations, developing training modules, preparing teaching and demonstration workshops, interactive training, monitoring, and impact studies. Soap optimizations are carried out in the lab to suit the community's knowledge background and at-home facilities. The aims of this study are to examine and create organic soap using a combination of leftover household cooking oil, decorative plants, medicinal plants, and food plants. An operating temperature of 60℃ and a moisture content of 4% are the optimal conditions for degumming. The optimal decolorizing agent is activated kaolinite clay, DCO, with a ratio of 100:5 of activated clay to DCO, at a temperature of 60℃ for a treatment time of 30 minutes. The most efficient technique for saponification involves using a mass ratio of 0.3:1 between sodium bicarbonates and DCO, and maintaining a saponification temperature of 70℃. The end products consist of two distinct varieties of soaps that have the potential to produce revenue for the local community.