PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
EU legislation prohibits the depositing of potentially infectious waste material in landfills. Therefore, medical waste is either sterilised or incinerated prior to disposal. Sterilisation is not always effective, sometimes failing to destroy all dangerous bacteria. Meanwhile, for incineration, clinical waste usually needs to be transported great distances to special incineration plants. This also generally requires a certain degree of sterilisation prior to transport, greatly increasing costs. Both current methods are expensive, have negative environmental impacts and result in the loss of valuable materials.
OBJECTIVES
The project aimed to demonstrate an innovative method for the recovery of materials from medical waste, based on a system known as “rotating autoclave technology”. This would include the application of patented equipment, which would sterilise, dry and reduce the volume of the recovered materials, thereby preparing them for recycling into new products. The project aimed to set up demonstration plants in the UK and Latvia, and the process applied would be developed to meet the ISO 14001 quality assurance standards.
RESULTS
The project was not successful. The beneficiary reported that it faced many problems in both developing the plants in the UK and Latvia and in procuring the necessary equipment.
Despite these serious setbacks, some progress was reported in the small-scale testing of the process: some 300- 400 kg of raw material was successfully put through the whole process – which, according to the beneficiary, provides an indication that the process is viable. In addition, the two main stages of the process were tested separately. The laboratory-scale finished samples of products were also tested. Tests showed that the biological count was effectively zero – indicating that it would be suitable for a range of possible uses.
The project was not successful. The beneficiary reported that it faced many problems in both developing the plants in the UK and Latvia and in procuring the necessary equipment.Despite these serious setbacks, some progress was reported in the small-scale testing of the process: some 300- 400 kg of raw material was successfully put through the whole process – which, according to the beneficiary, provides an indication that the process is viable. In addition, the two main stages of the process were tested separately. The laboratory-scale finished samples of products were also tested. Tests showed that the biological count was effectively zero – indicating that it would be suitable for a range of possible uses.
