Transcript 4. Sam Crowley. - Water Services Training Group

Water Services National
Training Group
11th Annual Conference
6th September 2007
WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007
Midleton FOG Project
Sam Crowley B.E. (Civil)
Graduate Engineer, Cork County Council
M. Eng. Sc. Student
Civil & Env. Eng. UCC (Prof. G. Kiely, Supervisor)
WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007
Midleton FOG Project
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Town of Midleton (population 9,019) proposed by
Cork County Council as a suitable location for a case
study.
 Midleton has a history of FOG related problems.
 €68,372 spent in 2005 including cleaning of pumping
stations €39,687 of this for FOG related work.
 Approximately 58% of total spent on drain cleaning
was FOG related.
 There are 63 FOG generators in Midleton.
Midleton FOG Project
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Local authority identified “FOG Hotspots” within the town.
Each FOG hotspot was analysed and potential FOG generators
were visited.
The FOG problem at each site was evaluated.
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CCTV surveys
Inspection of existing Grease Removal Unit (GRU)
GRU maintenance procedures investigated
Staff interviews to determine blockage history and current kitchen
practices
Site survey to determine adequacy of existing systems.
Potential solutions tailored to each site were selected and
installed.
Each solution is to be on trial for a minimum of 6 months.
Midleton FOG Project
Total of 16 trial sites including:
 4 Active Systems
 8 Passive Systems
(including 3 Grease trap bacteria treatment systems)
 1 Portable System
 1 Bacteria dosing system in a manhole
 1 Aerated bacteria dosing system for a pumping station
 1 Root cutting site
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3 of the systems are being maintained by contractors
8 are maintained by the staff of the Food Service Establishment
(FSE)
Midleton FOG Project
Total of 16 trial sites including:
 1 Hotel
 1 Hospital
 1 Fish Monger with kitchen (Fish Pies etc.)
 3 Shops with hot food counters
 1 Shopping centre with butcher, bakery and delicatessen
 2 Fast food establishments
 1 Small family restaurant
 1 Butcher
 1 Café with hot food kitchen
 1 Manhole at a FOG hotspot (Chinese Restaurant)
 1 Pumping station for a housing estate
 1 Sewer in a housing estate
 1 Site still to be determined
Rating of systems
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Conformity to I.S. EN 1825 Standards
Performance
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Effluent sample analysis
CCTV surveys (before and after)
Blockage History (before and after)
Maintenance - User Friendliness
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Ease of access
Hygiene
Odours
Maintenance interval
Rating of systems
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Cost
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To purchase
To install
To maintain
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User Satisfaction
 Waste
 Reliability
 Contractor or in-house cleaning
 Level of Confidence
 The trial sites themselves are also under observation.
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Willingness to maintain the system
Kitchen practices
Performance so far
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Early stages of trials
Major improvements observed already
Effluent sample analysis
Performance so far
Establishment Type of GRU
Name
Hospital
Hotel
Fast-Food
Take-away No.1
Fast-Food
Take-away No.2
Passive with
Biological Dosing
Passive with
Biological Dosing
Result (mg/l)
74
112
Passive
120
Automatic
187
Performance so far
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Statistics being compiled regarding the waste
being removed from the systems
 Maintenance procedures observed and rated
 Supplier/manufacturer procedures under
observation
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Not adhering to I.S. EN 1825 standards
One supplier withdrew system from trials
Contractor behaviour under observation
Issues arising from trials
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Active/Automatic vs. Passive debate
Automatic/Active vs. Passive Systems
Active
Passive
Moving Parts,
power, water
Volume
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Compact
Large
Location
At Source
At or away from
source
Maintenance
Interval
1 Day
2 Weeks (depending
on storage and load)
Waste FOG
Clean
Dirty, Contaminated
Waste Food
Biological Dosing
Not decaying
Decaying
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Occasionally
Issues arising from trials
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Active/Automatic vs. Passive debate
 Disposal of waste
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Cost
Traceability
Large quantities
Small quantities
Clarity
Lack of disposal records for waste FOG
(both by contractors and business owners).
Issues arising from trials
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Licensing
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Regular policing and enforcement required
 Method based consent
Lack of co-operation between different departments
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Planning
Environmental Department
Environmental Health Officers
Fear of prosecution by EHO (Environmental Health
Officers) leading to fear of grease traps!
 New premises gaining planning permission and
grease trap subsequently not being installed.
Issues arising from trials
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Trade Effluent Licences awarded to establishments
without thorough site investigation
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Inadequate GRU’s approved
Lack of resources
Lack of records for FOG related incidents
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More difficult for prosecution
Harder to compile statistics
Issues arising from trials
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Incorrectly installed or situated traps.
Appliances passing through grease trap.
Traps maintained incorrectly or not at all.
Lack of knowledge of existence of GRU
(Grease Removal Unit).
Forgery of grease trap maintenance records
by staff to avoid doing the work.
Issues arising from trials
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Poor kitchen practices negating grease
trap maintenance.
Willingness to install trap but guidance
not available.
Willingness to apply for discharge
licence but confusion caused by
application form and process.
Portable Interceptor
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Similar to passive interceptor
Maintained by contractor
Unit swapped with clean unit
every two weeks.
Full unit is removed from site
and cleaned at contractors
premises
Removes need for maintaining
unit within kitchen – hygiene
and odour issues
Outputs of Midleton Case Study
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Better understanding of systems on the
market in Ireland
 Greater appreciation of all points of view
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User
Supplier
Contractor
Outputs of Midleton Case Study
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Greater understanding of kitchen practices
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Where most FOG is generated in different types of
FSE
Wok cooker, combination oven etc.
Tools for handling FOG related issues
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Ireland specific FOG letters
Grease Trap Guidance sheets
Kitchen Practice Guidance sheets
Grease Trap Maintenance Record sheets
Conclusion
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Disposal of waste is a significant issue
which needs to be addressed
Waste stream is dramatically increasing
without adequate disposal routes.
MEngSc Thesis:
“Recovery of Waste FOG for use as a
Biofuel in Ireland”
Acknowledgments
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Noel O’Keeffe
- A/County Engineer, Cork Co. Co.
Matt Shortt
- WSNTG
Tadgh O’Connor
-DEHLG
Shane Kennedy
-Cork Co. Co.
WRc
Midleton Town Council
Cork Co. Co. Environmental Section
Water Services National
Training Group
11th Annual Conference
6th September 2007
WSNTG Annual Conference September 2007