Performance of a Large-Scale Medical Waste Incinerator in a Referral Hospital

Veilla E Matee,Samwel V Manyele

doi:10.4236/eng.2015.710059

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the performance of large scale incinerator installed in a referral hospital. The study involved weighing and loading infectious waste of different composition (sharps and other waste), recording temperatures in the primary and secondary chamber with time, fuel used and collecting and weighing the bottom ash for 65 days. The analysis shows that the incinerator on average uses 362 L/day (45 L/h) to incinerate 945 kg of medical waste (40.8 kg/day of sharps waste and 904 kg/day of other waste), generating 51.2 kg of ash daily. The observed fuel consumption rate was too high necessitating corrective action. The average weight reduction was 94.6%. The study shows that the average sharps waste composition for medical waste incinerated was 4.3% and other waste was 95.7%. The incinerator capacity ranged between 100 and 130 kg/h. The fuel effectiveness ranged between 2.0 and 3.0 liters of diesel per kg of waste incinerated. The fuel effectiveness increased linearly with total waste incinerated and incinerator capacity, respectively, depending on the fuel consumption rate.

Highlights

Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) is a National Referral Hospital and University Teaching Hospital with 1500 bed facility, attending up to 1200 outpatients per day, while admitting an equal number of inpatients per day
It can be concluded that the incinerator performance was excellent in terms of percent weight reduction, that is, 94.6% compared to reported values in the literature
The quantity of waste treated was high about 945 kg/day justifying for the large scale unit.The incinerator capacity data reported in this study was high compared to small scale incinerator, with chance of improvement through reduction of cycle time and by proper segregation and storage

Summary

Introduction

Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) is a National Referral Hospital and University Teaching Hospital with 1500 bed facility, attending up to 1200 outpatients per day, while admitting an equal number of inpatients per day. The generation, segregation, collection, transport and disposal of medical waste must be properly managed. How to cite this paper: Matee, V.E. and Manyele, S.V. (2015) Performance of a Large-Scale Medical Waste Incinerator in a Referral Hospital. V. Manyele so as to minimize the risks to health care provider, patients, the public and safety of the surrounding environment [1]. Improper disposal of medical waste including ash sent to the landfill may increase the risk of spreading infections and of exposure to toxic chemicals [2] [3]. Literature shows, that incinerator ash gives assistance to the biodegradation of organic waste in the landfills [4] [5]. This study focuses on medical waste treatment and final disposal

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Conclusion