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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
Let’s start with this truth: Fats, oils, and grease deposits are not just congealed fats, oils, and grease. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the presence of hardened fats, oils, and grease (FOG) deposits are a leading cause of sanitary sewer overflows and known for increasing sewer maintenance costs. This phenomenon is nothing new — a patent for a grease trap was granted in 1883 to prevent wastewater pipes from being clogged by grease-laden discharge. Even though the occurrence of sewer FOG deposits is experienced by municipalities around the globe, they are not universally understood, even by experts in wastewater.
Author(s)
Casey Furlong
SourceWater Environment & Technolology
Project IDWET2018_46
SubjectOperations & Maintenance; Utility Management;
Document typeMagazine article
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Print publication date Oct 2018
Volume / Issue30 / 12
Content sourceWE&T Magazine
First / last page(s)60 - 64
Copyright2018
Word count2,914
Subject keywordsfats, oils and greaseFOGEPAgrease interceptors

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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
FOG deposit composition
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
One major finding included the determination that both the calcium and saturated fat content of the deposits were higher than background concentrations of the sewer. More significantly, the paper suggested that FOG deposits are metal soaps formed primarily by the process of saponification between free fatty acids and calcium (and traces of magnesium and iron).
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2018
Word count557
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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
How deposits form
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
Research into FOG deposits, especially over the last decade, has advanced the insight into their chemical makeup, origins, and formation kinetics. Figure 1 (above) shows a possible reaction scheme for this.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2018
Word count505
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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
Ways to prevent formation
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
Collection system management is a ceaseless task, even without constant vigilance for FOG blockages. The best management practices of FOG cleanup and control plans often are available through community health departments or restaurant associations. The following are additions to those management strategies taken from recent research.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2018
Word count1,004
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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
Benefits of food waste in wastewater streams
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
The interest in FOG chemistry for InSinkErator began in 2008 when the lack of understanding of deposit origins led officials in Raleigh, N.C., to prohibit any further installations of residential food waste disposers. The decision was based mainly on the perception that disposers were the source of FOG deposits in the city’s sewers. This prohibition was reversed quickly due to favorable...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2018
Word count329
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Description: Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage...
Actions to get customers to adequately separate FOG from food waste
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention
For food waste, proper use of food waste disposers will prevent most issues with clogged plumbing. But when it comes to FOG, the messaging is clear from community FOG management programs: Do not pour fats, oils, and grease down the drain or flush them down the toilet. Figure 5 (right) is an example of the type of materials used to communicate these messages.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2018
Word count292
Read
Sewer blockages from fats, oil, and grease: Diving into the science behind blockage formation and prevention