Students Produce Soap from Waste Oil to Prevent Water Pollution

Turkchem 22 Jun 2021 60 2 dk okuma

TURKCHEM

Producing soap from waste oil to prevent water pollution Turkey is estimated to generate approximately 400,000 tonnes of vegetable waste oil annually as a result of consuming 2 million tonnes of vegetable oil each year. It is noted that 1 litre of waste oil has the capacity to pollute 1 million litres of drinking water, and that 25 percent of water pollution occurring in natural ecosystems originates from waste oils. İTÜ Geliştirme Vakfı Okulları middle school students at the Beylerbeyi Campus addressed this problem and became Turkey champions in the Young Voices for the Environment competition with their project producing soap from waste oils. At the Beylerbeyi Campus, a Green Flag Eco School, middle school students who begin learning environmental awareness from an early age are conducting awareness activities with their prepared projects.

They turned their conscientious lens towards the environment

Middle school students earned the right to participate in international competitions as Turkey's 1st place winners in the Young Voices for the Environment competition with their work aimed at fostering sustainable living awareness. Student Yağız Efe Karakılıç won 1st place in Turkey in the single photograph reportage category for ages 11-14 with his photograph titled "Getting Polluted While Transforming for the Better," while 7th grade students Mina Yaprak Sevsevil, Defne Yılmaz and Ela Özaslan won 1st place in Turkey in the video category with their video production titled "Soap Production from Waste Oil."

Students prepared a video to raise awareness in their community

In their work, the students provided information about the harms of waste frying oils and pointed to the method of producing soap from waste oils. The students noted that oils used for frying food become waste after 2 uses and contain carcinogenic substances. They emphasized that when used oil is stored, the peroxide value increases, causing oxidation, and this also damages the immune system. The students noted that waste oils dumped in garbage frequently cause fires at waste disposal sites, and that waste oils poured down sinks cause pipes to clog by adhering to drain pipes. They also highlighted that waste oils mixing with soil increase the pollution of underground fresh water sources. The students explained that waste oils covering the water surface prevent oxygen transfer from air to water and accelerate oxygen depletion over time as they decompose in water, causing aquatic organisms to die. The students then made use of waste oils to produce their own soap.