CASE STUDY: Downstream Environmental
New Method for Recycling Restaurant Waste Uses a Headworks' Mahr^® Bar Screen

Downstream Environmental owns and operates over 200 recycling facilities across the USA. Its Houston facility receives restaurant waste and processes the fats, oils and grease (F.O.G.) to a state pure enough to sell to refineries where it ultimately becomes fuel. The F.O.G. is heated to about 120°F ensuring that pathogens are killed and that it is in a liquid state. Following this process, it is then sent through the treatment process. The first step in that process is a Headworks Mahr Bar screen with ¼" openings. Amongst the many aspects that sets Headworks^® apart from our competition are the durable, all stainless steel components and the finer screen openings, essential elements of design built screens for complicated applications such as this.

The plant deals with truckloads of waste which is gathered from grease traps at local bakeries and restaurants. The waste is like septage receiving, only worse! It has high concentrations of fats, oils and greases. The screen is responsible for removing, along with other trap material, everything from rocks and kitchen utensils to, strangely enough, an inordinate number of cell phones!

The F.O.G. goes through numerous purification steps and the water resulting from the processing is treated and released to the local publicly owned treatment plant. Every load presents a new challenge as the content and consistency vary greatly making this an extremely severe duty application, hence the need for the "extraordinarily effective Headworks^® Mahr^® Bar Screen".

According to Dan Noyes, President of Downstream Environmental, "Screening is not as easy as indicated in textbooks, especially in our application. The Headworks Screen is soundly engineered. We're very happy it's at the front end of our process!" The screen has been up and running since early 2002 and has consistently proven during that time that it was the correct screen for this demanding application.