Handbook on Soaps, Detergents & Acid Slurry (3rd Revised Edition)

Book excerpt: Novelty in ideas and marketing seems to be the major subject matter of the Indian soap industry. The soaps, detergent and acid slurry product industry are vivacious, varied, creative and tricky, and have the prospective to provide a gratifying career. Soaps and detergents are used frequently in our daily life. We use them to wash our hands and clean our clothes without ever really paying attention to how they work. Beneath the plain white surface of a bar of soap lie an intriguing history and a powerful chemistry. It has been said that amount of soap and detergent consumed in a country is a reliable measure of its civilizations. There was a time when these products were luxury; now it is a necessity. Acid slurry is a sulphonation product made by sulphonation of linear alkyl benzene by oleum or so3 or sulphuric acid or combinations of above. It is used in manufacturing of various detergents. The Soap and Detergent industry is profoundly lucrative with splendid market potential as well as bright future scope. In order to meet the requirement of market demand, many more new units are recommended to be established on small and cottage scale. Soaps and detergents are very similar in their chemical properties. However, there is a significant difference between them; soaps are produced from natural products, and detergents are synthetic, or manmade. The market is expected to grow at rates ranging from under 4% to around 4.5%. These are very modest rates considering that the lifestyles not only of urbanites, but even of well off rural folks are changing at a very high pace. The analysts are expecting the industry to continue to grow in both the industrialized as well as developing nations. The present book has been written keeping in view the basic difficulties of the entrepreneurs. Nominal investment is required for this industry which comprises simple method of processing for manufacturing of various types of soaps, detergents and acid slurry. The book contains chapters on: acid slurry, detergent manufacturing, detergents of various types, principal groups of synthetic detergents, inorganic components of detergents, synthesis of detergents, liquid detergents, packaging of soaps and detergent and many more such chapters. The enclosure also contains a list of suppliers of raw material (overseas) and list of plant and machinery suppliers (overseas). Fundamental information in venturing a market and the opportunity and prerequisite of the potential sector has been the superlative way to make a way into in a market. How and what if correctly taken care can take you to a long way. The first hand information on different types of soaps, detergent and acid slurry products have been properly dealt in the book and can be very useful for those looking for entrepreneurship opportunity in the said industry.