MANUFACTURE OF ACTIVATED CARBON SOAP FROM ARECA NUT SHELLS

Abstract

Adsorption is a widely used phenomenon in most fields, especially in purification and cleaning, using a wide variety of Adsorbents. Some commonly used adsorbents include Clay, silica gel, Activated Carbon, amongst them Activated Carbon is a widely used adsorbent because of its good force of adhesion to the impurities. Usage of activated carbon in cosmetics is a recently developing field, some of them include Activate carbon based Shampoo, Sun-tan creams, Toothpaste, Whitening Agents etc. One such kind of application is usage of Activated carbon for preparation of soap. Activated carbon is a well-known and widely used Adsorbent. Activated Carbon was prepared from finely powdered Areca nut shells, by activation with Phosphoric Acid at a temperature of 400oC and was tested for Adsorption properties. Small quantity of prepared activated carbon was used in the synthesis of the soap along with vegetable fat and base with some flavouring agents. The saponified fat matter with activated carbon was moulded and cooled to room temperature. Further the soap was tested for its composition, Alkalinity, Acidity, Moisture content etc.