Healthy Hands Clean Environment: Field Studies and UNDIP Community Service Creating Environmentally Friendly Handwashing Soap from Used Cooking Oil for Bekonang Village

Bekonang Village, Mojolaban District, Sukoharjo Regency, August 8, 2024 – On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Gabriel Christoffel (UNDIP Field Studies and Community Service), carried out innovation activities in Bekonang Village, Mojolaban District, Sukoharjo Regency. The training program for making hand washing soap from used cooking oil in Bekonang Village aims to provide knowledge and skills to the community on how to make hand washing soap from used cooking oil. It is hoped that this training can contribute to efforts to preserve the environment and improve public health.

Used cooking oil, which is leftover cooking oil, has a significant negative impact if disposed of carelessly, such as pollution to the soil that can inhibit plant growth, and water pollution that can inhibit aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, despite the bad impact if disposed of carelessly, used cooking oil turns out to have excellent potential to be processed into useful products, one of which is hand washing soap.

In an effort to preserve the environment and improve public health, Gabriel Christoffel, Industrial Chemical Engineering Student, Diponegoro University, held an innovation program to make hand washing soap from used cooking oil. In this training, the community is invited to make hand washing soap starting from processing used cooking oil into pure oil again to mixing the ingredients needed for making hand washing soap to produce hand washing soap products. In addition, the community was also given socialization about the importance of managing used cooking oil into useful products such as hand washing soap.

This training involved the community of Bekonang Village, especially PKK women, which was held at the house of the head of the RT, precisely in RT 01 RW 01 Dukuh Mojosari This training event took place on Thursday, 8 2024 which started at 19.30 – 21.30 WIB. This activity received a positive response and active participation from the villagers.

This activity begins with an explanation of what used cooking oil is, how used cooking oil is dangerous if disposed of carelessly, then to the stages of making hand washing soap from used cooking oil which is presented in the form of a video displayed through a projector. The stages of making hand washing soap from used cooking oil are as follows,

Preparation (Used Cooking Oil Screening)

1. The first step, filter 600 ml of used cooking oil. (Can use a strainer or filter cloth)
2. Weigh 28 g bleaching earth, then, put it into the used cooking oil.
3. Then, filter the mixture using a filter paper and funnel.

Liquid Soap Making

1. In the first step, put 4-5 tbsp of water into 32.5 grams of Potassium Hydroxide (KOH).
2. Stir the KOH solution until the KOH is completely dissolved, After that, mix the KOH solution into the refined oil.
3. After that, mix the KOH solution into the refined oil.
4. Stir the mixture until it thickens and slightly solidifies.
5. Next, pour 825 milli liters of hot water into the mixture. Then stir continuously until it is mixed and becomes a soap solution.
6. Add essential oil to taste, Essential oil serves as a soap fragrance.
7. Then add soap colorant (optional). Then stir the solution until the fragrance and coloring are evenly mixed.
8. After that, weigh 5 grams of salt and dissolve it with 1-2 tbsp of water. (Salt serves to thicken the soap solution)

“By utilizing used cooking oil into hand washing soap, in addition to reducing the harmful effects of used cooking oil if disposed of carelessly, we can also create an environmentally friendly hand washing soap product that is made from used cooking oil, so that it can educate the public to keep the environment healthy and clean,” said Etik, a PKK member.

This work program is expected to inspire the community of bekonang village to be able to process used cooking oil into useful products, one of which is hand washing soap, while increasing awareness of the importance of keeping the environment healthy and clean. Gabriel Christoffel expressed his hope that this innovative program can be sustainably implemented in Bekonang Village, Mojolaban District, Sukoharjo Regency. With this innovative step, it is hoped that the community of bekonang village can contribute to creating a healthier and cleaner environment.