On Sunday (July 21, 2024), UNDIP KKN Team II students conducted an educational activity on processing used cooking oil into aromatherapy candles in Dukuh Dalangan, Dalangan Village, Tawangsari District, Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java. This activity was attended by the PKK mothers of Dalangan Village as participants. This program aims to reduce the use of waste cooking oil for a healthy environment.
Used cooking oil is oil that has been used to fry food. This oil deteriorates in quality after being used several times, often containing food residue, undergoing oxidation, and becoming contaminated with harmful compounds like acrylamide and trans fatty acids. The use of used cooking oil can increase health risks such as heart disease, cancer, and digestive disorders.
Beside health risks, used cooking oil can also have a negative impact on the environment if disposed of improperly. Disposing of used cooking oil down the drain can clog pipes and contaminate the soil and water. Indonesia is one of the largest exporters of used cooking oil to several European countries. Nationally, the potential production of used cooking oil could reach 1.2 million kiloliters per year, according to TRACTion Energy Asia in 2023.
Using used cooking oil to make aromatherapy candles is one creative way to process household waste. Beside reducing negative environmental impacts, recycling used cooking oil into aromatherapy candles can provide benefits as an environmentally friendly product alternative, reduce household waste, and offer economic potential.
This activity began with a presentation on the tools and materials that would be used to make aromatherapy candles, as well as an explanation of the ingredients used, delivered by KKN Team II UNDIP students from the Industrial Chemical Engineering Technology program. The event then continued with a demonstration of how to make aromatherapy candles, explaining each step by step. It started with collecting used cooking oil from each house, which was then clarified using bleaching earth and filtered.
After the used cooking oil is clear, the process of making aromatherapy candles begins using stearic acid (stearin), oil dye powder, and essential oil. The used cooking oil is heated, then stearic acid is added, after which the stove is turned off and the dye powder and essential oil are added. Then, thread mattress twine around the candle container to the stick above it, pour the melted wax into the container, wait 30-40 minutes until the wax hardens, and the aromatherapy candle is ready to use. This KKN program is expected to enable the community to better utilize used cooking oil waste into reusable products with practical value. [Contributor: Alifa Nur Shabrina]