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Fats, oils and greases, collectively they are called FOG. To wastewater treatment professionals, they usually mean trouble. There are many misconceptions in the marketplace about methods and products for dealing with FOG. A better understanding of biological treatment versus chemical treatment can help you make wise decisions on behalf of your customers and your business. The main reason FOG is troublesome is that it is not water-soluble, it eventually separates from water. Grease is lighter than water, so it floats to the top. If not treated, grease molecules combine to form a hard grease layer. Or, worse yet, the grease combines with other materials such as soap residue, paper, and solids. When this happens in a septic tank, a very hard crust can form on the surface of the water in the tank. If left untreated it could flow out to the drainfield and cause drainfield backups. In a plumbing system, grease traps, drain lines, and sewers can become clogged. Usually, an overload of FOG is what causes stoppages in flow. Clearing the "FOG"
Enzymes help cut through fats, oils and greases in septic tank, drain line and sewer applications But as the temperature falls farther down the line, the grease molecules come back together. The grease has not been reduced only repositioned. Many things can cause grease to break apart. Chemical drain openers cause reactions that can increase the temperature. Other chemicals, called solvents and surfactants, can actually dissolve grease molecules. But once these chemicals wear off, or the temperature drops, the grease molecules combine again.
The Anatomy of Grease: They are composed of three parts fatty acid to one part glycerol. Of course molecules are tiny, one triglyceride molecule does not do much on its own. One fan sitting in Lambeau Field (home of the Green Bay Packers) would look inconsequential. But add 75,000 fans doing “the wave,” and you have what seems like one big living object. So it is with triglycerides. Once they begin to attach to each other, they can become a big grease clog. Service professionals report finding grease chunks the size of boulders in some larger grease traps. Fat molecules keep attaching to each other until something disrupts the process. For example, if hot water is poured on a chunk of grease in a drain, some of the outer molecules will dissolve off and become free-flowing again. Therefore, some of the grease is actually eliminated. How much depends on many factors, pH, temperature, and how long the process goes on. Even if bacteria do not completely consume the fatty acids and glycerides, they will not reform into grease molecules or grease clogs. This is the biggest misconception about enzymes. Many claim that the grease is just pushed further down the line to form a problem elsewhere. Although this may be true with some cleaning methods and chemicals, it is not true of enzyme and bacteria treatments. Once the enzyme lipase has destroyed the connections, the grease will not form again down the line. In fact, the enzymes help the wastewater treatment process by starting biological treatment far upstream. The uneaten fatty acids and glycerides will remain water-soluble and will flow with the wastewater to the final treatment location. This is not to say that enzymes are a cure-all. For example, some wastewater treatment plants cannot handle high loads of water-soluble fatty acids and glycerides. But most treatment plants would rather have those substances than untreated FOG. This bioremediation process using enzymes and bacteria is done everyday by huge municipal wastewater treatment plants all over the world.
How Enzymes Attack: The broken up fats in the water are able to bypass the grease trap, move downstream, and cause grease blockages. Solvents and surfactants are not the same as enzymes they only change how the grease looks and feels. Enzymes actually change the character of the grease into water-soluble components, which will never reform as grease anywhere downstream. Surfactants can be beneficial in that they help enzymes work. Enzymes and bacteria only work on the surface of a substance. When a surfactant is used, more surface area is exposed. A surfactant will turn a chunk of grease floating in water into many droplets. This gives the enzymes and bacteria more surface area to attack and digest the grease.
Solvents and Surfactants: When a surfactant is used on grease in water, it does not break the fat molecules into pieces but instead separates them from each other so that they mix with the water. The best example of this is the Dawn dish soap commercial that starts by showing a thin layer of grease on top of dishwater. When a drop or two of the detergent is added, the grease magically “disappears.” The dish soap is a surfactant. What you don’t see is that the grease layer returns when the surfactant wears off. Wondering what they use to clean waterfowl that have been caught up in oil spills? You guessed it soaps and strong surfactants. One reason restaurants have trouble with grease in their drain lines is because their dish and laundry cleaners are high in surfactants.
Choose the Right Tool:
There are many methods and many products for dealing with FOG. Each used in the right conditions can do the job correctly. Most wastewater treatment plants use some form of biological treatment to clean the water of organic material, including FOG. Biological treatment involves both enzymes and bacteria. Enzymes help provide the bacteria with food. Although enzymes are not magic, they are biological facts of nature that can be valuable allies in the war against grease. |