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Life is tough, and
certainly it is not getting  easier
for restaurateurs. Indeed, all those newly imposed restrictions on
the waste water quality by the municipal and state authorities
throughout the country add to their day to day woes. Among
them are the so called “grease trap laws” and various
water and waste water surcharges. The main pollution problem with grease (fats and oils) results from its
“clogging”
ability. Fats and oils, as part of the food processing wastes,
tend to clump together and clog drain lines and grease traps
causing frequent back-ups. What makes the latter most hateful
is its unpredictability. It may occur during a hectic time –
lunch or dinner, causing a
foul smell and scaring off
customers.
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Everyone
in the field knows that the traditional solution to the
problem – sneaking drain lines and pumping out grease traps
with subsequent transportation of the waste to the dumping
sites or incineration facilities, is costly and time
consuming. Though it is effective, it is not environmentally
friendly and may be very messy and smelly. Another option –
to use chemicals – may not be effective. Besides, chemical
cleaners are usually highly corrosive and may even be
dangerous, if accidentally inhaled or brought into contact
with the skin or eyes. However, there is a third option: a new
and promising, “preventive” technology of biological,
“on site” treatment of wastes grease and fat.
This
novel technology, bio-augmentation, is cheaper, simpler, has a
low energy consumption and is safer (both for humans and the
environment), which makes it more effective and efficient than
all the other conventional methods. It is based on the
biological digestion of fats and grease. The digestion may be
partial or complete depending on the technological approach
used. Bio-augmentation is a “preventive” technology which
helps to eliminate unpredictable backups, significantly
reduces the amount of oil and grease in the waste (to the
limits required by the sewage authorities or even lesser). The
market for bio-augmentation technology (including
food-processing industry) is rapidly expanding, and there are
now several established companies which operate in the USA.
All commercial bio-preparations are based on microbial strains
isolated and selected from different natural sources. They are
not pathogenic to humans and animals. Since all the vendors
claim that their products are the best, be careful in
selecting the proper product/service on the market. Though the
general guidelines for buying are the same as those for other
commercial products, we offer you some helpful hints.
*Find
out about the scientific credentials of the company (it
won’t hurt, if the company has patents and/or scientific
publications as backups for its products): watch for quacks.
*Ask
for the list of the present customers/clients (if any) and do
not hesitate to call them.
*Ask
what guarantees (if any) the company gives for their
product’s performance.
*Ask
whether the product is of a ‘do it yourself’ category, or
the company will provide a proper service. A majority of the
bio-augmentation companies provide “do it yourself”
products with some technical consultations. Only a few provide
a biweekly or monthly service. Obviously, the latter is much
better, though initially, it seems to cost more: regular
checks and service by trained technicians practically
eliminates the problem of unexpected back-ups, significantly
reducing having to pump off the grease traps.
Some
services even offer guarantees which include free pumping, if
grease related, and take all the problems of servicing off
your shoulders.
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