Demulsifier Cleaning Composition for FOG Discharge Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

The discharge of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) into water sources poses significant processing challenges for municipalities, leading to plumbing issues and increased costs. Existing cleaning compositions often emulsify FOG, making it difficult to break apart in wastewater treatment systems, and the use of grease traps or interceptors is not universally applicable.

Innovation Solution

The use of cleaning compositions that include a demulsifier, such as a capped block copolymer, reverse EO/PO block copolymer, alkyl capped alcohol ethoxylate, alkyl pyrrolidone, silicone polyol, or silicone polyether, to destabilize FOG in wastewater sources. These compositions can be used with or without drain cleaners and are designed to reduce FOG discharges into water sources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If cleaning compositions emulsify FOG to provide efficacious cleaning, then soil removal is improved, but FOG becomes difficult to break apart in wastewater treatment systems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidFOG discharge difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional role of surfactants by using a demulsifier instead of an emulsifier. The demulsifier destabilizes the emulsion formed during cleaning, causing FOG to separate from water. This allows the cleaning composition to effectively remove soil while preventing FOG from being discharged into wastewater systems, resolving the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and FOG discharge difficulty.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the chemical parameter of the cleaning composition by incorporating a demulsifier that alters the emulsion stability. This parameter change enables the system to transition from a stable emulsion state during cleaning to a separated state during discharge, effectively controlling FOG behavior throughout the process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-generated harmful factors

If grease traps or grease interceptors are used to reduce FOG discharge, then FOG removal is improved, but device complexity and installation requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveFOG discharge reductionVSAvoidplumbing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the FOG separation function from complex mechanical devices like grease traps and interceptors, achieving it through a chemical demulsifier in the cleaning composition. This eliminates the need for additional plumbing infrastructure while maintaining effective FOG removal, reducing both device complexity and installation requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical FOG removal systems (grease traps, interceptors) with a chemical solution using demulsifiers. This substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical separation devices and their associated installation requirements, achieving FOG reduction through chemical means rather than mechanical infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Ease of manufacture

If drain cleaners are used periodically to clean drains, then drain soil removal is improved, but cleaning frequency and operational costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrain cleaning effectivenessVSAvoidcleaning frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating a demulsifier in the cleaning composition that prevents FOG accumulation in drains during normal use. By destabilizing FOG emulsions at the source, the drain remains cleaner for longer periods, reducing the frequency of periodic cleaning operations and associated time losses.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The described method effectively reduces FOG discharges into water sources to less than or equal to 250 ppm (mg/L), thereby minimizing processing challenges and costs for municipalities, and reducing the need for frequent drain cleaning.

Implementation Method 1

The cleaning compositions comprise a demulsifier, an alkalinity source and at least one additional functional ingredient to effectively destabilize FOG in a waste water source

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDemulsification: Emulsion

Implementation Method 2

The cleaning compositions comprise a demulsifier, an alkalinity source and at least one additional functional ingredient to effectively destabilize FOG

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAlkalinity:

Data Source

PatentUS20250154036A1Compositions and methods of use for enhanced soil removal and fat, oil, and grease reduction in drain products and discharges into water sources

Publication Date: 2025.05.15 ECOLAB USA INC

AI summary

Methods of using cleaning compositions for reducing fat, oil, and grease (FOG) and enhancing soil removal for improved FOG discharge are disclosed. Cleaning compositions comprising a demulsifier, an alkalinity source and at least one additional functional ingredients to effectively destabilize FOG in a waste water source, a discharge, drain, grease trap or grease interceptor, or the like are provided. Methods of using the compositions to substantially decrease FOG discharges into water sources with or without the use of drain cleaners are also provided.