agriculture

Chemicals Production

[producing both exportable and locally marketable aloe, eucalyptus, or cosmetics]

[Summary & Motivation] [Community] [Specifications] [Issues] [Contacts] [Documents]

Summary & Motivation	Project Initiator: ATS Food Technology Group Start Date: 2005 Projected Completion Date: Not applicable Current Status: Testing procedures (Waiting for laboratory equipment) As a country with few exportable products, Lesotho is always looking for innovative ways to bolster its economic profile. Large aloe plants, eucalyptus, and other products that could be used in the production of creams and cosmetics dot the countryside. If some way to process and then sell these local plant products on the village level could be developed, the level of poverty among many Basotho could be reduced. In addition, the goods could be packaged and marketed abroad to increase the amount of exportable goods from Lesotho. [top]
Community	This technology would be marketed to anyone who has an interest in producing quality creams, cosmetics, or soaps that could be marketed locally or sold to be exported. [top]
Specifications	Processes can be followed by Basotho villagers Environmental impact is minimal Quality of resulting product is of exportable level Products can be manufactured using simple processes, such as fires or cooling in rivers (Appropriate processes) [top]
Issues	Currently, Ntate Letete has been experimenting with production of blue soap. Caustic acid can be made from ash, and fat can be added to produce pure soap. Unfortuantely, a large amount of ash produces only a little soap (Especially problematic in a country such as Lesotho where biomass is declining), and the proper mixture of fat and caustic acid has not yet been determined. Help is needed in the following areas: Developing procedures for extraction of aloe, eucalyptus, and other products Continuing experimentation with soap production Evaluating the economic potential of exporting cosmetics and creams [top]
Contacts	Project Leader: Thapelo Letete MIT Contact: Not available (If interested, please email mit_ats@MIT.edu) ATS Contact: Thapelo Letete <letelet@Yahoo.com> Website (If applicable):   [top]
Documents / Pictures	DOCUMENTS Description (Name) [Date] Download Food Technology Progress Report Contains section on chemicals production plan. Documents PICTURES Description (Name) [Date] Download Blue Soap Production Photo Album Single picture of blue soap prototype (Matt Zedler) [9.01.2005]. *.html (Link) [top]

*.pdf - Portable Document File / *.doc - Document (Microsoft Word) / *.jpg - Joint Photographic Experts Group (Browser) / *.zip - WinZip Compressed File (WinZip)

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