Researchers Developed Anti-Clogging Tech

Researchers in Australia have developed a new wastewater treatment system that could prevent fatbergs from clogging city sewers and save water utilities globally billions each year.

A team of engineers from RMIT University’s Effective Technologies and Tools (WETT) Research Centre redesigned a grease interceptor and paired it with a smart chemical treatment.

To their surprise, the solution, which they designed to tackle fatbergs, the solid masses of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) that clog sewers, more than doubled fat removal rates in commercial kitchen wastewater.

"This is a major step forward in preventing FOG from entering our sewers from the biggest contributors: commercial food establishments," Biplob Pramanik, PhD, senior researcher and WETT director, revealed.

Pramanik said that traditional grease traps aren’t built to capture finer particles and emulsified fats found in modern kitchen wastewater. In contrast, the novel system targets all fat types, including the hard-to-remove emulsified fats that typically escape conventional traps.

It reportedly uses a series of baffles, physical barriers inside the grease interceptor, to slow wastewater flow and separate larger fat particles. Moreover, a small dose of alum, which is a common water treatment chemical is added to clump smaller, suspended fats for easy removal.

According to Nilufa Sultana, PhD, lead author of the study, the system proved effective even under real-world conditions, including high temperatures and detergent-heavy wastewater.

"While traditional interceptors only remove around 40 percent of fats, our system achieved up to 98 percent – even when tested with actual kitchen wastewater," the female researcher explained.

The new technology can be scaled to fit various kitchen sizes and retrofitted to existing grease management systems, providing a cost-effective way to protect sewer infrastructure and cut maintenance costs.

Data shows that poor sanitation and inadequate water supply lead to estimated economic losses of US$260 billion annually in developing countries.

Felicity Roddick, PhD, an Emeritus Professor at RMIT University and an expert with over 36 years of experience treating water and wastewater using physical, chemical, and biological processes, said the systems’ implications went beyond infrastructure.

"Fat, oil, and grease blockages can lead to sewage spills in our streets and waterways," Roddick concluded in a press release. "This research shows we can stop the problem at its source, with a simple upgrade to the systems food businesses already use."