Fats, oils and grease (FOG) cause many complications in municipal wastewater treatment. Excessive FOG can foul sensors in wet wells, promote growth of filamentous bacteria, cause foam, impact dewatering and cause permit violations. Physical removal can be costly, labor intensive and increase operating time. FoG is biodegradable, but in many systems the microbial community does not contain enough of the right microorganisms to keep FOG levels under control.
FOG is primarily composed of large water insoluble triglyceride molecules. These triglycerides are made up of a glycerol molecule and three fatty acids (most commonly palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids). While many naturally occurring microorganisms have the ability to produce extracellular enzymes to cleave the fatty acids from the triglyceride, not many organisms have the ability to further degrade these fatty acids. As a result, BOD removal efficiency can decrease, the acid build up can cause pH to drop, and the fatty acids can become volatized as noxious odors.
Our patented blends of microbes contain both spore-forming and vegetative strains capable of degrading long-chained fatty acids, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. Liquid and dry products are available for a wide range of applications involving problematic accumulations of FOG in both treatment plants and collection systems.
