Construction, Design and Testing of Infectious Waste Decontamination Device by Mechanical and Chemical Methods, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sarab, Iran: A Case Study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to provide a suitable system for disposal of hospital waste and design and construction of a safe device for infectious waste using a combination of chemical and mechanical methods. Methods: This research is a laboratory study and based on the existing problems, design and construction of a decontamination device for hospital infectious waste was performed by combination of chemical and mechanical methods in a closed reactor. To determine the appropriate mixture of different compounds of sodium hydroxide with lime and sodium carbonate with lime, three treatments were selected and used. Results: The results of this study showed that the decontamination waste device by chemical and mechanical methods was effective in eliminating 98% of bacterial, fungal, and viral contaminants. The results showed that the neutralization rate for total bacterial contamination of the coliform, pathogenic viruses, Escherichia, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella, and Shigella using a 30% ratio was related to the chemical composition of lime and sodium hydroxide, lime and sodium carbonate, respectively. In the designed device, the best temperature, humidity and pH conditions were determined to be 15°C, 45% and 12.8, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the decontaminated waste tests revealed that the simultaneous application of physical and chemical methods can be used as a safe and suitable alternative in infectious waste disposal systems.

Keywords

• hospitals
• infectious waste
• decontamination
• environment