Airport Magazine - February/March 2014

A simple solution saves tremendous water use, labor and dollars.

Capturing airborne kitchen grease is one way for an airport to increase sustainability while improving the bottom line for itself and its concessionaires.

In addition to being a fire hazard,
airborne grease is an environmental
concern and costly to clean. Local
and national regulations require
commercial foodservice operations
to install a kitchen exhaust system
to evacuate heat, grease effluent,
moisture and smoke from the
cooking area. Typically consisting
of a hood, baffle filters, ducts and
exhaust fan, the kitchen exhaust
system must be monitored and
maintained in accordance with
National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) codes. NFPA 96 Section 11. 4,
page 23, states that any commercial
kitchen exhaust system requires that
the entire system shall be inspected
for grease build-up by a properly
trained, qualified and certified
person, acceptable to the authority
having jurisdiction.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (HJAIA), standard practice for the airport’s approximately 82 concessionaires includes a water- and labor-intensive nightly cleaning of the baffle filter. The cleaning is costly to the food service operator, as well as to the

AIRBORNE KITCHEN GREASE

A NEW FRONTIER IN SUSTAINABILITY

BY MICHAEL CHEYNE, A.A.E., HOLLY ELMORE AND LIZA MILAGRO

environment, as the cleaning agent-laden water is dispensed into the sewer. Chapter 11 of NFPA 96 dictates that all kitchen exhaust systems shall be inspected and tested with a frequency requirement established by Table 11. 4 of the code. This maintenance averages $850 and uses 1,500 gallons of water. The 1,500 gallons of water consumed is a conservative estimate that includes daily baffle cleanings, as well as monthly cleanings.

Recognizing the problem, the airport is promoting use of the Grease Lock Filter (GLF) System produced by Ellis Fibre as an economic, sustainable and convenient solution to addressing airborne grease.