4.3 Article

Treatment of Clinical Solid Waste Using a Steam Autoclave as a Possible Alternative Technology to Incineration

Publisher

MDPI AG
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph9030855

Keywords

autoclave; clinical solid waste; clinical solid waste management; inactivation of bacteria; treatment technology

Funding

  1. Institute for Post Graduate Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia [USM-RU-PRGS-1001/PTEKIND/843010]

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A steam autoclave was used to sterilize bacteria in clinical solid waste in order to determine an alternative to incineration technology in clinical solid waste management. The influence of contact time (0, 5, 15, 30 and 60 min) and temperature (111 degrees C, 121 degrees C and 131 degrees C) at automated saturated steam pressure was investigated. Results showed that with increasing contact time and temperature, the number of surviving bacteria decreased. The optimum experimental conditions as measured by degree of inactivation of bacteria were 121 C for 15 minutes (min) for Gram negative bacteria, 121 degrees C and 131 degrees C for 60 and 30 min for Gram positive bacteria, respectively. The re-growth of bacteria in sterilized waste was also evaluated in the present study. It was found that bacterial re-growth started two days after the inactivation. The present study recommends that the steam autoclave cannot be considered as an alternative technology to incineration in clinical solid waste management.

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