A fatberg is a rock-like mass of waste matter in a sewer system formed by the combination of flushed non- biodegradable solids, such as wet wipes, and fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits. [1] [2] [3] The handling of FOG waste and the buildup of its deposits are a long-standing problem in waste management, with "fatberg" a more recent neologism. [4] Fatbergs have formed in sewers worldwide, with the rise in usage of disposable (so-called "flushable") cloths. Several prominent examples were discovered in the 2010s in Great Britain, their formation accelerated by aging Victorian sewers. Fatbergs are costly to remove, and they have given rise to public awareness campaigns about flushable waste.
Fatbergs form at the rough surfaces of sewers where the fluid flow becomes turbulent. In pipes and tubes with smooth inner linings, fluid near the containing wall flows only slightly slower than fluid in the central channel of the pipe; thus, the whole volume of fluid flows smoothly and freely. When fluid encounters an obstruction, a resulting swirl of water starts trapping debris. Fatbergs occur in sewer systems around the globe, in cities and smaller towns. [5]
An obstruction can be any type of rough surface capable of snagging debris. In brick or concrete sewers there may be surplus cement drips, damaged brickwork, or loose mortar joints damaged by frost heave. In any sub-surface pipe, even of the most advanced design, penetration by foreign intrusions such as tree roots is a commonplace cause of a fatberg blockage.
Fatbergs are not just the result of fats that have congealed through cooling. The lipids in fatbergs have undergone a process of saponification. [4] [1] [6] Fatbergs thus require four main components: calcium, free fatty acids, FOG, and water. [4] Comprising not only wet wipes and fat, fatbergs may contain other items that do not break apart or dissolve when flushed down the toilet, such as sanitary napkins, cotton buds, needles, [7] condoms, and food waste from garbage disposal units washed down kitchen sinks. [2] [8] [9] The resulting lumps of congealed material can be as strong as concrete, and require specialist equipment to remove. [2] In the United States, almost half of all sewer blockages are caused by grease, [10] combined with the evergrowing use of wipes that end up in sewer systems. [11]
Fatbergs can cause blockages in sewer systems. Giant fatbergs have blocked sewers in London, New York, Denver, Valencia, and Melbourne. [5] Blocked fat reacts with the lining of the pipe and undergoes saponification, converting the oil into a solid, soap-like substance. [7] Grease and fat blockages can cause sanitary sewer overflows, in which sewage is discharged into the environment without treatment. [10]
Fatbergs have been considered as a source of fuel, [12] specifically biogas. [13] Most of the fatberg discovered in Whitechapel in London in 2017, weighing 130 tonnes (128 long tons; 143 short tons) and stretching more than 250 metres (820 ft), was converted into biodiesel. [7] [14]
Fatbergs can be mitigated through public awareness campaigns about flushable waste and grease traps for filtration at the source. [6] Many U.S. municipalities require restaurants and food processing businesses to use grease interceptors and regulate the disposal of FOG in the sewer system. [15] Campaigns have been launched against wet wipes because of their effect on sewer systems, most notably by Surfers Against Sewage and the Marine Conservation Society, among other environmental NGOs, who called on the UK's Advertising Standards Authority to end “misleading” branding and packaging. [16]
In 2022, Australia and New Zealand developed a product labelling standard to help determine if a product is flushable. [17] [18]
Fatberg is a compound of the words fat and iceberg. The word was used in 2008 to describe "large, rock-like lumps of cooking fat" washing up on beaches in Wales, and by 2010 was used in reference to sewer-blocking fat deposits in London. [19]
The word was added to Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2015. [20] The term is used by authorities at Thames Water [2] and South West Water, [21] both in southern England.
The consummate cautionary tale is that of London, where in 2013 a collection of wipes, congealed cooking oil and other materials totaled 15 [metric] tons, according to Thames Water, the utility company that removed it. It was known, like some previous occurrences, as the fatberg. "We reckon it has to be the biggest such berg in British history," Gordon Hailwood, an official with Thames Water, said at the time.
A fatberg is a rock-like mass of waste matter in a sewer system formed by the combination of flushed non- biodegradable solids, such as wet wipes, and fat, oil, and grease (FOG) deposits. [1] [2] [3] The handling of FOG waste and the buildup of its deposits are a long-standing problem in waste management, with "fatberg" a more recent neologism. [4] Fatbergs have formed in sewers worldwide, with the rise in usage of disposable (so-called "flushable") cloths. Several prominent examples were discovered in the 2010s in Great Britain, their formation accelerated by aging Victorian sewers. Fatbergs are costly to remove, and they have given rise to public awareness campaigns about flushable waste.
Fatbergs form at the rough surfaces of sewers where the fluid flow becomes turbulent. In pipes and tubes with smooth inner linings, fluid near the containing wall flows only slightly slower than fluid in the central channel of the pipe; thus, the whole volume of fluid flows smoothly and freely. When fluid encounters an obstruction, a resulting swirl of water starts trapping debris. Fatbergs occur in sewer systems around the globe, in cities and smaller towns. [5]
An obstruction can be any type of rough surface capable of snagging debris. In brick or concrete sewers there may be surplus cement drips, damaged brickwork, or loose mortar joints damaged by frost heave. In any sub-surface pipe, even of the most advanced design, penetration by foreign intrusions such as tree roots is a commonplace cause of a fatberg blockage.
Fatbergs are not just the result of fats that have congealed through cooling. The lipids in fatbergs have undergone a process of saponification. [4] [1] [6] Fatbergs thus require four main components: calcium, free fatty acids, FOG, and water. [4] Comprising not only wet wipes and fat, fatbergs may contain other items that do not break apart or dissolve when flushed down the toilet, such as sanitary napkins, cotton buds, needles, [7] condoms, and food waste from garbage disposal units washed down kitchen sinks. [2] [8] [9] The resulting lumps of congealed material can be as strong as concrete, and require specialist equipment to remove. [2] In the United States, almost half of all sewer blockages are caused by grease, [10] combined with the evergrowing use of wipes that end up in sewer systems. [11]
Fatbergs can cause blockages in sewer systems. Giant fatbergs have blocked sewers in London, New York, Denver, Valencia, and Melbourne. [5] Blocked fat reacts with the lining of the pipe and undergoes saponification, converting the oil into a solid, soap-like substance. [7] Grease and fat blockages can cause sanitary sewer overflows, in which sewage is discharged into the environment without treatment. [10]
Fatbergs have been considered as a source of fuel, [12] specifically biogas. [13] Most of the fatberg discovered in Whitechapel in London in 2017, weighing 130 tonnes (128 long tons; 143 short tons) and stretching more than 250 metres (820 ft), was converted into biodiesel. [7] [14]
Fatbergs can be mitigated through public awareness campaigns about flushable waste and grease traps for filtration at the source. [6] Many U.S. municipalities require restaurants and food processing businesses to use grease interceptors and regulate the disposal of FOG in the sewer system. [15] Campaigns have been launched against wet wipes because of their effect on sewer systems, most notably by Surfers Against Sewage and the Marine Conservation Society, among other environmental NGOs, who called on the UK's Advertising Standards Authority to end “misleading” branding and packaging. [16]
In 2022, Australia and New Zealand developed a product labelling standard to help determine if a product is flushable. [17] [18]
Fatberg is a compound of the words fat and iceberg. The word was used in 2008 to describe "large, rock-like lumps of cooking fat" washing up on beaches in Wales, and by 2010 was used in reference to sewer-blocking fat deposits in London. [19]
The word was added to Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2015. [20] The term is used by authorities at Thames Water [2] and South West Water, [21] both in southern England.
The consummate cautionary tale is that of London, where in 2013 a collection of wipes, congealed cooking oil and other materials totaled 15 [metric] tons, according to Thames Water, the utility company that removed it. It was known, like some previous occurrences, as the fatberg. "We reckon it has to be the biggest such berg in British history," Gordon Hailwood, an official with Thames Water, said at the time.