SYDNEY, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Australian engineers have invented a protective coating for concrete pipes that significantly reduces the formation of damaging fatbergs in sewers.
In the new research published on Thursday, a team from RMIT University in Melbourne found that the coating reduced the build-up of fat, oil and grease (FOG) on concrete by 30 percent compared to non-coated concrete.
A fatberg is a mass of waste formed by a combination of FOG and non-biodegradable solids, such as wet wipes, that can cause blockages in sewer systems.
According to the research team, FOG causes 40 percent of all sewer blockages in Australia, with the cost of maintenance and rehabilitation of blockages estimated at 100 million Australian dollars (64.8 million U.S. dollars) per year.
The new study mimicked a sewer environment under extreme conditions that rapidly sped up the fatberg formation process over 30 days.
"The reduction of fat, oil and grease build-up can be attributed to the significantly reduced release of calcium from coated concrete, as well as less sticking of FOG on the coating surface compared to the rough, uncoated concrete surface," said study lead Biplob Pramanik, director of RMIT's Water: Effective Technologies and Tools Research Center.
"Traditional coatings like magnesium hydroxide, widely used for over two decades, are effective in controlling sewer corrosion but can inadvertently contribute to FOG build-up by interacting with fatty acids."
The coating was found to withstand temperatures of up to 850 degrees Celsius and is self-healing at room temperature, meaning it can repair any damage to itself.
The team is now developing an improved coating to achieve a greater reduction in FOG build-up in sewers. ■
