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BioBoost for Grease Traps (SC4203) is a highly concentrated blend of bacterial species, each of which has been specifically chosen for application in a grease trap environment. Formulated to break down animal fats and vegetable oils, BioBoost has been successfully used in the treatment of effluent emanating from food processing facilities and at other locations where fats and organic oils are deposited into grease traps. It has also been used at various municipal sewerage pumping and lift stations where FOG levels were particularly high. Research and Development Grease traps pose some of the most challenging environments as far as maintenance of healthy effluent streams is concerned. However, in many cases, their owners treat them as an afterthought, which can sow the seeds for problems later on. Bacterial products have been used for some years to help address the problem of FOG in effluent treatment; however, whilst these often succeeded in reducing solids and odours, they did not perform well in low pH or high fat situations. Our Research and Development team set out to produce a solution that could overcome these problems. Low pH Effectiveness Existing bacterial products for grease traps have traditionally been unable to function properly in low pH levels, and this is currently one of the primary reasons for system breakdown. After testing a range of sites, we found the majority of grease traps had a pH level of 4.5-‐6.0. We therefore decided that we needed to source bacteria strains that could operate in environments as low as pH 4.25; existing products, we found, we not able to function at these levels, as the graph below (Fig. 1) demonstrates.
Existing Bacterial Treatment – pH Comparison (Fig. 1)
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Existing Product at pH 7.0 Existing Product at pH 4.25
We set out to isolate specific bacteria strains that were able to degrade waste and reduce odours in these challenging, low pH environments. Identifying forests and bogs as locations that naturally have an acidic character, we found two bacillus species living there that we believed might easily be adapted for grease trap applications. We isolated these strains and integrated them into our BioBoost product and then tested the new product at pH 4.25. Figure 2 shows how the new strains vastly improved the efficacy of the product over existing solutions.
for Grease Traps (SC4203)
| Research and Development |
Comparison of Effectiveness at pH 4.25 (Fig. 2)
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Control Existing Product Superior Fat Digestion We also carried out this same methodology -‐ of isolating individual bacteria strains suited to the grease trap environment -‐ in order to find the best FOG-‐eating microbes available to us. We soon found that those species that produced the most lipase were able to break down even the longest fat chain molecules -‐ those compounds that cause the vast majority of FOG accumulation in grease traps and which existing products are often unable to degrade. Further testing of these lipase-‐rich bacteria strains also revealed the production of a biosurfactant, which also helps to increase the bioavailability of FOG chains as a microbial food source.
Above are two images taken during the development of BioBoost. In each, the sample to the left-‐hand side shows the FOG-‐eating capabilities our new lipase-‐producing isolates. On the right-‐hand side, the sample was treated with an existing bacterial solution. Here, the fat remained in a solid form, whereas the BioBoost microbes began to degrade the other sample, turning it into a liquid. Our isolation of these superior FOG degrading strains prompted us to investigate our BioBoost’s effectiveness at breaking down the vegetable fat Crisco. We performed a study (Figure 5) at pH 4.3 to mimic conditions in a grease trap. Again BioBoost was proven to significantly outperform existing, fully-‐formulated grease trap treatments.
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Crisco Digestion Study (Fig. 5)
BioBoost for Drains
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Odour Reduction Having addressed low pH activity and FOG degradation, our next task was to investigate how we could improve our product’s odour reduction performance. Grease trap odours are usually caused by the build-‐up of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). We tested the seven strains of bacteria within BioBoost against the seven most common VFAs found in grease traps. Below (Figure 6) shows that between them the BioBoost strains are able to degrade all the VFAs we tested, including the usually pervasive isobutyric and isovaleric acids.
Strain # Acetic Propionic Lactic Butyric Isobutyric Isovaleric 1 + -‐ + -‐ + + 2 + -‐ + -‐ + + 3 + + + + -‐ + 4 + -‐ + + -‐ + 5 + -‐ + + -‐ -‐ 6 + -‐ -‐ -‐ -‐ + 7 + -‐ + + -‐ +
BOD Reduction We concluded our product development by testing the ability of BioBoost to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in effluent. To perform this study, waste was collected from a grease trap and divided into two samples. One sample was treated with BioBoost and the other was left untreated. The two samples were then monitored over a five-‐day period for changes in BOD. Figure 6 shows how much more rapidly BioBoost reduces BOD when compared with the natural rate of decline.
BOD Reduction in Grease Trap Material (Fig. 7)
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Performance of the Seven BioBoost Strains against Common VFAs (Fig. 6)
Final Product: BioBoost for Drains BioBoost is a result of a research and development process that identified the limitations of existing bacterial treatments for grease traps and sought to improve on these in every respect. The result is a formula that combines seven individual bacteria strains that have been specially chosen to operate in challenging pH environments and which have been proven to break down FOG more efficiently, control odours and increase the rate of BOD markedly.
