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Various Technologies in Healthcare Waste Management and Disposal

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Waste Treatment in the Biotechnology, Agricultural and Food Industries

Part of the book series: Handbook of Environmental Engineering ((HEE,volume 27))

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Abstract

The healthcare waste (HCW) generation kept increasing over these few years due to people beginning to conceive of the importance of health. The sudden increase in HCW due to the high usage of personal protective equipment such as face masks, face shields, and gloves during the Covid-19 outbreak resulted in the current HCW management in stress conditions in developing countries. The waste generation rate is based on the number of Covid-19 cases reported in the country. HCW can be categorized into a few types, such as infectious waste, sharp waste, chemical waste, pharmaceutical waste, and nonhazardous waste. Hazardous waste is commonly found in HCWs because it consists of harmful microorganisms which will bring danger to the environment and human health; thus, proper methods for handling HCW must be concerned, and segregation of HCW must be implemented. The selection of HCW treatment methods must be considered to reduce the negative impact on the environment and humans. Due to the significant increase of HCWs during the Covid-19 outbreak, the emergency disposal method needs to be considered to overcome the overloaded of HCWs in the treatment facilities. The co-disposal method can be considered to treat HCW, but this method is only allowed during the emergency period. Many countries discovered that there is a lack of awareness and poor regulations on HCW management. Thus, the laws and regulations on HCW management must be enforced.

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Abbreviations

Ag:

Silver

Al2O3:

Aluminium oxide

As:

Arsenic

Bi:

Bismuth

BTEX:

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers

CaO:

Calcium oxide

Cd:

Cadmium

Cl:

Chlorine

Co:

Cobalt

Cr:

Chromium

Cu:

Copper

e.g.:

Example

EHS:

Environmental, health, safety

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

ER:

Equivalence ratio

F:

Fluorine

Fe:

Iron

Fe2O3:

Ferrous oxide

GDP:

Gross domestic product

H:

Hydrogen

HCW:

Healthcare waste

HCWGR:

Healthcare waste generation rate

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

HW:

Hospital waste

K2O:

Potassium oxide

LOI:

Loss on ignition

MgO:

Magnesium oxide

MSW:

Municipal solid waste

MSWIFA:

Municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash

MWBA:

Medical waste bottom ash

MWG:

Medical waste generation

MWIFA:

Medical waste incinerator fly ash

MWIS:

Medical waste incinerator sludge

Na2O:

Sodium oxide

ND:

Not determined

Ni:

Nickel

NT:

Not tested

Pb:

Lead

PPE:

Personal protective equipment

Ref:

Reference

S:

Sulfur

SiO2:

Silicon oxide

SO2:

Sulfur trioxide

TEQ:

Toxic equivalents scheme

Ti:

Titanium

TiO2:

Titanium oxide

USA:

United States

USD:

United States dollar

WHO:

World Health Organization

Zn:

Zinc

%:

Percentage

°C:

Degree Celsius

CO2e:

Carbon dioxide equivalent

°F:

Degree Fahrenheit

Kg:

Kilogram

kPa:

kilopascal

kW:

Kilowatt

kWe:

Kilowatt-electric

kWh:

Kilowatt-hour

L:

Liter

mg:

Milligram

mg/L:

Milligram per liter

MHz:

Megahertz

min:

Minutes

MJ:

Megajoule

Nm3:

Newton cubic meter

Vol%:

Volume percent

μg:

Microgram

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Acknowledgment

I would like to acknowledge the editors for inviting me to contribute to this chapter. I would also like to thank Professor Dr. Hamidi Abdul Aziz for supporting me to complete the chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

    Wen Si Lee

  2. Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Solid Waste Management Cluster, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

    Hamidi Abdul Aziz

  3. Lenox Institute of Water Technology, Latham, NY, USA

    Lawrence K. Wang & Mu-Hao Sung Wang

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Strongsville, OH, USA

    Yung-Tse Hung

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  1. Wen Si Lee
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Correspondence to Hamidi Abdul Aziz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lenox Institute of Water Technology, Latham, NY, USA

    Lawrence K. Wang

  2. Lenox Institute of Water Technology, Latham, NY, USA

    Mu-Hao Sung Wang

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cleveland State University, Strongsville, OH, USA

    Yung-Tse Hung

Glossary

Cement kiln

Used for the pyro processing stage of manufacture of Portland and other types of hydraulic cement

Compressive strength

The capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size

Dioxins

Group of chemical compounds that are persistent organic pollutants in the environment

Equivalent ratio

The ratio of real and stoichiometric ratios between mass flow rate of oxidizer and fuel feeds

Flexural strength

Stress at failure in bending

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific period

Healthcare waste

Subset of wastes generated at health care facilities that may be contaminated by blood, body fluids, or other potential materials

Hepatitis

Inflammation of the liver

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Virus that attacks the body’s immune system

Incineration

Waste treatment process that involves combustion of substances contained in the waste materials

Infectious waste

Waste infected with cultures, blood/bodily fluids, and waste from infected patients

Landfill

Dump site for the disposal of waste materials

Meningitis

Inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord

Microwave sterilization

Steam-based technique that employs high-intensity radiation to heat the moisture in a waste sample or to add additional steam to sterilize infected and harmful substances

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Waste collected by the municipality or disposed of at the municipal waste disposal site and includes residential, industrial, institutional, commercial, and construction

Pathological waste

Waste consists of human or animal tissue or body part

Plasma technology

Use of an electric current that is conducted through an inert gas to ionize and induce an electric arc to generate high temperature

Pyrolysis

Process by which waste is decomposed in the absence of oxygen under high temperature

Split tensile strength

A method of determining the tensile strength of concrete using a cylinder which splits across the vertical diameter

Steam sterilization

Moisture heat treatment technique that applies on the transmission medium with high-temperature steam

Tensile strength

Maximum stress that a material can withstand before it stretches and breaks

Torrefaction

Process of depolymerizing biomass

World Health Organization (WHO)

Specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health

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Lee, W.S., Aziz, H.A., Wang, L.K., Wang, MH.S., Hung, YT. (2024). Various Technologies in Healthcare Waste Management and Disposal. In: Wang, L.K., Sung Wang, MH., Hung, YT. (eds) Waste Treatment in the Biotechnology, Agricultural and Food Industries. Handbook of Environmental Engineering, vol 27. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44768-6_10

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