Production of Aromatherapy Candles from Used Cooking Oil

Abstract

The Community Partnership Program (PKM) activity has been carried out at the Ladu Arai Pinang Bunda Kampung Perak City Pariaman, West Sumatra Province, with the title "Appropriate Technology for Producing Aromatherapy Candles from Used Cooking Oil." The partners in this activity are the entrepreneurs of Ladu Arai Pinang Bunda in the City of Pariaman, with a total of 20 participants and 7 instructors from Politeknik ATI Padang. Community service in the form of the Community Partnership Program (PKM) has been implemented for the Ladu Arai Pinang Bunda business, which holds a P-IRT business license 2061377010159 – 26. Ladu Arai Pinang Bunda is one of the well-known souvenir shops in the city of Pariaman. Ladu Arai Bunda produces 50 kg of ladu arai pinang every week, not including the production of other snacks such as rakik kacang, rakik maco, keripik balado, and others.  Based on that production, the entrepreneur also produces a byproduct from frying in the form of 5 liters of used cooking oil per month. The process of making aromatherapy candles from used cooking oil consists of several stages, namely the spice removal process, the neutralization process, the purification process, and the final stage, which is the making of aromatherapy candles. Therefore, the PKM Team provided training on making aromatherapy candles using leftover cooking oil from production. The PKM activities were carried out smoothly and successfully, meeting the expected results. This activity is expected to provide insights, knowledge, and input to the partner regarding the process of making aromatherapy candles from used cooking oil, so they can be used for daily needs and even sold by the entrepreneur.