Supercritical Carbon Dioxide as Non-Thermal Alternative Technology for Safe Handling of Clinical Wastes

Abstract

The expansions of communities and cities over the last two decades have led to the increase of the number of health care facilities, and thus, clinical wastes are generated in significant amounts. Clinical wastes are a potential source for many pathogens such as viruses, parasites, fungi and bacteria. Therefore, clinical wastes should be treated before disposal into the environment. The incineration is the most common technology applied for the treatment process. However, the negative effects of incineration on humans and the environment have led scientists to define alternative technologies for the safe disposal of clinical waste. Numerous treatment technologies have been investigated as an alternative for incineration, such as autoclave and microwave. These technologies generally depend on temperature while the recent direction is to use a non-thermal sterilization processes. SC-CO2 is one of the non-thermal sterilization technologies, which depends on pressure and low temperature. Currently, SC-CO2 has been extensively used for the inactivation of microorganisms in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the application of SC-CO2 in treating clinical wastes has been on a rise. Studies conducted on the inactivation of fungi in food, normal saline and growth media indicate that SC-CO2 has the ability to inactivate these organisms. In clinical wastes, SC-CO2 has been found to be effective in the inactivation of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, this review paper focuses on the potential of using SC-CO2 as alternative technology for inactivating fungi in clinical wastes.