The effect of sodium hydroxide on the removal time of fatbergs in a model environment.
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Fatbergs or FOG (fat, oil, and grease) deposits are a recently realized threat to sewer systems. Fatbergs form from FOG and unflushable materials such as wet wipes sticking to the walls of concrete sewer pipes and building up over time. If left untreated or unchecked, these masses can grow to immense proportions, with some of the largest ones being found in London such as the rather famous Whitechapel fatberg, which weighed 130 metric tons and stretched more than 250 meters long. The current methods employed to remove these fatbergs, however, are extremely slow and expensive, consisting of either high-pressure water or sheer manpower. There is a lack of improvement in techniques/methods of removal, while there is sufficent research going into disposing of FOG waste. This culmitated in the gap this research aims to fill, being the use of sodium hydroxide on a fatberg to speed up removal. It was hypothesized that the sodium hydroxide would have a significant effect on the time required for the removal of the fatberg, and the results indicated a 95.85% decrease in the time needed for removal. In conclusion, sodium hydroxide has a rather noticeable effect on the removal of fatbergs.
Recommended Citation
Miro, Ryon "Walker", "The effect of sodium hydroxide on the removal time of fatbergs in a model environment." (2023). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 84.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2023/all/84
Location
BS 349
Start Date
3-25-2023 11:30 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The effect of sodium hydroxide on the removal time of fatbergs in a model environment.
BS 349
Fatbergs or FOG (fat, oil, and grease) deposits are a recently realized threat to sewer systems. Fatbergs form from FOG and unflushable materials such as wet wipes sticking to the walls of concrete sewer pipes and building up over time. If left untreated or unchecked, these masses can grow to immense proportions, with some of the largest ones being found in London such as the rather famous Whitechapel fatberg, which weighed 130 metric tons and stretched more than 250 meters long. The current methods employed to remove these fatbergs, however, are extremely slow and expensive, consisting of either high-pressure water or sheer manpower. There is a lack of improvement in techniques/methods of removal, while there is sufficent research going into disposing of FOG waste. This culmitated in the gap this research aims to fill, being the use of sodium hydroxide on a fatberg to speed up removal. It was hypothesized that the sodium hydroxide would have a significant effect on the time required for the removal of the fatberg, and the results indicated a 95.85% decrease in the time needed for removal. In conclusion, sodium hydroxide has a rather noticeable effect on the removal of fatbergs.
