People say that everything that man has created has both good and bad purposes. It’s like creating something neutral and then the outcome would just depend on how that thing affects everything else. Grease was made to be an efficient lubricant in machines of various industries. It is always present in automobiles to smoothen the run of the motors. Factories need grease to make their heavy machinery function without any delays. There is also grease present in the food we eat and prepare. As much as we would all like to think all grease is the same, it’s not… It seems like grease can be a friend and a foe. Grease can be bad in many ways, such as when its present in school grease trap clogging.
The FOG (fats, oils, grease) crisis is now overwhelming the United States. FOG is already overflowing, causing untreated wastewater to enter facilities that are supposed to remain clean and highly sanitary. Food processing plants, hospitals, malls, restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, and schools are all suffering from effluent backups because of FOG overflow.
Schools these days are being mandated to by the grease ordinance to have grease traps installed in their premises. These traps should have legal permits and should always be maintained. Negligence usually happens when the school is generally too busy with everything. Because of poor maintenance, FOG overflow occurs. When there is FOG overflow, the FOG mixes with the untreated effluent. It then gets carried through the pipelines. There, the FOG hardens and sticks to the inner pipe walls, eventually blocking the wastewater from reaching the treatment facility. School grease trap clogging is a huge problem that has to be solved or prevented immediately.
If there is school grease trap clogging already, the grease trap experts should be called to remedy the problem. A thorough pump out is an order. This completely clears out the grease trap and resets the system for a new batch of FOG. Only a licensed hauler should dispose of the wastes and FOG that have been obtained from the trap. An effective grease trap additive or cleaner should be used to completely get rid of the FOG from the grease trap. Chemicals and enzymes are usually bought and used for such a purpose but these products are just decorated by their manufacturers’ flowery words. The true effect of these compounds is that they emulsify the FOG and allow it to mix into the untreated effluent. This then makes the school grease trap clogging much faster. The school’s maintenance department won’t even know the problem until it’s too late.
School grease trap clogging could be remedied much faster when bacteria based additives are used. These are living organisms that really need to consume. They metabolize the FOG and solid wastes in the grease trap so by the time they are done with it, no trace of FOG is found and foul smells are also eliminated. The processes of bioremediation and bioaugmentation both use bacteria. Bioremediation uses non-pathogenic bacteria to digest and convert FOG into less detrimental substances. Bioaugmentation then uses a specific type or strain of bacteria that eliminates every bit of FOG and contaminants in the grease trap.
Preventing school grease trap clogging needs the cooperation of the students and the employees. The students and employees could actively participate in reducing the grease materials that enter the grease traps by manually scraping away the FOG from the dishes and trays that they use into ready leak-proof bins in the cafeteria area. This practice could lessen the task placed on the kitchen employees. The drains in the sinks should also be fitted with meshes and strains that could catch the grease and solid food particles. If there is minimal FOG that enters the grease trap, there will be no FOG overflows at all.
Bacteria could also be used as a maintenance additive to keep the FOG levels at a very low minimum. This is also a sure way of lengthening the life spans of the trap. Using bacteria to prevent and remedy school grease trap clogging is a practical and natural means to help fight the FOG crisis.