How to make soap through cassava peel, plantain peel ash

In 2015, world leaders agreed on a number of goals for the betterment of the humanity. Responsible production and consumption is one of the goals.

By this, key stakeholders in consumption and production of consumables and non-consumables are expected to innovate, applying natural resources in production while consumers should use the innovations meticulously. Soap is one of the basic daily household needs in every society.

It is being used for bathing, cleaning, and washing, basically. Soap is mostly produced using sodium and potassium salts of fatty acids. Since the world is interested in “doing more and better with less” using Goal 12, increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole life-cycle while increasing quality of life.

It is essential for soap making producers and aspiring entrepreneurs to consider the use of cassava and plantain peels instead of sodium and potassium ashes.

The two crops are among the most cultivated in Nigeria. In 2016, National Bureau of Statistics reported that cassava crop had the highest production quantity for the three years with 54,023,150 in 2013, 56,328,480 in 2014 and 57,643,271 in 2015.

Food and Agriculture Organisation has also hinted that is one of the largest banana and Plantain (Mussa .spp) growing countries in Africa. The country produces 2.74 million tons of banana annually, mainly for local consumption.

The peels

Cassava and Banana or plantain peels fall within agricultural waste materials that litter the whole environment across the country. Significant quantities of generated peels are been thrown on dumping sites in the southwest, Nigeria thereby constituting a source of environmental pollution, according to a recent study.

Another study has also found them to be active ingredient and as alternative sources to the much-needed lye in soap making. Lye is sometimes called caustic soda. Lye is usually in form of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide is appropriate in making solid soap, while potassium hydroxide is used to make liquid soap. To save the country’s foreign exchange, producers and aspiring entrepreneurs should consider their usage.

Preparation of ash

Getting the needed ash from the two crops’ peels require separation of dirt from the peels. After this stage, the peels should be left under the sun for two weeks until it properly dried. The third stage is the burning of the peels separately until properly burnt.

The last stage is the gathering of the ashes into a clean container and store. According to the researchers, the potassium hydroxide (KOH) concentrations of plantain peel is very high while that of cassava peel is low. Both contain potassium hydroxide (KOH) in different degrees of alkalinity. The plantain peel is moist alkaline than the cassava peel.

Readiness to buy local products

Using the ashes for soap making would not be a waste of resources based on the quantity of the two crops produced annually and Nigerians readiness to patronize products with local materials. In 2016, NOI Polls revealed that 97 percent of Nigerians expressed their willingness to buy locally made products in order to strengthen the country’s economy.