Welcome to the homepage of the FROG research being conducted in association with NC State University. Many of the links on these pages will open in a new window. Most pages are protected and require a university login. Further, the data is limited to viewing only by project participants. Please contact Joel Ducoste to request access.
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Project Relevance
Fat, oil, and grease (FOG) is generated everyday by food preparation and cleaning activities conducted at commercial establishments and, on a smaller scale, by residential sewer usage. FOG accumulations in the sanitary sewer collection system result in reduced capacity. If the sanitary sewer is not periodically cleaned then the FOG may lead to a complete blockage and a Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO).
FOG blockages are the primary cause in 40% to 50% of all SSO's (Southerland, 2002). Another common problem, known to all plumbing and utility maintenance personnel, is the process of increasingly dense mats of root hair and hardened grease combinations. As the mat accumulation commences, the effect of slowed wastewater flow exacerbates the rate of accumulation and deposit of FOG materials onto the pipe walls, thereby reducing capacity. The cycle continues until the pipe is completely occluded. These secondary FOG blockages account for an additional 10 to 25% of all SSO's (Southerland, 2002). Overall, FOG blockages account for a total of 50 to 75% of all SSO's.
Surveys
Project participants: Please follow the links below to Solutions-IES to complete the online roots and fog surveys they have provided. These surveys will greatly increase the effectiveness of the research and help the team members to assess the needs of your collections systems. Thank You!