News

2nd August 2006

PDM Group joins WRc Group national 'Fats, Oils & Greases' Project

WRc Group has recently launched a large project examining fats, oils and greases (FOG) in sewers, which is being supported by all the major water companies. The illegal disposal of FOG is creating problems which are currently costing the UK water industry up to £20 million a year in sewer efficiencies and clean-up costs.

Illegally disposed FOG can cause significant numbers of blockages, which can lead to sewer flooding, odour problems and increased rat infestations, as well as reducing the hydraulic capacity of the sewer network.

The WRc project will for the first time provide a thorough examination and analysis of FOG, its problems and potential solutions.

PDM Group has joined the project as an industrial collaboration partner and will be looking at innovative methods of collecting and processing used cooking oils before they enter the sewage system. The removal of waste oils and fats from the waste streams before they reach the sewer system has been identified as one of the key objectives for the project.

PDM Group will be exploring options for local collection systems for used oils and fats in partnership with Local Authorities and Water Companies. The new services will be run alongside PDM Group's existing collection network for used cooking oils.

The first collection trials will be taking place in Lancashire later this year; oil collected in the trial will be refined to produce recovered oils for biodiesel production.