Enzyme Forms for Grease Trap Cleanup

Hard

Which form of enzyme breaks down grease the fastest: liquid, powder, or solid? You collect fat, oil, and grease (FOG) from a restaurant grease trap. Then you set up nine beakers with equal amounts of FOG and distilled water. Three beakers get liquid enzyme, three get powder, and three get solid. You observe each beaker daily and record how many days it takes for the grease to break down. Comparing the results across all three forms shows which one works best.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that liquid enzymes will be the quickest to break down the fat, oil and grease.

Science Concepts Learned

Reaction Rate

Reaction rate — how fast a chemical change happens — depends in part on the physical form of the substances involved. Liquid, powder, and solid enzymes all break down grease, but not at the same speed. You observe each beaker daily and record how many days it takes for the grease to break down. Comparing the three forms reveals which delivers the fastest chemical change.

Bioremediation

Enzymes can break down pollutants into less harmful substances — and this project tests which physical form does it fastest. You collect fat, oil, and grease (FOG) from a restaurant grease trap, then set up nine beakers with equal amounts of FOG and distilled water. Three beakers get liquid enzyme, three get powder, and three get solid. Each day you observe the beakers and record how long it takes for each form to decompose the grease. Comparing results across all three forms shows which biological agent remediates real-world FOG waste most effectively.

Method & Materials

You will visit a nearby restaurant to get some fat, oil, and grease (FOG) waste samples from the grease trap. You will then measure out the FOG, water, and different types of enzymes into 9 beakers. Finally, you will observe the beakers everyday to see how long it takes for the enzymes to break down the FOG waste.

You will need 300ml of FOG from a grease trap, a measuring cylinder, 600ml of distilled water, 50ml of liquid enzyme, 50mg of powder enzyme, 50mg of solid enzyme, an assistant, a plastic bag, a pair of PVC gloves, and a black marker pen.

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Results

The results showed that the solid enzyme broke down the greasy waste the fastest and the liquid enzyme was the slowest acting enzyme.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it explores how different types of enzymes can help break down fat, oil, and grease from a grease trap. It also shows how important it is to know what sort of enzyme works most effectively and efficiently on FOG.

Also Consider

Consider experimenting with different temperatures to see if the enzymes work more quickly. Also, consider experimenting with different water hardness levels to see if it has an effect on the rate at which the enzymes work.