Student Title: WhaaaSAP?
Subtitle: Green Math and Enterprise of making Soap with Byproduct
Learning Neighborhood / High SchoolSubject Area (s) / Mathematics or Enterprise
Topics / Green Math
Level / Beginner - Intermediate
Teacher (s) / Kyle
Prerequisites / None
Limitations / None
Interdisciplinary and/or Course Credit Details: / 0.2 Credits
Course Description:
Making soap is a fickle thing and you must prove your math skills to get it right, otherwise you will end up with a rancid sweaty batch of quasi soap. In this class you will work to develop a bar soap recipe that must include used cooking oil. Other ingredients and oils will be up to you, but journaling of your proportional workings and trials will be requisite in creating a high quality recipe that can be recreated. Top recipes we will be bring to market under the bio soap brand. Further work will be done to calculate costing, pricing and further marketing.
Module (6-week) General Planner
Either 2 or 4 days of week are needed here based on our timetable
Day of Week / Day of WeekWeek 1 / Learn about SAP Values
Research fatty acids, additives and fragrances
*Practice math problems, must complete to be able to go on to soap making / Learn about SAP Values
Research fatty acids, additives and fragrances
*Practice math problems, must complete to be able to go onto soap making
Week 2 / Trial 1 Cold Process
Recipe Development / Trial 2 Cold Process
Recipe Development
Week 3 / Trial 3 Cold Process
Recipe Development / Marketing Soap 5 Ps
Week 4 / Trial 1 Hot Process
Recipe Development / Trial 2 Hot Process
Recipe Development
Week 5 / Trial 3 Hot Process
Recipe Development / Marketing Soap 5 Ps
Week 6 / Final Exam on Soap and Proportions / Final Exam on Soap and Proportions
Resources Used (feel free to add to this list):
● http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/739605551/p/7
● http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp - this can be used to calculate the amount of lye
● http://www.hasd.org/faculty/AndrewSchweitzer/soap_SAP_cal_Letcavage1.pdf This is a simple guide to recipe development
● http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/mas_assets/theme/ngc/pdf/soapoils.pdf Great information about different types of oils used in soap making
● http://naturalingredient.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/SoapMakingMadeEasy.pdf All around great guide to soap making
● http://www.kohalacenter.org/HISGN/pdf/Lesson3SoapmakingFinal.pdf Good resource on the chemistry of soap making
● Biodiesel Soap “The Guide” L. Blais
List the group Members of 3:
Making soap has very simple ingredients and requires simply water, oil and lye (NaOH) in the right ratio. But before we get started making soap it is important to understand the terminology. Define the following soaping terms:
SAP
NaOH
Fatty Acid
Acidic (pH)
Basic (pH)
Super-fatting
Tracing
Cold Process
Hot Process
Materials. You will need to bring these in for next class Thursday, March 3rd (please assign a name)
● What oils will you use (we have coconut oil and used cooking oil. You will need to source any other oils that you use). Make a list and explain their soap properties. Learn more on the properties of the oils here.
○ “For Example” Coconut Oil - Can make a very hard bar. It is very cleansing and can make great bubbly lather. Note that too much coconut oil can leave the skin dry and irritated.
● What fragrance will you use (we have lemongrass and ylang ylang. You will need to source the others yourself). Learn about some of the properties of essential oil here on page 55:
○ “For Example” Lemongrass - has great natural antiseptic qualities
● Other additives for color or texture. You will need to source these on your own. Learn about some of these properties here:
Below you will find the SAP values of selected Oils:
Making soap is relatively easy. It consists of oils, lye and water. First thing you need to be aware that all amounts are measured as weight, including the liquids. Grams are the common unit of measurement. The SAP values are the numbers that are used to ensure that saponification of the fatty acids and NaOH is balanced. Too much or too little lye and the soap will not be good.
How to use the SAP:
● Multiple the SAP value by the weight of each oil and add the results to find out how much lye to use
● Multiple the amount of lye by 2.5 to find out how much water will be used
How much lye would you need if you were to make a batch of soap that is 20 gram palm oil, 10 grams soybean oil and 10 grams coconut oil?
How much water will be used?
What percent of the soap is coconut oil (include the water and lye in the total weight)?
What type of soap will be made here, bubbly, hard, rich lather?
What are the challenges of working with used cooking oil?