UNAM's Es‑Pumita soap turns used cooking oil into biodegradable cleaner
Researchers at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have created Es‑Pumita, a liquid soap made from used cooking oil collected from campus cafeterias. Led by Alejandra Chávez Riveros, the team of chemical engineering students gathers about 20 liters of oil each week, clarifies and filters it, then saponifies the oil to produce six to ten liters of biodegradable soap. The active ingredient is fatty‑acid salts, which give the product high biodegradability and allow it to be formulated with minimal additives.
One litre of improperly discarded oil can pollute up to 40 000 litres of water and contribute to drainage blockages that exacerbate flooding in eastern Mexico City. By turning the waste into soap, the project reduces environmental contamination and the risk of pipe clogs. Es‑Pumita carries a registered trademark and is the first sustainable product from UNAM’s green chemical‑engineering line. The soap is currently being piloted in the restrooms of Campus II of the Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza, with plans to expand to Campus I.
Entities: Agustín Reyo Herrera · Alejandra Chávez Riveros · Es‑Pumita · Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza (FES Zaragoza) · Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) · nutrient‑rich beer
Claims
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- [● 3 SOURCES] Es‑Pumita soap is made from used cooking oil collected from campus cafeterias.
- [● 3 SOURCES] One liter of improperly discarded oil can contaminate up to 40 000 liters of water.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Es‑Pumita uses fatty‑acid salts obtained by saponification as the active ingredient, giving it high biodegradability.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The saponification process yields six to ten liters of liquid soap per batch.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Es‑Pumita has a registered trademark and is the first sustainable product of UNAM’s green chemical‑engineering line.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Approximately 20 liters of used oil are collected each week for the project.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The soap is being piloted in the restrooms of Campus II of the Faculty of Higher Studies Zaragoza, with plans to expand to Campus I.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The project is led by researcher Alejandra Chávez Riveros and involves chemical engineering students.