Frequently Asked Question

It can rather be described as an electrical grinder in which moisty wastes are ground on the rough external wall of the grinding chamber by a grinding ring. This works with the help of a turntable disk, on which two swivel impellers are fastened. The disk is provided with 5 mm. large holes, by those the suspension of water and ground food waste finally is led into the drain and sewerage system.
To increase the performance of the grinding system, especially on “tougher” food waste (long fibre vegetables), following a series of specific tests, Ecofast has modified the design of the grinding system, making it more suitable for the Mediterranean diet. The main changes effected are the following:

• two “fixed” impact bars have been added opposite to the two original “free” swivel impellers.
• the diameter of the drainage holes on the rotating disk has been reduced whereas the number of holes has been increased.

Thanks to the high performance obtained, we can certainly say that these disposers are the only ones considered suitable for the Mediterranean diet currently available on the market

With the aid of a food waste disposer all organic kitchen waste, such as vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, tea filters, scraps of cooked dishes (vegetables, meat, fish), small bones (chicken), etc. can be ground. Non food-waste like: metal, glass, porcelain, leather, cotton, rubber, plastics and in addition hard organic material such as wood, fruit stones and large bones cannot be ground, since the mechanism of the device is not intended for such materials.
The attempt to grind such materials will cause a resistance, which causes a switch off of the engine (overload protector). Additionally an intense noise is connected with the attempt of grinding hard materials which has an educational effect on the user.

The disposer has been designed and manufactured in such a manner as to do away with preventive maintenance. When cleaning, besides using our biological product “Biofast – L’Ecologico” in tablets, it may be a good habit to simultaneously feed ice cubes and a cut lemon into the disposer. This removes residues and odours and, in case of prolonged absence, leaves it perfumed, clean and disinfected.

If something that shouldn’t be ground falls into the disposer (for example a teaspoon), the disposer must be switched off immediately in order to recover the object manually. Although there are no blades that can cut or scratch you, a tool such as long-handled pliers may be used to perform such an operation. Should you have failed to switch off the disposer immediately, you must press the overload protector switch located at the bottom of the machine in order to restart operations! The accidental fall of objects into the disposer is nevertheless a rare event, especially considering the fact that our disposers are equipped with a special “inlet valve”. This part, which is made of rubber, besides carrying out the function of Silent Block and non-return device, effectively prevents the accidental dropping of elements that are not to be ground thanks to its particular shape.

All our disposers have been designed and manufactured to be installed on a large majority of existing sinks. ECOFAST offers a series of optional accessories that allow the disposer to be fitted to 2″ and 3″ sink openings, even if these are in marble. Our disposer is easily installed under the sink in less than half an hour (the outlet of the disposer is attached to the siphon of the sink) and does not required too much space!

Most of the people are astonished to discover that the disposers are relatively silent (much more than other small household appliances). The “deluxe” models contain additional soundproofing materials, lowering noise levels further. In any case, its usage time simply boils down to a couple of minutes, daily!

The monthly average consumption of electricity for a 1/2 HP disposer is equivalent to the electrical energy consumed by a 100 Watt light bulb in five hours, whereas water consumption amounts to approximately 5 litres per day. However, if properly used, such consumptions is of meaningless impact!

The Dehydra unit (de-watering unit, dehydrator, centrifugal press), is the key part of all the dewatering systems either in a compact version, a waste disposal cabinet including a disposer and a dewatering unit, or in a modular system, one or more free-standing disposal units connected each other to a dedicated drainage line to an homogenization storage tank and then to one or more de-watering units.

The de-watering unit is made up by (see picture):

• A – a cylinder containing rotating parts (a micro cylindrical sieve fitted with very fine meshes and an auger)
• B – an engine that ensures the movements to the micro cylindrical sieve and auger
• C – a gear box that transfers and reduces the movement to the micro cylindrical sieve and auger
• D – a inlet flange for the wastewater (a mix of ground food waste and water)
• E – a discharge chute of the dehydrated waste
• F – a draining outlet for the process water

Working Principle
The food waste, once ground, is sent by means of an impeller pump to the de-watering unit. The de-watering unit separates the water from the ground waste: while the watery part is drained to the sewerage system, the solid part (the dehydrated food waste), drastically reduced in weight (about 50%), volume (about 80%) and fermentability, is easily stored into a bin and recycled for a possible re-use. In the first instance to the biogas production and then to a composting plant, being the dehydrated food waste a selected matter without any contaminant. Operationally, the hydro-extractor keeps/retains the shredded particles present in the wastewater by means of a perforated micro cylindrical sieve in which turns an auger.
While the material is squeezed by the movement of the auger along and against the micro cylindrical sieve and it is “dried” by the centrifugal force, it is then pushed towards a discharge chute (E) and it drops inside an elastic sleeve into a collected bin. The process water, filtered by the fine meshes of the micro cylindrical sieve, is flushed down the drain into the sewerage system. Normally, the watery part does not exceed the limit values concerning the inputs in the sewers and it may be profitably used in the depuration plants for the biological removal process of nitrogen and phosphorous. The de-watering equipments do not require sanitary cleanings as the waste area is normally located outside the kitchen, in proper areas, where no wastewater is recycled or re-sent in the kitchen area.

Because it performs a reduction: drastic in volume, lower in weight, of food waste, thus facilitating the increase of the source separated collecting system.
Thanks to its use the following advantages may be obtained:

• Fewer costs for separate collection, transport and disposal of food waste;
• More waste collected in a separate way;
• Positive logistic impact: fewer trucks on the road, fewer malodorous bins on the street;
• No sedimentation problem in the sewerage system;
• Increase of the organic load in the waste water treatment plants for the the removal of nutrients (RBCOD);
• Dryer waste and so less polluting.
• The food waste collected, lastly, is ready for the composting cycle because it is ;
  • homogeneous;
  • highly selected;
  • at low conductability;

  and so usable as an amendent in agriculture rather than as a “stabilised urban fraction” to be disposed of in a dump.

Yes, and in particular in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with a “low organic load” where normally expensive chemicals, such as acetic acid, methanol or other (which are important expenses in the management of a WWTP) are used to remove nutrients, in particular nitrogen and phosphorous. Infact, by using food waste disposers, the carbon discharged into the sewerage system is rapidly available for the BNR (Biological Nutriment Removal) process at the cost of next to nothing for the WWTP’s manager.
What is more, if the plant is provided with an anaerobic digester for the production of bio-gas, the saving on electric energy for self consumption can be very important (€2,8/AE per year).
In the present table reviews the data of a recent study conducted, in 2001, by the University of Hannover (ISAH) by the professors Rosenwinkel and Wendler, on the impact of the ground organic fraction in the depuration plant (read the complete study).

	Domestic waste water loads* g/(capita*d)	Additional loads due to FWD application g/(capita*d)	%
Flow	128 l/(capita*d)	4,5 l/(capita*d)	3,5
Screenings	0,016	0,17	5
Grit	0,04	0,042	5
COD tot.	120	18-36	15-30
BOD tot.	60	6-15	10-25
TKN	11	1,5	5-10
P tot.	1,8	0,13-0,25	7-14
SS	70	28-40	40-60
C/N	2/1- 5/1	25/1	+++
Primary sludge	45 – 54	20 – 40	50 – 70
Surplus sludge	10 – 35	5 – 20	10 – 40
Raw sludge	ca. 80	ca. 50	ca. 62
Digested sludge	48 – 60	15 – 18	30 – 50
Biogas	16 – 25 L/(E*d)	16 – 25 L/(E*/d)	90 – 100

 *for Germany (after the German waste water associations working paper A 131 (ATV,2000))

As concerns the environment, the reduction of emissions (see our environmental impact assessment) and leakage may be seen as more evident advantages: general improvement of hygiene and public health. For your information, the city of New York, after an experiment which lasted two years, conducted in certain zones of the city: (Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan) not provided with a separate sewerage system, has removed the ban on the use of disposers, which had been existing since 1994, and, by starting from 2000, it has encouraged their utilization with a contribution of 300 US dollars for each disposer installed.

For an exhaustive answer read this study made by Università Politecnica delle Marche.

RE-WISE is a project in European partnership financed by EACI (European Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation) within the context of IEE (Intelligent Energy Europe) coming from a technology property of Ecofast Italia S.r.l. (sistema SI.QU.R.O.).The Re-WISE purpose is the promotion of a integrated system for the decentralised production of electricity and heat from biogas from food waste, made with the massive use of domestic food waste disposers of second generation, able to quantify the waste introduced into the sewerage system. By using this infrastructure as a means of transport for the ground food waste, it is possible to increase, in a substantial way, the production of biogas in the depuration plants equipped with anaerobic digestors.

“Si.Qu.R.O.” is a system for the quantitative detection of food waste processed by a food waste disposer, developed by Ecofast Italia S.r.l. together with the company Ingegneria Ambiente S.r.l.
It is made up by a sonda ables to detect the motion characteristic of the nonsynchronous engine of the disposer in use and by an electronic card ables to elaborate, by means of a complex algorithm, the signal so as to obtain the value of the quantity of food waste processed.
“Si.Qu.R.O.” is covered by a patent and a confidential know-how.
“Si.Qu.R.O.” enables a disposer to totally become an instrument for the source separated collecting system of food waste.

The disposer has a cost like its installation. A cost that may be amortized in a short time thanks to the saving which the system allows.
Thanks to this system it is possible to calculate the total investment that providing with a disposer all or a part of the citizens resident in your city, and then, comparing it with the cost of collecting and disposing of the organic waste produced by the same citizens, the time necessary to absorb such an investment reaching the “break even point”.
The data obtained limits itself to providing an order of the proportion of the economic return of the investment and so it could vary more or less in function of the final destination of the greater quantity of sludge produced in the depuration plant consequent to the spreading of the disposer. More if their disposal is limited to the dump, less, in the eventuality that they may be reused to produce quality compost;

(For the calculation refer to: calculation).

FC-DISTRICT optimizes and implements an innovative production and distribution concept for sustainable and energy efficient districts exploiting decentralized co-generation coupled with optimized building and district heat storage and distribution network targeting reduction in annual primary Energy cunsumption at district level up to 60%. It introduces a new paradigm in energy efficiency by developing system, materials, technologies and methodologies specifically intended for integration at district level.
Read more here

Self Thickening Tank (STT) is an innovative tank capable to maximise the food waste quantity collected.
It controls the sedimentation, the filtration and the, by consequence, the thickening. The thickening is controlled by 16 pairs of opto-sensors, within Pyrex tubes.
The system thanks to a PLC, can detect if each couple of opto-sensor is merged in water, air or waste (settled or floating) and in this way is possible to understand the tank filing level at once.
The  filtration is obtained through a tubular textile filter (openings 300 micron).
STT pour into the sewerage only ready biodegradable-COD( useful for the biological nitrification-denitrification process at the Waste Water Plants.).

There are a range of technologies that can be used on-site to manage food waste. Such technologies may offer operational efficiencies, improve workplace conditions by increasing safety or reducing odours and flies, and reduce greenhouse emissions by diverting food wastes from landfill – but only if you choose the right technology for your situation.
In order to suggest the best technology, please provide the following basic information about the food waste your business produces to info@ecofast.eu:

• How much food waste do you produce each week?
• What type of food waste do you produce?
• What quality outcome or specifications do you need to achieve from on-site management?

Our staff will reply to you asap!