Fatbergs

One of the worst jobs imagined is to work in the sewers of a city. All the detritus and waste of a civilization get flushed into them. Flushed to another problem for another time and place.

Sometimes though, things don’t get through. Such is the so-called ‘Fatberg‘. A congealed lump of mostly fat. Lodged in sewers throughout the world. A prime example is the Whitechapel Fatberg at 250-metres-long and 140 tonnes mass.

Fatbergs begin as waste. Material deemed worthless by the owner. Yet the Whitechapel Fatberg was successfully, partially turned into biodiesel (35MJ/L). A practical source of controlled energy. So what was once thought of as waste became an energy source.

Can our civilization afford to be cavalier about energy usage? Can our civilization afford to be cavalier about resource usage? We’re effectively living within a closed system. A finite supply of everything. Will our civilization be marked by how we flushed good things away?