Leachate is an alkaline solution that is often used to wash, make soap, and preserve certain foods. Leachate is sometimes called caustic soda because it has a pH of around 13, which means it is highly alkaline and can burn and corrode skin, organic tissue, certain plastics, and other materials. You can make potassium hydroxide leachate by soaking wood ash in rainwater. This type of leachate is great for making liquid soap. It should be noted that the leachate manufacturing process is quite dangerous so you have to be very careful.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Tools and Materials
Step 1. Collect wood ashes
To make potassium hydroxide leachate, you will need white ashes from burning hardwood. During its growth, hardwood pulls potassium from the soil. This potassium does not burn in the fire and is still contained in the ash produced. Next, you can pull the potassium out of the ashes with water.
- After each burning hardwood, allow the ashes to cool for a few days. Next, collect the white ash and store it in a metal container.
- The best hardwoods for making alkaline solutions include ash, hickory, beech, sugar maple, and buckeye.
- To make leachate in this way, you will need almost a barrel of ash.
- Do not use the ashes from burning softwood trees because the potassium content is not high enough.
Step 2. Collect rainwater
The second thing you need to make potassium hydroxide is soft water. Rainwater is an ideal choice because it is soft and available in large quantities.
- Prepare a barrel to collect rainwater behind the house or under gutters. Be sure to put a filter over it to prevent leaves and organic debris from getting in.
- The element content in soft water is lower so it is suitable for use in soap making. Meanwhile, hard water will produce soap that cannot lather.
- You will need at least 5 liters of soft water to make the lye solution.
Step 3. Make a hole in the wooden barrel
After the ash is put into a wooden barrel, then water will be passed to draw out the potassium content. The water should be able to flow out again so you have to make a hole in the barrel. Use a drill and small drill bit to make 6 holes in the bottom of the barrel.
Make a hole especially near the center of the barrel so water can flow into the bucket
Step 4. Add layers of rock and straw
Fill the bottom of the barrel with 2.5-5 cm of clean rock and gravel. The size of the gravel should be large enough so that it does not fall through the hole in the bottom of the barrel. On top of the rock layer, place a pile of dry hay at least 8 cm thick.
This layer of straw and stones acts as a filter. The leachate will flow through this layer so that it does not carry ash and other particles
Part 2 of 3: Making Alkaline Solution
Step 1. Fill the barrel with wood ash
Transfer the wood ash that you have collected in a metal bucket into a barrel. Place the wood ash on top of the straw layer. Fill the barrel with wood ash to about 10 cm from the top.
Step 2. Place the barrel on a solid block
Use a large block to support the barrel so that the hole in the bottom can be reached. The barrel should be propped high enough off the ground that a bucket can be placed under it.
- You can also support the barrel by placing it in an exposed wooden frame.
- Make sure the barrel position is strong enough so that it does not fall.
Step 3. Adjust the position of the bucket
Place an alkali-resistant bucket under the hole in the barrel. This bucket will hold the leachate so it must be alkaline resistant. For that, use a bucket made of the following materials:
- Glass
- stainless steel
- Plastic number 5
- Highly durable plastic
Step 4. Pour rainwater over the ashes
Slowly pour the rainwater into the barrel bucket by bucket. The total amount of water added should be sufficient to wet the ash, but not soak it. Stop adding water if you start to see a water line at the top of the barrel and the ashes start to float.
- Pay attention to the number of buckets of water you add. That way, you'll have an idea of how many buckets of lye you'll get.
- You don't have to put a cap on the barrel. However, you should make sure the barrels are protected from splashing water when it rains.
Step 5. Wear personal protective equipment
Leachate is caustic and corrosive. This solution can burn the skin, cause blindness, and damage organic tissue and inorganic materials. While working with leachate and its solutions, extreme care must be taken and wear personal protective equipment, which includes:
- Protective glasses
- Hard shoes or boots
- Plastic gloves to cover elbows
Step 6. Collect the water that flows out
After a few hours, the first lye will begin to drip out of the hole in the bottom of the barrel. Allow the bucket below to fill until it reaches about 10 cm from the top surface. Once full, carefully remove the bucket from under the barrel. Be careful not to spill the lye solution.
Replace with a new bucket to hold the remaining lye solution
Step 7. Test the strength of the solution
Alkaline solutions have a certain strength to be used in soap making. The lye may not be ready for use after the first step, but you can test it. There are four different tests that can be used to determine the strength of leachate:
- Use a pH test strip. You need a solution with a pH of 13.
- Use a pH meter to see if the pH of the solution reaches 13.
- Place a small potato in the lye solution. If the potato sinks, the lye is not strong enough. Meanwhile, if the potato floats, it means the lye is ready to use.
- Dip the chicken feathers in the leachate. If this hair does not dissolve, it means that the leachate is not strong enough.
Step 8. Run the water again through the ash until it is firm enough
Most of the lye must be passed at least one more time through the ash. If the first lye is not strong enough, try pouring it one more time into the ash vat. Be careful not to spill or splash this solution as it can cause skin burns.
- Replace the bucket under the hole in the barrel.
- Let the water run through the ashes again.
- The resulting lye solution after that will be stronger.
- Do a pH test after all the lye is out of the barrel again.
- Pass the water through the ashes again if necessary.
Part 3 of 3: Using Alkaline Solutions
Step 1. Use it to make liquid soap
A homemade lye solution made of potassium hydroxide is great for making liquid soap. You can also make your own castile soap, which is high in fat and very moisturizing.
Potassium hydroxide in alkaline solution is not suitable for making bar soap. To make bar soap, you'll need sodium hydroxide, which is available at chemical stores, hardware stores, and possibly online
Step 2. Use to preserve olives
There are several types of food, including olives and lutefisk that can be preserved traditionally using leachate. You can use this homemade lye solution to preserve olives and other foods at home.
Step 3. Use it to clear drain blockages
Because it is caustic and can destroy organic materials such as hair and skin, leachate has long been used as a household cleaner and drains. You can use an alkaline solution to clear clogged drains in the bathroom or kitchen, clean bathtub drains, and clean sink drains.
