Scientists ‘transform’ fetid fatbergs into ‘sweet-smelling’ perfume

More like “Eww de parfum.”

Scientists are literally turning crap into gold after devising a way to convert foul-smelling fatbergs into aromatic perfumes — effectively killing two birds with one giant, stinky stone.

“What we’ve done is engineer bacteria to eat fatbergs and turn them into fragrance compounds used in products such as perfumes and shampoos,” Stephen Wallace, a professor from the University of Edinburgh who proposed the unusual recycling measure, told Scotland’s STV News.

Fatbergs are created when people flush condoms, wet wipes and other solid waste down the toilet, where they combine with congealed sewage and cooking oil to form a behemoth blob.

“Imagine these new bacteria living in the sewers breaking down fatbergs and turning them into sweet-smelling chemicals,” said Stephen Wallace. Tasha Sinchuk – stock.adobe.com

The gargantuan greaseballs — the largest ever, discovered in 2017, measured 820 feet long and weighed 286,000 pounds — can clog the sewer systems, leading to major backups.

Thames Water, which is responsible for wastewater treatment in London, reportedly spends over $22 million per year clearing the obstructive globs, the Daily Mail reported. New York City’s septic network is plagued by them as well.

Following this plumbing system liposuction, the masses are traditionally sent to landfills for incineration.

However, entrepreneurial scientist Wallace has proposed a novel way to handle the malodorous masses and leave sewers smelling sweeter in one go.

First, he procures his fatbergs from a company that specializes in extracting them from pipes, after which he steams them to kill harmful microbes.

Fatbergs can clog up sewer systems, creating backups that can cost wastewater treatment companies millions of dollars. AFP via Getty Images

A mass of congealed refuse in a London sewer pipe. picture alliance via Getty Images

The masses are then infused with a special strain of genetically engineered bacteria that eats away at the fatberg to produce a pine tree fragrance that’s ubiquitous across the cosmetics industry.

“We know that bacteria love fats, and so we thought maybe we can reprogram bacteria to eat the [fatberg] fats and transform them into something useful?” said Wallace of his inspiration.

He said he envisions treating sewage treatment facilities with his fatberg Febreze “to reduce the smells associated with them.”

“Imagine these new bacteria living in the sewers breaking down fatbergs and turning them into sweet-smelling chemicals,” he said.

One can think of fatbergs as the poor man’s version of ambergris, a waxy substance in a sperm whale’s intestines that’s used in perfumes and medicines.

Along with creating sweet-smelling sewage, Wallace’s crapper-to-cologne proposal would also help negate the exorbitant costs of fatberg disposal.

“We’re showing the cost can be offset and even increased by producing something from fatbergs that is useful and valuable,” he said.

Wallace said his team can’t produce enough of the fragrance to be commercially viable — so don’t expect to see “eau de fatberg” at your local department store anytime soon — but his lab is working with UK partners to see if it could be in the future.

Either way, the bioengineering pioneer believes that it has the “potential to be a transformative solution to the climate crisis and to creating a more sustainable future for future generations.”