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Energy, environment and economy assessment of medical waste disposal technologies in China.
Zhao, Hai-Long; Wang, Lei; Liu, Fang; Liu, Han-Qiao; Zhang, Ning; Zhu, Yu-Wen.
  • Zhao HL; College of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Building Green Functional Materials, Tianjin 300384, China.
  • Wang L; School of Engineering, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China; School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province (KLaCER), School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou 3
  • Liu F; School of Engineering, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, 310024 Zhejiang Province, China; School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province (KLaCER), School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou 3
  • Liu HQ; College of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Building Green Functional Materials, Tianjin 300384, China. Electronic address: lhqlkx@126.com.
  • Zhang N; Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Weberplatz 1, Dresden 01217, Germany.
  • Zhu YW; College of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Building Green Functional Materials, Tianjin 300384, China.
Sci Total Environ ; 796: 148964, 2021 Nov 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1316627
ABSTRACT
Medical waste (MW) has exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic and aroused great concern to MW disposal. Meanwhile, the energy recovery for MW disposal is necessary due to high heat value of MW. Harmless disposal of MW with economically and environmentally sustainable technologies along with higher energy recovery is urgently required, and their energy recovery efficiencies and environmental impacts reduction due to energy recovery are key issues. In this study, five MW disposal technologies, i.e. rotary kiln incineration, pyrolysis incineration, plasma melting, steam sterilization and microwave sterilization, were evaluated and compared via energy recovery analysis (ERA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and life cycle costing (LCC) methods. Furthermore, three MW incineration technologies with further energy recovery and two sterilization followed by co-incineration technologies were analyzed to explore their improvement potential of energy recovery and environment benefits via scenario analysis. ERA results reveal that the energy recovery efficiencies of "steam and microwave sterilization + incineration" are the highest (≥83.4%), while that of the plasma melting is the lowest (19.2%). LCA results show that "microwave sterilization + landfill" outperforms others while the plasma melting exhibits the worst, electricity is the most significant contributor to the environmental impacts of five technologies. Scenario analysis shows that the overall environmental impact of all technologies reduced by at least 45% after further heat utilization. LCC results demonstrate that pyrolysis incineration delivers the lowest economic cost, while plasma melting is the highest. Co-incineration of sterilized MW and municipal solid waste could be recommended.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Refuse Disposal / Medical Waste Disposal / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: Sci Total Environ Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: J.scitotenv.2021.148964

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Refuse Disposal / Medical Waste Disposal / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies Limits: Humans Country/Region as subject: Asia Language: English Journal: Sci Total Environ Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: J.scitotenv.2021.148964