SORAN UNIVERSTY

FACULTY OF ENGINNRING
CHIMECAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
THIRD STAGE
FIRST SEMESTER

Soap and Detergent Manufacture

Prepared by: Supervisor by:

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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Soap .............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Manufacturing Process of Soap ................................................................................................................ 3
Detergents .................................................................................................................................................... 5
Raw Materials ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Chemical Reactions .................................................................................................................................. 5
DETERGENT MANUFACTURE............................................................................................................ 6
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 8
References .................................................................................................................................................... 8

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 Introduction
Soaps and detergents are known as the chemical compounds of a mixture of compounds that are
used as cleansing agents. A soap is either sodium or potassium salt of different combinations of
fatty acids that possess cleansing action in the water. On the other hand, detergents are far better
solutions when it comes to cleaning purposes since they are not affected by the hardness of the
water.

Soap
Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of several combinations of fatty acids and have cleansing
action in combination with water. They consist of several fats and oils as well. Examples of soap
include sodium oleate, sodium stearate, and sodium palmitate. Soap consists of 2 primary raw
materials: (i) fat and (ii) alkali. Alkali is the most commonly used material and is also called
sodium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide is also used in manufacturing soaps. Potassium-based
soap is also called soft soap because it creates a more water-soluble product than sodium-based
soap. Soft soap is generally used in shaving products, alone or in combination with sodium-based
soaps.

Manufacturing Process of Soap

Both fats and oils are needed to make soaps and they are extracted from animals and plants. For
making the fatty acid molecules like those of triglycerides, three molecules of fatty acids get added
to one molecule of glycerin. These fatty acids are weaker and consist of two different parts. One
is a carboxylic group that consists of one hydrogen atom, two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom.
The other is a hydrocarbon chain that is attached to the carboxylic acid group. Generally, soap is
created from a long chain of carbon atoms that carry two hydrogen atoms. Previously, the alkali
which was needed to make soaps was derived from animals, but today it is clinically composed.
The common alkalis that are used to make soaps are sodium hydroxide, which is commonly called
caustic soda, and potassium hydroxide, which is commonly called caustic potash.

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The manufacturing process of soaps consists of the following different methods.

 Saponification the most common method used to make soaps is known as saponification.
A greater number of fats and oils get heated up and are then mixed into a liquid alkali for
producing soap and water and glycerin.
 Neutralization Fats and oils get hydrolyzed in the presence of high pressurized steam for
getting crude fatty acids along with glycerin. These fatty acids are then purified by the
process of distillation and neutralized through an alkali to give a soap.

When sodium is used in the form of an alkali, the soaps that are formed are hard and solid. The
soaps that contain potassium as an alkali liquid are much softer. The cleansing property of soaps
entirely depends on how hard the water is since hard water consists of harmful minerals. For the
same reason, detergent surfactants are preferred over soaps.

Figure 1: Flow-diagram-of-soap-production-by-bath-process.

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 Detergents

A detergent is a chemical compound that is commonly used for washing and cleaning of
various materials, surfaces, and products such as clothes, floors, tableware, chemical processing
equipment etc. Detergents can be classified into various types based on their application. Some
common types include,

 Detergent Powders – Used for washing clothes

Raw Materials

 Surfactants these are organic derivatives such as sodium salts of high molecular weight
alkyl sulfates and sulfonates.
 Builders these are inorganic chemicals that are added to detergents.
 Additives these chemicals enhance the properties of detergents and act as a medium for
distinguishing various brands of detergents based on their additive power and enhanced
capabilities.

Chemical Reactions

Main Reaction: Alkyl benzene reacts with oleum to form alkyl benzene sulfonate and sulphuric
acid. The reaction is exothermic.

𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻5 + 𝐻2 𝑆𝑂4 . 𝑆𝑂3 → 𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻4 − 𝑆𝑂3 𝐻 + 𝐻2 𝑆𝑂4 𝛥𝐻 = −420 𝑘𝐽/𝑘𝑔

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Secondary Reactions: Alkyl benzene sulfonate reacts with oleum to form di-sulfonate and
Sulphuric acid.

𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻4 − 𝑆𝑂3 𝐻 + 𝐻2 𝑆𝑂4 . 𝑆𝑂3 → 𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻3 − (𝑆𝑂3 𝐻)2 + 𝐻2 𝑆𝑂4

Alkyl benzene sulfonate reacts with alkyl benzene to form sulfone and water.

𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻4 − 𝑆𝑂3 𝐻 + 𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻5 → 𝑅 − 𝐶6 𝐻4 − 𝑆𝑂2 − 𝐶6 𝐻4 − 𝑅’ (1%) + 𝐻2 𝑂

DETERGENT MANUFACTURE

 Crutcher the Crutcher is a mixing unit that is steam and water jacketed from inside and is
incorporated with agitators for homogenous mixing. Raw materials for detergents which
include surfactants, builders, and additives are added to the Crutcher. Various other
chemicals such as colour pigments, naphthalene and TiO2 are added to the Crutcher unit.
Naphthalene acts as a germicide. During the crutching process, water is removed from the
detergent mixture and a thick paste is formed which is then forwarded to a drop tank, which
is also used for pressure adjustment of the detergent paste being pumped into the tank.
From the drop tank, the detergent mixture is passed on to the spray tower.
 Spray Tower The spray tower is usually a 24 m high column-shaped vessel which is
primarily used for granulating the detergent paste/mix. A furnace is integrated with the
spray tower and the temperature inside the spray tower is maintained at 115°C for
proper/optimum granulation. Dried granules of acceptable size, density and shape are
obtained at the optimum operating conditions. The spray tower is also integrated with a
cyclone separator and a stack removal system in order to remove light weight
impurities and flue gases, thus forming an environmental protection approach.
 Cyclone Separator, Screening and Filtration the granules from the spray tower are passed
on to the cyclone separator which separates the heavy granules from the light ones on the
principle of centrifugal forced separation. The product from the cyclone separator is
subjected to a screening chamber where granules of required size pass through and the

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 remaining are sent to the filter unit. The light weighted granules from the cyclone separator
are also sent to the filter unit, in order to separate granules of required size.
 Perfume addition and Packing Finally, perfume and fragrant smells are added to the
detergent granules. Afterwards, the granules are forwarded to the packing section for sale
and distribution.

Figure 2: detergent manufacture.

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 Conclusion

 Soaps and detergents have similar functions, but they do differ in chemistry and
performance. With the help of the experiments performed in class or lab, students will be
able to analyze the similarities and differences in the properties of soap and detergent,
which can be done by analyzing foaming ability, testing pH, fat emulsification, examining
the effect of soap and detergent on the surface tension of water, and the performance of
soap and detergent in hard water.
 Detergents have an ample range of advantages over soaps. Hence, they are replacing soaps
as washing agents.
 The detergent surfactants are far better solutions when it comes to cleansing purposes since
the hard water does not have any effect on them. Detergents today are much better liquid
solutions for cleaning purposes. The surfactants that are used to make detergents are made
through petrochemical solutions like sulphur trioxide, sulphuric acid, ethylene oxide, and
oleochemicals. Sodium and potassium are used as alkalis in the detergents, just like soaps.

References
 https://www.detergentbusiness.com/
 https://www.palamaticprocess.com/case-studies/chemical/detergent-laundry-
powder#:~:text=Main%20process%20steps%3A%20Storage%2C%20pneumatic%20conveying%2
C%20mechanical%20conveying%2C,of%20the%20different%20components%20into%20the%20
mixing%20line.
 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Flow-diagram-of-soap-production-by-bath-
process_fig1_303912974
 https://thesoapnoodles.com/faq-items/what-are-raw-materials-used-in-soap-production/