MEDICAL WASTE STERILIZATION SYSTEM
We provide a wide range of innovative functions and services, including the monitoring of maintenance for our plants, the service of remote management, the control panel and more.
The advanced technology of medical waste
At present, there are few choices for the safe disposal of medical infectious waste. In a time
Characterized by the rise and fall of disposal costs, the always changing environmental protection rules and the growth and cuts of medical facilities, we offer a method combining effective high-pressure WET STEAM sterilization technology and computerized checks
Main Power
Automation cuts the time needed to handle hazardous waste as compared to other systems. No specialized skill is required to operate the plant. The plant is fully automated and considers the intervention of an operator only for the waste loading (such as single-use cardboard boxes or bags contained in rigid reusable in PE containers) within the loading carriage which is lifted up successively by an oil dynamic system in the loading hopper of the shredder that starts the cycle of the sterilization, fully managed by the process logic.
Staff safety
When workers handle infectious waste, syringes or needles, etc. accidents may occur. The lifting and loading computerized system drastically cut the occurrence of direct contact with needles as well as with liquid or organic substances. The result: less wasted time and more security with the lowest costs.
Spare parts
Other alternative systems involve high and unexpected costs: special bags, chemicals products and other supplies, available only in specialized shops. Our device needs no special supply since its spare parts can be found anywhere.
Disposal
Once treated, waste is in the form of sterilized and shredded material, reduced by 80% of its original volume and it falls in the same category as ordinary municipal waste. This allows cost and liability reduction, related to infectious waste disposal, and provides complete and secure checks.
Compliance with environmental rules
The device eliminates unexpected costs associated with environmental protection rules.
Moreover, it offers complete protection from the liability related to the handling of infectious material. In particular, it avoids the use of the INCINERATOR and, then, the emission of hazardous and harmful substances in the atmosphere, resulting from the combustion process.
Economical and easy to use
The device system can be installed inside or outside and it only requires electrical wiring and plumbing. The device is fully automated; the cart is filled arriving firstly to the Waste Preparation Phase and secondly to the Sterilization Phase. The final treated waste is discharged into a container (BIG BAG) and it can be treated as ordinary municipal waste.
Reliability:
Commercial users are the most demanding since their profits depend on operation costs, reliability and life-span of their treatment systems.
ISPRA (The Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) gives high evaluations to the device for both its reliability and overall value.
THE PROCESS DESCRIPTION OF THE TREATMENT CYCLE
The plant is provided with a loading cart which can be filled from the top, with an automatic system, introducing inside disposable containers “as they are” and/or the content of the reusable containers. The cart is filled arriving firstly to the Waste Preparation Phase and secondly to the Sterilization Phase. The two phases are batch processes that can be performed simultaneously or, during the sterilization process, it is possible to start the preparation of a new loading of waste.
The sterilization process uses a generally accepted principle for the treatment of harmful waste: high-pressure WET STEAM.
THE STERILIZATION PROCESS THE AUTOMATIC PREPARATION CYCLE
LOAD
The supply cart (1) is lifted up and overturned into the waste loading hopper (2) of the plant. Once the loading operation is concluded, the hopper is closed before the next stage.
SHREDDING
The shredding takes place by means of a 4-axis shredder with knives equipped with an automatic anti-locking system (3). The medical waste goes out below the shredder through a grid which allows obtaining the desired size. During the operation, a disinfectant solution is nebulized inside the loading hopper and designed to sanitize the hopper itself and to reduce the lifting of dust.
ACCUMULATION
The triturated waste is accumulated in a storage hopper (4) then, through the screw conveyor (5), it arrives to the sterilization chamber. The storage space, in addition to homogenize the load subjected to the shredder, regulates, through filling sensors, the insertion of new waste into the shredder. The automatic preparation cycle takes place while keeping the loading hopper into depression, in order to prevent the leakage of emissive components.
FILTERING BATTERY
The flow aspirated from the filter group (6) is treated by:
- A pre-filter;
- A HEPA filter;
- An active carbon filter.
This emission treatment system allows obtaining a flow compliant with the mandatory standards for the air at the workplace. Since these standards are more restrictive than those ones set for atmospheric emissions, air flow conveying can take place both outside and in the environment where the system is installed.
THE AUTOMATIC STERILIZATION CYCLE TRANSFER
The waste accumulated in the storage hopper is sent to the sterilization chamber (7) through the screw conveyor, designed to transfer the entering medical waste. The filling sensors, subordinate to the storage hopper, allow to verify the complete emptying through a PLC
(Programmable Logic Controller) (8).
STERILIZATION
When the waste transfer is concluded, the sterilization chamber is closed by a specifically designed shut-off valve and the thermal cycle can start. The wet steam, produced by the steam generator (9), is flushed with the waste. The combination of flushing and movement allows the wet vapor penetration throughout the mass in treatment. By means of this system, it is possible to achieve, within the mass of the waste in treatment, high temperatures that allow the complete sterilization. The time/temperature conditions of the automatic cycle are defined at each individual system configuration according to: type of treated waste, humidity level, operating potential, etc./
DRYING
After the Sterilization Phase, the chamber is restored to the atmospheric pressure through the steam release valve. Subsequently, through the action of a vacuum pump, a depression is created, allowing the evaporation of the residual moisture. Such evaporation also entails a waste cooling.
DISCHARGE
The shredded, sterilized and dried waste is discharged through a special discharge valve in a container suitable to its storage.
The experience in the Italian infectious risk medical waste area shows that the end condensate has characteristics suitable for exhaust in public sewers (Legislative Decree no. 152/2006 – Part III, Annex V, Table 3). The plant is installed on a self-supporting body made of steel sections (10) which allows a simple and rapid installation and requires an installed electric power, with a variable consumption for treatment cycle, depending on the types and the amounts of treated waste 5.