Cleanup Time Research Articles

Well Rate and Placement for Optimal Groundwater Remediation Design with A Surrogate Model

A new surrogate-assisted optimization formulation for groundwater remediation design was developed. A stationary Eulerian travel time model was used in lieu of a conservative solute transport model. The decision variables of the management model are well locations and their flow rates. The objective function adjusts the residence time distribution between all pairs of injection-production wells in the remediation system. This goal is achieved by using the Lorenz coefficient as an effective metric to rank the relative efficiency of many remediation policies. A discrete adjoint solver was developed to provide the sensitivity of the objective function with respect to changes in decision variables. The quality management model was checked with simple solutions and then applied to hypothetical two- and three-dimensional test problems. The performance of the simulation-optimization approach was evaluated by comparing the initial and optimal remediation designs using an advective-dispersive solute transport simulator. This study shows that optimal designs simultaneously delay solute transport breakthrough at pumping wells and improve the sweep efficiency leading to smaller cleanup times. Well placement optimization in heterogeneous porous media was found to be more important than well rate optimization. Additionally, optimal designs based on two-dimensional models were found to be more optimistic suggesting a direct use of three-dimensional models in a simulation-optimization framework. The computational budget was drastically reduced because the proposed surrogate-based quality management model is generally cheaper than one single solute transport simulation. The introduced model could be used as a fast, but first-order, approximation method to estimate pump-and-treat capital remediation costs. The results show that physically based low-fidelity surrogate models are promising computational approaches to harness the power of quality management models for complex applications with practical relevance.

Are the operation theatres being optimally utilized? – A prospective observational study in a tertiary care public sector hospital

The study aimed to analyse the utilization of the operation theatres at a tertiary care teaching hospital. An observational study with time monitoring of various processes was carried out from January to December 2016 in the OT complex of a public sector tertiary care hospital. OT complex comprised of 12 operating rooms and all the elective OTs (11) were included in the study except the emergency OT. One OT for a full day per week was observed. Selection of operation theatre and weekday for data collection was done using simple random sampling without replacement using chit system. OTs were observed for 26 days spread over a period of 6 months with resource hours of 15,000 min (250 h). A total of 129 (69.34%) surgeries out of 186 scheduled surgeries were conducted with an average of 4.61 surgeries per day and an observed cancellation rate of 30.66%. Overall raw utilization of OT was observed to be 99.29%, while overall adjusted utilization was 128.53% with an idle time of 0.81% only. Total time spent on “anaesthesia preparation” was 1624 min (8.42%), “surgical preparation time” was 1930 min (10.01%), “actual surgery time” was 9554 min (49.56%), “room set-up and room clean-up time” was 4441 min (23.04%), “surgery finish and anaesthesia finish time” was 574 min (2.98%) and “turn over time” was 1000 min (5.19%). The operation theatres are being optimally utilized, however, an effort should be made to make the ancillary processes (room set up and clean up) more efficient.

Removal of labile arsenic from flooded paddy soils with a novel extractive column loaded with quartz-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron

Efficient removal of labile arsenic (As) from paddy soil is a fundamental pathway mitigating As accumulation in rice from a long-term perspective. In this study, a porous and pencil-shaped column prepacked with quartz-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) was designed to extract elevated porewater As from paddy soil under flooded condition. With fine quartz as supporting medium in the core layer, only 0.07% out-migration of the loaded NZVI occurred in arsenite As(III) solution. At pH 5–9, removal of aqueous As(III) with NZVI-column was 73–78%, while silicic acid and phosphate at their environmentally realistic concentrations exhibited 27–30% and 14–17% inhibition on As(III) extraction, respectively. For two paddy soils with slight (S-As) and moderate (M-As) As contamination, four cycles of intermittent extraction with NZVI-column induced steady and marked decrease in porewater As. By the end of four successive extractions, profiles of DGT-labile As in S-As and M-As soils decreased by 22% and 29% on average with simultaneous decline of the most available fraction of soil As (including soluble and exchangeable fraction) by 26% and 17%, respectively. For the post-extracted two soils, As accumulation of rice seedlings declined by 29–57% than those in control. These results identify the effectiveness of NZVI-column in extracting elevated labile As from paddy soils with the aid of flooding. Targeting fast removal of high porewater As, column-extraction could serve as the first step in “remediation train” of paddy soils with relatively high As to shorten cleanup time by rendering much lowered soil As burden for the following phytoextraction and other measures.

Carboxylated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction Sorbent to Determine Eighteen Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Vegetable Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

A simple, rapid, and reliable method based on dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for quantitating polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in vegetable samples. Parameters affecting both the extraction yields and cleanup efficiency, including the type and volume of extraction solvent, extraction time, type and volume of cleanup sorbent, and cleanup time, were optimized. Matrix effects were evaluated, and matrix-matched calibration was recommended. Under the optimized conditions, carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH), which exhibit excellent adsorption capabilities due to large surface area and unique structure, were employed as d-SPE sorbent to remove interfering substances, rather than the analytes, from vegetable samples. Satisfactory linear relationship was observed for all PCBs across a concentration range of 5–500 μg/kg with correlation coefficients no less than 0.9993. Four representative vegetables (cucumber, tomato, lettuce, and cabbage) were selected as matrices for method validation. Each matrix was spiked at concentrations of 5, 10, and 100 μg/kg to evaluate recoveries, which ranged from 84.5% to 116.5% with relative standard deviations (n=6) between 0.6% and 17.6%. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.3 to 1.4 μg/kg and 0.8 to 4.5 μg/kg, respectively. Twelve real vegetable samples were analyzed using the proposed method. Three of the target PCBs were detected in one lettuce sample with the total concentration of 17.9 μg/kg.

Study on four metal organic frameworks as cleanup adsorbents for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons determined by GC-MS/MS.

A new application of MOFs as adsorbents in the cleanup procedure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils was explored. Four MOFs, specifically MIL-101(Cr), MIL-125(Ti), MIL-100(Fe) and UiO-66(Zr), were synthesized and characterized. A screening study was carried out to select the best adsorbent for the purification of sixteen PAHs in complex soil extract. It is found that the nature of metal ion, pore size, surface area and surface charge affect the purification efficiencies of the various MOFs. MIL-101(Cr) was then selected because of its best purification efficiency. The effects of amount of adsorbent, cleanup solvent and cleanup time on cleanup efficiency were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the matrix effect of the target analytes was reduced by more than 65%. The method was then combined with ultrasonic extraction and quantitation by gas chromatography with triple quadrupole mass spectrometric detection. The method allows for the determination of PAHs in soils with linear in the range of 5-5000ngg-1 and with LODs between 50 and 420pgg-1. The method was applied to the analysis of (spiked) soil samples, and results compared well with the established EPA method. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of metal organic frameworks (MOF) as cleanup adsorbents for purifying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil organic matter (SOM) and further determined by gas chromatographywith triple quadrupole mass spectrometrydetection (GC-MS/MS).

Chive (Allium schoenoprasum L.) response as a phytoextraction plant in cadmium-contaminated soils.

Cadmium (Cd) soil contamination poses a major hazard to safe food production throughout the world, calling upon actions for decontamination using environmentally friendly methods, such as phytoextraction. In this study, the capability of chive (Allium schoenoprasum L.) for phytoextracting Cd from contaminated soils was tested. Growth of chive was studied in a soil spiked with 0, 15, 30, 60, and 120mg Cd/kg soil, and then, concentrations of Cd in soil, plant shoots, and roots were measured after harvest. Chive dry matter production was not affected significantly by the different Cd levels in soil, except from the maximum Cd concentration (120mg Cd/kg soil), where dry matter was reduced by 77%. Cadmium accumulation occurred mostly in roots rather than in shoots, with maximum Cd concentrations 482.48 and 26.65mg/kg of dry matter, respectively. Translocation factor (the proportion of Cd concentration in the aerial plant parts to that in the roots) was below 1 in all contaminated levels and decreased with increasing Cd concentrations in soil, indicating low Cd reallocation from roots to shoots. Maximum amount of Cd absorption (Cd concentration in shoots), maximum contaminant uptake rate, and minimum clean-up time were all observed in Cd concentration 60mg/kg soil. Based on chive potential to acquire Cd in its roots and shoots, it can be designated as a convenient species for reducing Cd from contaminated soils up to concentrations of 60mg Cd/kg soil.

A New Automated Method for the Analysis of Aromatic Amines in Human Urine by GC-MS/MS.

Cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases as well as premature death. Aromatic amines (AAs) such as o-toluidine, 2-aminonaphthalene and 4-aminobiphenyl are found in cigarette smoke and are well-established human bladder carcinogens presumably acting via the formation of DNA adducts. These amines may be metabolized in the liver to acetylated or glucuronidated forms or oxidized to a hydroxylamine which may react with protein and DNA to form adducts. Free, acetylated and glucuronidated AAs are excreted in urine and can be measured as exposure biomarkers. Using isotope dilution GC-MS/MS, our laboratory quantifies six urinary AAs that are known or suspected carcinogens-o-toluidine, 2,6-dimethylaniline, o-anisidine, 1-aminonaphthalene, 2-aminonaphthalene and 4-aminobiphenyl-for large population studies such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We also monitor two additional corresponding structural isomers-2-aminobiphenyl and 3-aminobiphenyl-to verify isomer separation. A new and improved automated sample preparation method was developed to quantify these AAs, in which, sample cleanup was done via Supported Liquid Extraction (SLE+ ISOLUTE®) on a Hamilton STAR™ workstation. This automated method increased sample throughput by reducing sample cleanup time from 8 to 4 h while maintaining precision (intra and inter-run coefficient of variation <7%) and accuracy (±17%). Recent improvements in our GC/MS method have enhanced our assay sensitivity and specificity, resulting in longer analytical column life and maintaining or reducing the limit of detection for all six analytes. Indigo ASCENTTM software (3.7.1, Indigo BioAutomation, Inc.) is used for peak integration, calibration and quantification. A streamlined sample data flow was created in parallel with the automated method, in which samples can be tracked from receiving to final laboratory information management system output with minimal human intervention, minimizing potential human error. This newly validated, automated method and sample data flow are currently applied in biomonitoring of AAs in the US noninstitutionalized population NHANES 2013-2014 cycle.

Magnetic dispersive micro solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography determination of organophosphorus pesticides in strawberries

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with different sizes and characteristics were synthesized to be used as a QuEChERS sorbents for the determination of seven organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in strawberries by gas chromatography analysis with flame photometric and mass spectrometry detection. To achieve the optimum conditions of modified QuEChERS procedure several parameters affecting the cleanup efficiency including the amount of the sorbents and cleanup time were investigated. The results were compared with classical QuEChERS methodologies and the modified QuEChERS procedure using MNPs showed the better performance. Under the optimum conditions of the new methodology, three spiking levels (25, 50 and 100 μg kg−1) were evaluated in a strawberry sample. The results showed that the average recovery was 93% and the relative standard deviation was less than 12%. The enrichment factor ranged from 111 to 145%. The good linearity with coefficients of determination of 0.9904–0.9991 was obtained over the range of 25–250 μg kg−1 for 7 OPPs. It was determined that the MNPs have an excellent function as sorbent when purified even using less amount of sorbents and the magnetic properties allowed non-use of the centrifugation in cleanup step. The new methodology was applied in strawberry samples from conventional and organic farming. The new sorbents were successfully applied for extraction and determination of OPPs in strawberries.

Reliability analysis for disaster waste management systems

The management of disaster waste is one of the most critical tasks associated with recovery after a disaster. Having a general idea of the required capacity, cost and target clean-up time while considering the uncertainties involved in the system before the detailed plan of a disaster waste clean-up system is significant. Reliability analysis is a method to judge the performance of a system and deal with uncertainties in the system. Evaluating the reliability of the system, which can indicate the possibility to complete the clean-up within the target time and cost, and optimising the system to maximise the reliability to provide information to decision-makers regarding the capacity, cost and time required to finish the clean-up is the purpose of this paper. A mathematical model is developed applying the First Order Reliability Method (FORM) to address the problem. Additionally, a non-linear optimisation model is developed to improve the reliability of the disaster waste clean-up system with consideration of the total cost and clean-up time constraints, and solved using a Genetic Algorithm. The proposed models are implemented to solve a case study in Queensland, Australia. It is shown that the models have the capability of maximising the reliability and minimising the total clean-up costs by optimising the arrangement of vehicles during the clean-up process.

Experimental Study of Matrix Permeability of Gas Shale: An Application to CO2-Based Shale Fracturing

Because the limitations of water-based fracturing fluids restrict their fracturing efficiency and scope of application, liquid CO2 is regarded as a promising substitute, owing to its unique characteristics, including its greater environmental friendliness, shorter clean-up time, greater adsorption capacity than CH4 and less formation damage. Conversely, the disadvantage of high leak-off rate of CO2 fracturing due to its very low viscosity determines its applicability in gas shales with ultra-low permeability, accurate measurement of shale permeability to CO2 is therefore crucial to evaluate the appropriate injection rate and total consumption of CO2. The main purpose of this study is to accurately measure shale permeability to CO2 flow during hydraulic fracturing, and to compare the leak-off of CO2 and water fracturing. A series of permeability tests was conducted on cylindrical shale samples 38 mm in diameter and 19 mm long using water, CO2 in different phases and N2 considering multiple influencing factors. According to the experimental results, the apparent permeability of shale matrix to gaseous CO2 or N2 is greatly over-estimated compared with intrinsic permeability or that of liquid CO2 due to the Klinkenberg effect. This phenomenon explains that the permeability values measured under steady-state conditions are much higher than those under transient conditions. Supercritical CO2 with higher molecular kinetic energy has slightly higher permeability than liquid CO2. The leak-off rate of CO2 is an order of magnitude higher than that of water under the same injection conditions due to its lower viscosity. The significant decrease of shale permeability to gas after water flooding is due to the water block effect, and much longer clean-up time and deep water imbibition depth greatly impede the gas transport from the shale matrix to the created fractures. Therefore, it is necessary to substitute water-based fracturing fluids with liquid or super-critical CO2 in clay-abundant shale formations.

Solidia Cement an Example of Carbon Capture and Utilization

Solidia Cement is a non-hydraulic binder that is produced in existing cement kilns using the same raw material as Portland cement (PC). The key difference is that the Solidia binder is produced using less limestone and at lower kiln burning temperatures. This translates into reduced CO2 emissions during cement manufacturing (30% reduction). The Solidia concrete solution consists in a mix between the binder, aggregates, sand, water that is reacted with CO2 to form a durable matrix. The curing process captures up to 300 kg of CO2 per ton of cement used. Together, the Solidia cement and concrete reduce the CO2 footprint by down to 70% when compared to conventional cement and concrete products.The advantages to precasters are multiple also:- Full strength in concrete parts achieved within 24 hours thus allowing just-in-time manufacturing and a significant reduction in inventory cost.- Concrete waste from forming process is almost eliminated and equipment cleanup time is significantly reduced because the concrete does not harden until it is exposed to CO2.- The final precast products present better aesthetics than PC-based concretes (no efflorescence, better pigmentation, and better color grading).The first industrial demonstrations (cement production and precast applications) were achieved and confirm the CO2 and energy savings announced.

Determination of 18 polychlorinated biphenyls in tea by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction

A method for the rapid determination of 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in tea by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (dSPE) was developed and evaluated. Carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) and primary secondary amine (PSA) were used as sorbents in pretreatment process. PCBs were ultrasonically extracted from tea samples with hexane-acetone (1:1, v/v), and purified with the mixed sorbents of MWCNTs-COOH and PSA after replacing hexane-acetone by toluene. The PCBs were determined by an electron impact ionization source and selected ion monitoring mode. The analytes were qualitatively confirmed from the retention time and relative abundance ratio of characteristic ions, and quantified by a matrix-matched standard solution. The chromatographic and MS parameters influencing separation and sensitivity were optimized, and major factors affecting the extraction and cleanup efficiency including type and volume of extraction solvent, extraction time, type and amount of cleanup sorbent, and clean-up time were investigated. The performance of the method was evaluated. Under optimum conditions, satisfactory linear relationship was observed with the content of PCBs ranging from 5 to 500 μg/kg, with correlation coefficients (r) no less than 0.9998. The 18 PCBs in three kinds of tea matrices including Biluochun tea, Tieguanyin tea and Pu'er tea were spiked at 5, 10 and 100 μg/kg to evaluate recoveries, which ranged from 90.7% to 115.2% with relative standard deviations (n=5) between 0.3% and 10.9%. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification were 0.3-1.7 μg/kg and 5 μg/kg for each PCB, respectively. The method is simple, rapid, accurate, sensitive and effective, and is suitable for the determination of the 18 PCBs in different kinds of tea.

Bakhtinian Analysis of Social Engagement at Preschool Clean-up Time: Carnival for Engaging Everyone

Drawing on an ethnographic study of two immigrant children’s first year experiences at U. S. preschools, this paper reports the children’s social engagement through clean-up time. Data were collected and analyzed through participant observations and video-cued interviews. Framed by research of peer culture in preschool and Bakhtin’s concept of carnival, I examine differences between playtime and clean-up time that resulted in the two children’s different degrees of social engagement at each time. Findings show that the carnivalistic mode of clean-up time allows the children to be free from the social order at playtime and actively use the time for enriching their social engagement. The findings suggest that educators recognize constraints immigrant children experience from the established order at school and the need to rethink the value of carnivalistic moments such as clean-up time for social engagement of all children.

Enhanced CE-QUAL-W2 model to predict the fate and transport of volatile organic compounds in water body: Gheshlagh reservoir as case study

Intentional and/or accidental volatile organic compound (VOC) spill into water bodies may lead to severe contamination and health problems in water infrastructures. The importance and widespread use of petroleum products and the threats posed by these products on surface water resources in Iran necessitates the access to numerical hydrodynamic and water quality simulation models with appropriate capabilities. Simulation the fate and transport of VOC in both flowing and standing water bodies is a fairly complex problem. In this research, CE-QUAL-W2 model is modified to simulate the fate and transport of VOC [i.e., Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), benzene] in standing and flowing water bodies. The performance of the modified CE-QUAL-W2 model is evaluated in a MTBE pollution spill at Khalife-Tarkhan river along the headwaters of Gheshlagh reservoir, Kordestan, Iran. The results show the modified CE-QUAL-W2 model’s capability to depict the spatial and temporal variation of MTBE in comparison with recorded data from MTBE spill event of Gheshlagh reservoir. Based on the simulation results of modified CE-QUAL-W2 model, reservoir cleanup time in different meteorological and hydrological scenarios is evaluated. The results show Gheshlagh reservoir cleanup time reduced in scenarios that included air temperature reduction, wind speed increasing, and high inflow condition.

How does layered heterogeneity affect the ability of subsurface dams to clean up coastal aquifers contaminated with seawater intrusion?

The main purpose of this work was to examine how aquifer layering impacts the ability of subsurface dams to retain seawater intrusion (SWI) and to clean up contaminated coastal aquifers using both experimental and numerical techniques. Four different layering configurations were investigated, including a homogeneous case (case H), and three different layered cases where a low permeability layer was set at the top of the aquifer (case LH), at the middle part of the aquifer as interlayer (case HLH), and at the lower part of the aquifer (case HL). The subsurface dam was able to retain the saltwater wedge associated with a drop of the hydraulic gradient from 0.0158 down to 0.0095 in all the cases, thereby achieving up to 78% reduction in the saltwater toe length. In cases LH and HLH, the start of the saltwater spillage was delayed compared to the homogeneous case, and the time taken for the freshwater zone to be fully contaminated (post-spillage) was twice and three times longer, respectively. By contrast, the existence of a low K layer at the bottom of the aquifer (case HL) considerably weakened the ability of dams to retain the intrusion, allowing for quicker saltwater spillage past the wall. The natural cleanup of SWI-contaminated coastal aquifers was, for the first time, evidenced in heterogeneous settings. Depending on the stratification pattern, the presence of stratified layers however prolonged the cleanup time to various degrees, compared to the homogeneous scenario, particularly in case HL, where the cleanup time was nearly 50% longer.

Effects of cryopump on vacuum helium leak detection system

A molecular pump is always used as the main pump of the vacuum leak detection system because of its strong ability for pumping helium. But the pumping speed of a molecular pump is not enough for large vacuum chamber. A cryopump is a clean, oil-free and high pumping-speed vacuum pump. If a cryopump is used as the main pump of the vacuum leak detection system, the number of the pumps will decrease. This paper describes the experiments on vacuum leak detection system with cryopump as a main pump, and analyses the phenomena in the experiments. The results show that the cryopump decreased the vacuum pressure of the system significantly, but it had nearly no influence to the system sensitivity. The response time and the clean-up time of the leak detection system with only molecular pump were both 3 min. But the response time of the leak detection system with both molecular pump and cryopump was 10 min–20 min, and the clean-up time of the system was longer than an hour.

A comparative study of American, Japanese, and Taiwanese early childhood teachers’ perceptions of clean-up time

The purpose of this study was to examine similarities and differences of American, Japanese, and Taiwanese kindergarten teachers’ perspectives about clean-up time. The participants consisted of two female American kindergarten teachers in the southeastern US, two female Japanese kindergarten teachers on the main island, and two female Taiwanese kindergarten teachers from central Taiwan, all of whom teach four-year-olds. Qualitative analysis of the data yielded four themes regarding teachers’ views of clean-up time: teaching cleaning-up methods, the developmental stages, the extension of play, and reflection of one’s own practical knowledge and skills. These teachers perceived clean-up time was more than just a transitional time. The implications for early childhood education are presented.

Travis Air Force Base: A greener cleanups case study

AbstractTravis Air Force Base, California, has accelerated the pace of remediation while reducing long‐term costs and cutting greenhouse gas production. This has been achieved through optimizing existing systems and processes, adopting greener cleanups best management practices, and testing and implementing innovative “green” technologies. By optimizing and replacing existing systems that used energy‐intensive infrastructure, and by promoting the use of innovative in situ technologies, the US Air Force (Air Force) led team comprised of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the performance‐based contractor CH2M, and the regulatory agencies consisting of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the California Water Board, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, has reduced annual system operation and maintenance costs by over $200,000 per year, while reducing annual carbon dioxide production by approximately 930 tons per year. As a result of these actions, chlorinated solvent source areas have been reduced by over 99 percent in some cases, and the predicted cleanup time frame for multiple sites has been reduced by several decades. This article provides a case study for implementation of cost‐effective greener cleanup actions, and summarizes the approach taken by the Air Force led team to complete the greener cleanups self‐declaration process consistent with the ASTM International's E‐2893 Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups.

Sample Preparation Strategies for the Effective Quantitation of Hydrophilic Metabolites in Serum by Multi-Targeted HILIC-MS/MS.

The effect of endogenous interferences of serum in multi-targeted metabolite profiling HILIC-MS/MS analysis was investigated by studying different sample preparation procedures. A modified QuEChERS dispersive SPE protocol, a HybridSPE protocol, and a combination of liquid extraction with protein precipitation were compared to a simple protein precipitation. Evaluation of extraction efficiency and sample clean-up was performed for all methods. SPE sorbent materials tested were found to retain hydrophilic analytes together with endogenous interferences, thus additional elution steps were needed. Liquid extraction was not shown to minimise matrix effects. In general, it was observed that a balance should be reached in terms of recovery, efficient clean-up, and sample treatment time when a wide range of metabolites are analysed. A quick step for removing phospholipids prior to the determination of hydrophilic endogenous metabolites is required, however, based on the results from the applied methods, further studies are needed to achieve high recoveries for all metabolites.

Application of standard operational procedures in sterilization and supply departments

Objective To explore the effect of standard operational procedures (SOPs) when used in the quality management system of sterilization and supply departments, and to provide a theoretical basis for ensuring sterilization quality. Methods At first, a standard procedure template was prepared, then each department member was assigned to customize their SOPs based on their own circumstances, and finally the SOPs were reviewed one by one by the departments before the members were trained and began to use the SOPs; totally 2 000 surgical instruments from January to December 2014 (before SOPs) and from January to December 2015 (after SOPs) were selected by random sampling, and the percentage of their cleaning quality failure, packing failure, needlestick injury, and the average of clean-up time were measured and compared. Results The possibilities of disqualified cleaning, packing, needlestick injury and lost stitches and average clean-up time decreased compared with those before the SOPs were introduced (χ2=132.37, 91.85, 9.98, 9.20, 32.85; P<0.05) . Conclusions The introduction of SOPs maintains the work of sterilization and supply departments orderly and improve its quality, and therefore, SOPs should be introduced into the quality management system of sterilization and supply departments. Key words: Quality management; Standard operational procedures; Sterilization and supply department