Tailored treatment for Fats Oil and Grease
The entry of fat, oils and grease (FOG) into the wastewater system from both domestic and food-establishment sources has become a major problem for the management of wastewater in several major cities.
Dates
2016-2020
Project staff
- Professor Catherine Biggs (School of Engineering)
- Dr Graham Stafford (University of Sheffield)
- Professor Vanessa Speight (University of Sheffield)
- Dr. Raffaella Villa (De Montford University)
- Ms Elizabeth Court (University of Sheffield)
Sponsors
EPSRC, University of Sheffield
Partners
University of Sheffield, Thames Water
Description
The entry of fat, oils and grease (FOG) into the wastewater system from both domestic and food-establishment sources has become a major problem for the management of wastewater in several major cities. Indeed, the UK has seen several high-profile blockages caused by FOG deposits in sewers in recent years, phenomena that have now been termed ‘Fatbergs.’
In this project we are investigating the environment within sewers where FOG accumulates to better inform the design of reliable tailored FOG treatment. This includes the microbiome, isolation and characterisation of lipid degrading bacteria, which have shown promising results in the degradation of FOGs in synthetic wastewater, and the lipid content of the Fatberg itself.