1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background Of The Study
An air freshener is a product designed to mask or remove unpleasant room odors (Umbach, 1991). These products typically deliver fragrance and other odor counteractants into the air. They do so through a variety of product formats, including aerosols, candles, potpourri and gels. By the late 1990s, sales of air fresheners in the United States had exceeded several hundred million dollars per year. One of the most successful new products are Glade Plug-Ins, which use heat generated by electric current to vaporize air-freshening ingredients. (Umbach, 1991)
Air fresheners are commonplace in many homes, as a way of covering up cooking odors, musty smells, dank air and bathroom odors, (William Ramsay, 2004). In recent times, many commercially made air fresheners have relied on use of chemicals and artificial scents, as well as using electricity and materials such as plastics and metals to create complicated air fresheners that create rather strong odors in the home environment, (William Ramsay, 2004). They are not generally a sustainable product and there are many excellent alternatives to such air fresheners.
1.2 Statement Of Problems
The problem of liquid and vapourised air freshener from local material extraction process is the distortion of the odor of the aromatic compounds obtained from the raw materials. This is due to heat, harsh solvents and also through the exposure to oxygen which will denature the aromatic compounds. These will either change their odor, character or render them odorless.
The problem of formulation of perfume involves knowing the proportion in which essential oil, and other materials to be mixed to avoid skin irritation and increase the intensity and longevity of the perfume.
Most imported perfumes are synthetic odorant which are not pure chemical substance but are mixture of organic compounds that are harmful when applied. There are limited perfume plants, from which perfume can be made; this can lead to importation of perfume thereby causing the decline of foreign reserves and unemployment.
1.3 Aim and Objectives Of The Study
The project is aimed and designed to evaluate the production of liquid and vapourised air freshener with an attempt to show the key ingredient used in the production of liquid and vapourised air freshener. The study reveals that air freshener is a product designed to mask or remove unpleasant room odors. These products typically deliver fragrance and other odor counteractants into the air. Other objectives of these studies are stated below:
- To provide liquid and vapourised air freshener formulation that is easy to manufacture and does not require high temperature casting.
- It is provide liquid and vapourised air freshener formulation that includes greater than 10% fragrance.
- To provide liquid and vapourised air freshener that is stable and does not experience significant fragrance weeping across normal transportation temperatures of up to 30-50° C.
- To provide liquid and vapourised air freshener that is easily dissolvable in water, and creates a clear liquid composition that is free of large particles and clumps.
Other objective, aspects and advantages of this research will be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the following disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims.
1.4 Scope Of The Study
The study will cover the qualitative and quantitative analysis that is involved in the production of liquid and vapourised air freshener from local raw materials that is:
- Easy and accurate dispensing
- Safe use and transport without risk of spillage
- Long-term durability thanks to a tight sealing of the can and impossible of re-entry of microbial contamination during use
- Recyclable packaging
1.5 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials.
1.6 Significance Of The Study
This project focuses on the production of air freshener from local raw materials (natural/plant) sources as against synthetic chemicals thereby will reduce any side effect resulting from synthetic chemicals.
The success of this work will stimulate the development of the air freshener industry locally because of available, cheap raw materials. More jobs will be created by those that will be engaged in planting/cultivating of the plant as well as establishing small scale extraction plants. There will be reduction on the resources spent on importation of air freshener by end users.
Besides, the study will serve as reference material for subsequent researcher in the field or related topics.
