Can pyrolysis handle biomedical wastes?: Assessing the potential of various biomedical waste treatment technologies in tackling pandemics

Globally, COVID-19 has not only caused tremendous negative health, social and economic impacts, but it has also led to environmental issues such as a massive increase in biomedical waste. The biomedical waste (BMW) was generated from centralized (hospitals, clinics, and research facilities) and exte...

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Published in:The Science of the total environment 2024-10, Vol.946, p.174167, Article 174167
Main Authors: Srivastava, Akshay, Sharma, Anita, Jena, Manoj Kumar, Vuppaladadiyam, Arun K., Reguyal, Febelyn, Joshi, Jyeshtharaj, Sharma, Abhishek, Shah, Kalpit, Gupta, Akhilendra, Chin, Bridgid Lai Fui, Saptoro, Agus, Sarmah, Ajit K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical waste
COVID-19
COVID-19 infection
environment
health services
Incineration
infrastructure
Pyrolysis
quarantine
Techno-economic analysis
toxicity
waste disposal
Waste management
waste treatment
wastes
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Summary:Globally, COVID-19 has not only caused tremendous negative health, social and economic impacts, but it has also led to environmental issues such as a massive increase in biomedical waste. The biomedical waste (BMW) was generated from centralized (hospitals, clinics, and research facilities) and extended (quarantine camps, COVID-19 test camps, and quarantined homes) healthcare facilities. Many effects, such as the possibility of infection spread, unlawful dumping/disposal, and an increase in toxic emissions by common BMW treatment facilities, are conjectured because of the rise in waste generation. However, it is also an opportunity to critically analyze the current BMW treatment scenario and implement changes to make the system more economical and environmentally sustainable. In this review, the waste disposal guidelines of the BMW management infrastructure are critically analyzed for many functional parameters to bring out possible applications and limitations of individual interventions. In addition, an investigation was made to select appropriate technology based on the environmental setting. [Display omitted] •Unattended biomedical waste is a techno-economic and socio-environmental burden.•Pyrolysis of biomedical waste contributes to sustainable energy production.•Decentralized handling of biomedical wastes via pyrolysis is cost-effective.•Life cycle assessment highlights pyrolysis as a sustainable conversion technology.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174167