Characterization and evaluation of the leachability of bottom ash from a mobile emergency incinerator of COVID-19 medical waste: A case study in Huoshenshan Hospital, Wuhan, China.

To dispose of the medical waste generated during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new type of mobile emergency incinerator (MEI) was used in Huoshenshan Hospital, Wuhan, China, and consequently, it produced a number of medical bottom ashs (MBAs). In this study, the characterization and environmental risk evaluation of these MBAs were conducted to evaluate the disposal effect of this MEI used during the pandemic. Three types of leaching tests, EN 12457-2, TCLP 1311, and HJ/T 299-2007, were compared to investigate the release behaviors of major and trace elements from these MBAs. Lack of detection of COVID-19 in MBAs showed that this mobile emergency incinerator could thoroughly eliminate the COVID-19 virus in medical wastes to avoid secondary transmission. The results indicated that the increasing usage of chlorinated disinfectants and physiological saline solutions resulted in high Cl contents in MBAs. In addition, the increasing usage of polypropylene (PP) products changed the chemical properties and compositions of MBAs, with Ca as the main element. The leachability investigation revealed that the main metals in leachates were Ca, Na and K, and the toxic heavy metals such as Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cr in MBAs were difficult to extract because of the high pH (>12) of these MBAs. This study could provide consultation for the treatment and management of MBAs produced from MEIs dealing with emergent infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Analysis of the disposal of medical waste management at home and abroad and suggestions on countermeasures

The widespread outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 has aroused great concern of the government and the public on the environmental management and safe disposal of medical wastes. Developed countries have established a relatively comprehensive medical waste management system, while the China's medical waste management system and treatment methods still need to be improved. The current status of the production, management and disposal of medical wastes were analyzed systematically in this paper to summarize and analyze the problems of medical waste management and disposal in China. Learned from the foreign practices, effective methods such as strengthening the classified medical waste collection management system, the establishment of the producers responsible recycling system, the full implementation of the centralized processing system, the strengthening of the whole process of tracking management of each link, the deepening of the disposal technology research, and the building of the emergency disposal of medical wastes management system were put forward to provide references for further standardizing the development in this field.