Environment

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing pollution

How does our FOG Recovery Hub service benefit the environment?

Without appropriate treatment, fats, oils and grease (FOG) wastewater can have an extremely detrimental effect on the environment and public health. When FOG is disposed to landfill or released into the environment, it decomposes very slowly, producing huge amounts of methane, which is a highly toxic greenhouse gas.

Adding methane to the atmosphere affects the earth’s temperature, directly contributing to climate change, which is already having visible effects, with rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and sea levels rising. In addition to being toxic to wildlife, FOG entering the drainage network can harden and cause blockages inside sewer systems, resulting in bursts and pollution. Our FOG Recovery Hub service not only protects the environment from unnecessary pollution, but can also supports the bioeconomy by capturing and making best use of valuable resources for renewable energy production.

EcoClarity Clean Environment FOG Recovery HUB Service

Avoiding contaminating water supplies

When FOG is flushed into the sewerage network or septic tanks, it hardens and can create blockages that can cause pipe-bursts and flooding in homes and business premises. Worse still, flushed wet wipes can bind with FOG to make fatbergs, solid masses of waste that can be as large as a double decker bus. Across the UK, over £200 million a year is currently being spent on removing blockages in sewers and drainage networks caused directly by FOG. This can also lead to raw sewage flowing directly into groundwater. Bacteria in raw sewage can be deadly if it is consumed by humans, and it can also be very harmful to plants and wildlife.

Greenhouse gases cause long-term problems

Any carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere will hang around for a long time: between 300 to 1,000 years. All this time, it will be contributing to trapping heat and warming the atmosphere.

Avoiding fats damaging our ecosystems

Any FOG that makes its way into the environment can be extremely damaging to wildlife. These are thick and sticky substances that risk coating wildlife and suffocating plants and animals. Untreated FOG wastewater can also deoxygenate water, rendering it unfit for the survival of aquatic life. Left untreated in the environment FOG can destroy entire ecosystems.

FOG Recovery Hubs benefit everyone

EcoClarity has spent a decade developing a separation technology, that takes FOG waste from commercial kitchens and food processing sites and produces valuable resources for biofuels. Our service not only treats FOG safely, protecting the environment, but also produces resources for biofuels which can help meet the increasing demand for energy in a sustainable way. Biofuels can provide an endless supply of energy that will not run out like fossil fuels; they are also much cleaner when burnt. Biodiesel releases 87% less carbon dioxide when burnt than the equivalent fossil fuel diesel. As the demand for energy is set to increase with population growth, this circular economy service ensures valuable resources are recovered and being reused for a better future.

Installing grease traps and having them professionally cleaned is a moral, ethical and legal requirement for businesses running commercial kitchens. Our FOG Recovery Hubs do not only dispose of FOG safely, but we can turn it into a clean renewable energy that benefits everyone.

Biodiesel is clean, renewable energy

An average car run on diesel fossil fuel emits 2.7kg/l of carbon dioxide. Biodiesel represents an 87% saving on greenhouse gas emissions over fossil fuels. This means 2.34kg of CO2 is saved per litre of biodiesel burnt.