Life Cycle Assessment of Soap and Detergents

INSTITUTE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT STUDIESDEPARTMENT OF URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE MANAGEMENT Urban Environment Management GROUP ASSIGNMENT LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS MINI PROJECT Title: Life Cycle Analysis of Star Soap and Detergents Factory Submitted to: Ranavijai Bahudur Singh (Phd.) Group Members ID No 1. Million Getachew …………….. UECM-0050-05 2. Tewelde Gebre ………………… UECM-0069-05 April, 2013 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1. Introduction 1.1 Background to the mini project Ethiopian cities have been undergoing a tremendous transformation process and experiencing a considerable growth rate particularly in the areas of small, medium and large scale industries. However, managing and steering this process with respect to the environmental effects and consequences has become more and more challenging task. Industries by nature have high environmental impacts due to their utilization of vast amount of inputs and release of environmentally unfriendly wastes. In pursuit of a better life, industrialization is growing day by day leaving behind the pollutants on the environment. Environmental pollution is inevitable consequences of economic and people’s desire to improve their quality of life (Kumar, 2000). Accelerated water quality change due to industrial pollution is one of the majority environmental concerns throughout the world (Karen & Michael, 1994). Cleaning products play an essential role in our daily life by safely and efficiently removing soils, germs and other contaminants. They help us to stay healthy, care for our homes and make our surrounding more pleasant. Now a day’s soaps and detergents are related to our day to day activities. There are different types of soaps and detergents in use. Soaps are derivatives of fatty acids and oils through series production processes of the reaction between alkali and the fatty acids and customarily are made of triglycerides. Soap works essentially by allowing the insoluble oil and fat particles to become soluble, so that they can be simply removed away with water. Many manufacturers remove all or some portion of glycerin to prepare different types of soaps and detergents. There are a number of soap and detergent industries in Addis Ababa metropolitan City but Star Soap and Detergent Industries PLC is selected for Life-Cycle Analysis of mini project. Star Soap and Detergent Industries PLC is one of the sister company of MIDROC Ethiopia group manufacturing plants and was established in 2002 in a 21ha land area located at AkakiKality Sub City in Kebele 10/11, south of Addis Ababa. The Company commissioned its plant 2 with an initial capital of 80 million Ethiopian Birr (equivalent of 10 million US dollars at the rate of exchange at the time) and created employment opportunity to more than 180 workers. The main products of the industry are toilet and bar soaps, detergent powder and liquid detergents. The plant was designed for annual production of 5184 tons of laundry soap and 578 tons of toilet soap on a single shift operation to satisfy more than one – third of the country’s demand for soap and detergent products. 1.2 Life Cycle Analysis and Its Importance If industries or companies wish to improve environmental performance, it is very essential to apply new methods and tools that make them successful. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is a tool that can help companies to understand the environmental impacts associated with their products, processes, and activities (Susan Svoboda, 1995) LCA has its roots in the 1960s, when scientists concerned about the rapid depletion of fossil fuels developed it as an approach to understanding the impacts of energy consumption. A few years later, global-modeling studies predicted the effects of the world’s changing population on the demand for finite raw materials and energy resource supplies. The predictions of rapid depletion of fossil fuels and resulting climatological changes sparked interest in performing more detailed energy calculations on industrial processes. Life cycle analysis takes a systems approach to evaluating the environmental consequences of a particular product, process, or activity from “cradle to grave.” By taking a “snapshot” of the entire life cycle of a product from extraction and processing of raw materials through final disposal, LCA is used to assess systematically the impact of each component process. In addition to these, it helps decision makers to improve the environmental performance of an organization or companies through the provision of appropriate information. 2. Objectives 2.1 General Objective  To assess the product life cycle of Star soap and detergents industries 2.2 Specific Objectives  To analyze the life cycle of the product 3  To examine the material content of the product  To identify the main environmental aspects related with life cycle of the product  To forward suggestions on how to minimize the environmental problems of the life cycle of the product With respect to the scope of the project, the study focuses on all the stages of the life cycle and environmental aspects of the industry’s product. The data necessary to accomplish this mini project are utilized both primary (i.e. interview with factory staffs and observation) and secondary (i.e. internet, reference books and unpublished documents from the factory) sources. The time to accomplish the project takes 30 days. 3. Life cycle and product system in Star soaps and detergents industries The main elements of soap and detergent life cycle are; raw material importing, manufacturing, storing and selling, and disposing after consumption in the form of liquid waste. Most of the raw materials for Star soap and detergents industries are imported from foreign markets and enter through port of Djibouti. According to the production manager of the factory, 90% of the raw materials are imported from external market. Only 10% of the raw materials are purchased from local market. Soaps and detergents in the factory come in three principal forms: soap bars, powders and liquids. The first step in the manufacturing process of the cleaning products is the selection of raw materials. Raw materials are chosen based on a number of criteria. The critical criteria are human and environmental safety, cost, compatibility with other ingredients, and the form and performance characteristics of the finished product. Accordingly, oil from palm tree is the raw material to Star soap and detergent industries. The stages to make soaps and detergents in the specified industries are as follows. Bar soaps: - Bar soaps are made from palm oils which are reacted with inorganic water-soluble bases. The main source for palm oil is palm tree which is the principal oil used in soap making. The raw materials are to be pretreated to remove impurities and to achieve the color, odor and 4 performance features desired in the finished bar. The chemical processes for making bar soap are: Saponification of oils: This method involves heating of oil and, reacting it with a liquid alkali to produce soap and water (neat soap) plus glycerin. The next processing step after saponification is drying which involves removing of glycerin from the soap by using vacuum spray drying machine to convert the neat soap into dry soap pellets. In the final processing step, the dry soap pellets pass through a bar soap finishing line. The first unit in the line is a mixer, called an amalgamator, in which the soap pellets are blended together with fragrance, colorants and all other ingredients. The mixture is then homogenized and refined through rolling mills and refining plodders to achieve thorough blending and a uniform texture. Eventually, the mixture is continuously extruded from the plodder, cut into bar-size units and stamped into its final shape in a soap press. Diagram showing bar soap manufacturing process Powder detergents: - Powder detergents are produced in the process like bar soaps but it involves spray drying, agglomeration, dry mixing or combinations of these methods. In making powder detergents the processes include combining the dry and liquid ingredients into slurry, or thick suspension, in a tank called a crutcher. The slurry is heated and then pumped to the top of a tower where it is sprayed through nozzles under high pressure to produce small droplets. The droplets fall through a current of hot air, forming hollow granules as they dry. 5 The dried granules are collected from the bottom of the spray tower, where they are screened to achieve a relatively uniform size. Diagram showing powder detergent manufacturing process Liquid detergents: - liquid detergents are produced in the same process like bar soaps and powder detergents however, this process involves batch and continuous blending processes to manufacture liquid cleaning products. Stabilizers may be added during manufacturing to ensure the uniformity and stability of the finished product. In a typical continuous process, dry and liquid ingredients are added and blended to a uniform mixture using in-line or static mixers. Diagram showing liquid detergent manufacturing process Packaging: - This is the last step in the manufacturing process of soaps and detergents in the factory. Bar soaps are either wrapped or packed in carton in single packs or multi packs. Detergents, including household cleaners, are packaged in cartons or bottles. The selection of packaging materials and containers involves considerations of product compatibility and stability, cost, package safety, solid waste impact, and ease of use. After packed, the products will be stored in the factory warehouse not for more than a day. According to the sales department of the factory, the products will be distributed to wholesalers 6 on agreed price. Then the wholesalers will distribute it to different retailers found in different corners of the country. Finally consumers will get the product from these retailers. For regular customers like big hotels and industries, the factory uses direct channel of distribution by using the transportation services it has. Concerning to use and maintenance, the factory has different technical experts who maintain and ensure the proper functions of each system. In relation with waste management, there is no any waste associated with manufacturing stage of the products. According to the interview made with production manager of the industry, every effluent of the products is reused. This is due to the efforts made by the factory in introducing new techniques of processing that are environmentally friendly. As a result, there is no any waste product to be disposed outside to the environment. For this achievement, the factory has got recognition from the federal environmental protection authority. In contrary to this, the factory has a long way to minimize carbon dioxide emission that is released during the production process, importing of the raw materials and distribution of the end products. In addition to this, there is pollution of the environment associated with consumption of the products; i.e. foam during cleaning. After passing through a number of processing stages by using different raw materials and gets the final output, the industry uses cartons, plastics, and bottles to achieve the desired outcome. 4. Material content of soap and detergents Surfactants and builders are the major components of soaps and detergents. Surfactants are also called surface active agents, which are organic chemicals that change the properties of water by lowering the surface tension of water; surfactants enable the cleaning solution to wet a surface more quickly, so soil can be easily removed with the aid of mechanical action. Surfactants also bind oily soils and keep them dispersed and suspended so they do not settle back on the surface. On the other hand, builders are chemicals that enhance or maintain the cleaning efficiency of the surfactant. The primary function of builders is to reduce water hardness. This is done by sequestration. Complex phosphates and sodium citrate are common components of sequestering builders. 7 Generally, the material contents in which soaps and detergents in the factory are made up of are listed in the table below: Table1. Material content of star soap and detergents Soap type Laundry soap Ingredients %age share Distilled palm fatty acid NA (DPFA) Weight in gram Product per day in tons Biggest Medium Smallest 500 350 250 21 150 - 50 6 1500 - - 1.5 Palm oil Caustic soda Sodium silicate Soap perfume and color Toilet soap Soap noodles NA Soap perfume and color Sodium hypochlorite Sodium ash Detergent Linear alkyl benzene NA sulphonic (LABSA) Sodium (STP) tri-phosphate Sodium Lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) Caustic soda Fragrance Zeolite Water NA* not available Source: production department of Star soap and detergents factory As stated earlier, oils are the raw materials for making soaps and detergents. The only environmental aspect or impact related to the raw material is emission of phosphate during the 8 process of extracting oil from palm tree which is a renewable resource. According to American cleaning institute, 2012, efforts are on progress to find environmentally better options of the used material. 5. Environmental sustainability aspects As stated above, 90% of star soap and detergent factory’s raw materials are imported from foreign countries. The factory uses the oil generated from palm tree. According to American cleaning institute, 2012, only the leaves of the palm will be used to obtain oil. This makes easier to the tree to reproduce again than being cut down. The environmental problem related to this is, the emission of phosphate. Phosphate is released during the process of obtaining oil from palm leaf. Phosphatecan create phosphoric acid (acid rain) if react with water. The other environmental problem related with the raw material is, carbon dioxide emission during the transportation of the raw materials from port of Djibouti to Addis Ababa. This has a significant impact on the environment. With regard to manufacturing process of soap and detergent, star soap and detergent factory had applied modern waste management system, i.e., reusing the wastes again and again. This could be a good lesson to other soap and detergent factories. The factory uses electricity and steam engine as source of energy. The daily electric consumption of the factory is 850 to 1000 kilowatt. Beyond this, 550 to 565 liters of fuel is burned daily by the steam engine to boil the palm oil. This emits a significant amount of carbon dioxide to the environment. This is considered by the factory as main environmental treat of the production process. But they are in search for mechanisms to minimize the carbon dioxide emission. For instance, the industry has greened its surrounding with different types of trees which have the potential to absorb carbon from the ambient environment as initial work. Last but not least, environmental issue concerned with soap and detergents life cycle is, its consumption. Soap and detergents are formulated to be used with water. This makes it drain into water bodies through different sewerage systems that have detrimental impacts on animals, plants and micro organisms. 9 6. Life cycle information provided by other producers Fats and oils are the raw materials for making soap and detergents. The fats and oils used in soap making come from animal or plant sources. Soap and detergent manufacturing consists of a broad range of processing and packaging operations. The size and complexity of these operations vary from small industries employing a few people to those with several hundred workers. The main sources of fats are beef and mutton tallow, while palm, coconut and palm kernel oils are the principal oils used in soap making. Saponification is the first process used in soap and detergents manufacturing. It is the process of chemical reaction that occurs when a vegetable oil or animal fat is mixed with an alkali. The products of this reaction are soap and glycerin. There is water but it is not utilized in the chemical reaction rather it is only used as a vehicle for the alkali; otherwise it will be a dry powder. The oils used in process of soap and detergents are carefully chosen by the industries for the character they need on the final products. Different oils can be used for specific reasons. The alkali used in modern soap is either potassium hydroxide, which is used to make soft soap or liquid soap because of its greater solubility, or sodium hydroxide, which is used to make bar soap. The second step is to remove the glycerin. This process is to blend soap pellets with fragrances, colorants and other ingredients. Soap purification and cutting it in to bar size is the final manufacturing process of the production. Generally, the manufacturing process of star soap and detergents for bar soap, powder detergents, and liquid detergents is similar with other soap and detergents producing industries. The use of palm oil as raw material makes the industry unique from other manufactories reviewed. 10 Recently, more concentrated soap and detergent products have been introduced in to the market. Despite the actual production processes may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, all producers of soap and detergents pass through the same processing stage. In general, the information gathered from different sources show that, except the difference in technologies applied, there is no much variation in the stages of the life cycle of soap and detergents. 7. Conclusion and Recommendations 7.1 Conclusion Now a day’s soap and detergents are necessity goods that are related to the day to day activities of human life. Even though they have a number of benefits, they have pollutant impacts if they are not properly used. This mini project does have incorporate many objectives but the main objective is to analyze the life cycle of Star soap and detergents industries. Life cycle Analysis of products is mainly important to assess the environmental aspects from raw material extraction to consumption stages. Thus, life cycle of soap and detergents passes through different stages. The main stages are; raw material transportation to the industry, manufacturing i.e. Saponification, drying, soap purification, cutting to bar sizes and products packaging, and distribution of products to consumers. On the other hand, although there are a large number of ingredients in the products of soap and detergents, surfactants and builders are the basic components. Since Star soap and detergents industries mainly use imported raw materials, the environmental impacts that are associated with the life cycle of the products are confined with the release of phosphate during oil extraction from palm tree, and the emission of carbon dioxide at the time of processing and raw material and product transportation. In addition to these, there is also at some extent environmental pollution related with consumption. Based on information reviewed from various literatures, all soap and detergents industries pass through the same production processes but they may vary in the utilization of raw materials and 11 ingredients. In line with this, while many soap and detergents industries use fats and oils but Star soap and detergents industries use palm oil as raw material. 7.2 Recommendations As explained in the introduction part, industries have pollutant effects on the environment. To minimize the problems related with life cycle of soap and detergents, the following recommendations are forwarded.  The soap and detergent industries should help consumers to have better understanding how to use the products and dispose wastes through different Medias.  The factory should state precautionary statements related to environmental safety on the product packages.  The soap and detergent industry has to be committed to understand the impacts of its products. Thus it has to come up with reducing the ingredients which have critical impacts on the environment.  The factory should search for best alternatives to reduce carbon dioxide emission from the production and transportation process.  The management of the industry has to maintain and protect the green areas inside and around the industry. 12 References  Albert Street. (2011). Soaps and detergents. Soaps and detergents association, Canada.  Kumar, R. (2000). Application of Environmental Biotechnology in waste water monitoring and treatment. Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology. New Delhi.  Karen, K., & Michael, L. (1994). Textile process waste water permits. An update and Strategies. African dye stuff reporter. University of Georgia. Athens.  Susan S. (1995). Pollution Prevention in Corporate Strategy. National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education. University of Michigan.  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2003). Soaps and detergents manufacturing: Point source category. Research paper, New York. Web sites  WWW.cleaninginstitute.org|cleanliving|soapdetergentssafety.aspx, Soaps and detergents environmental safety, access date April 02, 2013.  WWW.starsoapplc.com Star soap and detergents industries (SSADI) plc. 13 14