11–20 of 62 posts
> Flushers report finds of motorbikes, prams, coins, phones and jewellery – and once a live hand grenade. OK, I understand coins, phones, jewellery and even hand grenades. But how do you flush a motorbike or a pram? :-O
Does anyone know why the fat doesn't get broken down by bacteria; why doesn't it just rot away?
I suspect because it's been cooked and lost all its emulsifiers, resulting in a hydrophobic blob. Water-based bacteria just slide off. I've seen cooked fat sit around in a kitchen for ages with no visible decay effects (but I wouldn't use it for cooking!)
Does anyone know why the fat doesn't get broken down by bacteria; why doesn't it just rot away?
In anaerobic conditions, you get hydrolysis of fat, in which the water content is removed and the fats end up saturated and indigestible further by anaerobic processes. Cf. Corpse Wax.
In aerobic conditions, they'll be broken down into aldehydes and ketones.
I'm guessing that the interior of a monstrous fatberg is rather anaerobic, so you just end up with a great big blob of saturated fatty acids.
Does anyone know why the fat doesn't get broken down by bacteria; why doesn't it just rot away?
London's water supply is pretty heavily chlorinated. Wouldn't that surpress bacterial activity?
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London's water supply is pretty heavily chlorinated. Wouldn't that surpress bacterial activity?
I doubt that. To me, London tap water never tasts like chlorine, I suspect it's chlorinated much less than most tap water in the US.
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Is it really though? I've lived three places in London and made sourdoughs with tap water in all with no trouble. If it can't kill nacent yeast cultures, I wouldn't expect it to have many chances against sewer bacteria.
Leaving water out for 24 hours will get rid of chlorine, so will boiling. Did your process involve either of those?
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I doubt that. To me, London tap water never tasts like chlorine, I suspect it's chlorinated much less than most tap water in the US.
I thought that you use fluorine in the USA instead of chlorine.
> Flushers report finds of motorbikes, prams, coins, phones and jewellery – and once a live hand grenade. OK, I understand coins, phones, jewellery and even hand grenades. But how do you flush a motorbike or a pram? :-O
I imagine people open the sewer cover on the street and push stuff in.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I thought that you use fluorine in the USA instead of chlorine.
Fluorine is an additive to prevent teeth decay; chlorine or chloramine is to prevent disease in the water. Both are routinely added in the US.
Does anyone know why the fat doesn't get broken down by bacteria; why doesn't it just rot away?
Fat doesn't decompose very readily - which is why it's commonly used to seal jars of meat products like terrine and pâté. In anaerobic conditions, you get hydrolysis of fat, in which the water content is removed and the fats end up saturated and indigestible further by anaerobic processes. Cf. Corpse Wax. In aerobic conditions, they'll be broken down into aldehydes and ketones. I'm guessing that the interior of a mon…