Keith I make soap with KOH and/or NaOH depending on what I want. A
liquid soap, bar soap or cream soap. I don't know what you have
available for animals tallows, but goat, emu and pig are all wonderfully
hydrating, so using them in addition to your leftovers could remove the
caustic qualities.
I would love to hear how things work out on using the byproduct in
biogass production. Since I use a grey water system, I don't thing
dumping it down the drain will help.<grin>
Making biodeisel has been moved up in our priority list. I walked the
aisles of the store yesterday looking for a HPDE bottle with 2 lids,
they don't exist in this part of Texas. I guess I will have to syphon
off the good stuff when I am done. I will be using my soaping crock pot
and my drill press to make my first production unit. I just need to
make the mixing blade and to pick up some methanol. I have been
preparing for the next few learning lessons as well by picking up a ph
meter and some lab equipment for titration. Now, if I can find the time
off from the farm to do it.
For the last year we had our rabbits directly over the compost pile.
This sure saved a lot of work on a weekly basis, but what a nightmare to
move! Shoveling out a 16'x4'x4' compost pile from inside a building is
not a job I ever want to do again. We are in the middle of a rabbitry
rebuild and I have found that I am a really lousy engineer. The first
design did not allow the rabbit cage doors to open, the second one had
the back of the drain tray so shallow that everything washed right over
and onto the floor. I think I have it right this time.
Our third attempt at a chicken tractor has worked out perfectly. We
love it and so do the chickens. The change in the pasture where we have
run them is fantastic!
The research into traditional food storage in this area has led to an
understanding that it was not done. Food storage is either walking on
its legs or still in the ground. Fruit was turned into jams, jellies
and wine to preserve it. Even if you have a hill to go underground in,
the best you will get is 70F. Nice living temperature but not
sufficient for cool storage. We are looking a expanding the green
houses, in the plans and doing quite a bit of experimenting with what
will actually grow when. We will do a small solar ac cool storage, but
we are going to try to avoid the need for it.
Well, chores are calling.
Bright Blessings,
Kim
Keith Addison wrote:
snip
I'm sceptical of claims that people make soap out of it of a high enough
quality to sell. Anyway we use KOH, not NaOH, so the by-product is
always liquid and I don't think it could be made into a solid bar soap.
No doubt you can make soap out of it that works okay but isn't good
enough to sell, but that would be far more soap than we could ever use.
As a cleaner and degreaser it's effective but it's very caustic, rough
on the hands. We're working on a soapmaking process that we hope will
give us a liquid product that's as effective as a degreaser but won't be
so harsh.
snip
But if that's what you do or want to do, you should check with your
local water department first.
Best wishes
Keith Addison
Journey to Forever
KYOTO Pref., Japan
http://journeytoforever.org/
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