Vegetable oils and animal fats are biodegradable. These are found in most normal hand soaps. How is biodegradable soap different and what makes it more biodegradable?
2006-06-18 21:15:00 · 19 answers · asked by wbtuffin 1 in Environment
When a soap is marketed as a biodegradable hand soap, what makes it different from a normal hand soap which should also be biodegradable?
2006-06-19 14:34:36 · update #1
I suspect that it is in the marketing and that they maybe ingredients within the fragrance that are not biodegradable. Detergents are synthetic but are mostly biodegradable. Phosporous by the way is not realy used that much any more to my knowledge. So, let's make the question simpler. Why is Ivory soap not marketed as biodegradable and Dr. Bonner's is?
2006-07-01 18:43:56 · update #2
soaps made 4rm natural materials like u said animal fat, oil etc are infact biodegradable soaps.......these are soaps that can be degraded or completely broken down by microorganisms ......such soaps donot cause pollution.....maybe if the C-C bond is less & more easy to break the soaps will be more easily degradable
2006-06-18 23:38:24 · answer #1 · answered by nora 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Soap is a natural, organic product that is inherently biodegradable. The carboxylate end of the biodegradable soap molecule is attracted to water and is called the hydrophilic (water-loving) end. The hydrocarbon chain is attracted to oil and grease and repelled by water and is known as the hydrophobic (water-hating) end.The soapy greywater from a single household may biodegrade easily in a backyard, however, if that same soap went down a sewage line that fed into a waterway along with the soap used by a million or more residents that live along that waterway, there may be waves of soapsuds on the beaches, simply because more soap would be going into the waterway than it has microorganisms to biodegrade.
2006-07-02 03:18:58 · answer #2 · answered by Bad 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Soap is relatively easy to make, look it up on line. However, your question is an easy one to answer as asked. Biodegradable soap simply has less lye and less harsh formulation. Every commercial soap is biodegradable that I know of. Detergents in general are quite nutritive for plants, the phosphorus is the main chemical that plants enjoy, which is sometimes the problem when it gets into the water supply, causing quick algae growth. Most biodegradable soaps have less sudsing agents, yes that is why if you have ever used it, you just don't get that sparkly fresh clean feeling.
2006-07-01 18:22:42 · answer #3 · answered by jalapenobabycanada 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I went to the supply closet, and got out a couple of hygiene items: a can of shaving cream, which is NOT of biodegradable products, and a bar of soap which although not labelled as such, seems to be made of such. Let's take a look:
The shaving cream, which is from Gillette, contains: stearic acid, triethylanolamine, isobutane, laureth-23, sodium lauryl sulfate... Okay, let's pause a mo. The isobutane and the sulfate are not biodegradable, I think. Of course, I'm not a chemist, but I learned a thing or two in chemistry courses and from reading. Oh by the way, any chemists or biochemists in the audience, please sound off, we could use your help here.
Let's look at the other, a bar of Milk Soap from Corlin Farms. It has Sodium Tallowate, Sodiaum Cocoate, Goat's milk, Cow's Milk, PEG-75, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Fragrance, Glycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Dizolidinyl Urea, Iodopropraynyl Butylcarbamate, and Tetroasoidum EDTA. I would suppose the average suburban watershed might not have the bacteria or plants to process TITANIUM.
One point I think should be made is that even biodegradable substances, when occurring in amounts that are too much for a system to process, can cause ecological harm. One obvious example of this is what happens when fast food places dump grease down storm drains. Yes, it's illegal, but I've seen it done, for example a few years ago, behind a fast food place in Stockton, Georgia. I see signs of it behind some housing in my neighbourhood. We in our county are aware there are massive leaks in our sewer system. How's your community doing? One hope in all of this is that scientists are still discovering bacteria which do things like eat iron, etc. Maybe some of this research, IF IT'S FUNDED, can help and bring us hope.
2006-07-01 10:50:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In normal soad there are chemical agents that are NOT biodegradable...thus THOSE parts pollute...
In biodegradable soaps all ingredients are biodegradable.
And FYI...the Vegetable and animal oils and fats do NOT make up a large portion of the soaps we use...they are simply part of several ingredients that soap consists of.
2006-06-30 06:35:39 · answer #5 · answered by jaydragon0 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is basically soemthing along the midst of chlorine in soap. a small dose not needed for labeling on the ingrediants but about 15000 collected non biodegradable soap products will have enuff chlorine to keep you pool clean for months. so therefor its not biodegradble due to the chemicles.
2006-07-01 19:23:55 · answer #6 · answered by Rechelle M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In terms of how well they work, there is little or no difference. In terms of how they're made, it's animal product versus vegetable. Vegetable soaps also contain glycerin. The process of soap making involves breaking down fatty acids into glycerin.
2016-03-26 21:18:02 · answer #7 · answered by Virginia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Normal soaps also contain ingredients that can harm the environment w/pollutants. Biodegradables do not......
2006-07-01 06:13:49 · answer #8 · answered by Sammyleggs222 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's biodegradable
2006-07-01 10:41:26 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well now...if you got something against biodegradable soaps vs nonbiodegadable soaps and its really bothering you...then just quit using soap altogether stinky boy
2006-07-02 10:48:04 · answer #10 · answered by spike 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋