A multi-criteria assessment of scenarios on thermal processing of infectious hospital wastes: A case study for Central Macedonia

Journal Article · Mon Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Waste Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2009.08.015· OSTI ID:21357638

Karagiannidis, A ^[1]; Papageorgiou, A ^[1]; Perkoulidis, G ^[1]; Sanida, G ^[2]; Samaras, P ^[3]

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1. Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Box 483, GR-54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)
2. 3rd Health Region Administration (Macedonia), 16 Aristotelous Str, GR-54623 Thessaloniki (Greece)
3. Technological Education Institution of West Macedonia, Department of Pollution Control Technologies, 50100 Kozani (Greece)

In Greece more than 14,000 tonnes of infectious hospital waste are produced yearly; a significant part of it is still mismanaged. Only one off-site licensed incineration facility for hospital wastes is in operation, with the remaining of the market covered by various hydroclave and autoclave units, whereas numerous problems are still generally encountered regarding waste segregation, collection, transportation and management, as well as often excessive entailed costs. Everyday practices still include dumping the majority of solid hospital waste into household disposal sites and landfills after sterilization, still largely without any preceding recycling and separation steps. Discussed in the present paper are the implemented and future treatment practices of infectious hospital wastes in Central Macedonia; produced quantities are reviewed, actual treatment costs are addressed critically, whereas the overall situation in Greece is discussed. Moreover, thermal treatment processes that could be applied for the treatment of infectious hospital wastes in the region are assessed via the multi-criteria decision method Analytic Hierarchy Process. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed and the analysis demonstrated that a centralized autoclave or hydroclave plant near Thessaloniki is the best performing option, depending however on the selection and weighing of criteria of the multi-criteria process. Moreover the study found that a common treatment option for the treatment of all infectious hospital wastes produced in the Region of Central Macedonia, could offer cost and environmental benefits. In general the multi-criteria decision method, as well as the conclusions and remarks of this study can be used as a basis for future planning and anticipation of the needs for investments in the area of medical waste management.

• OSTI ID: 21357638
• Journal Information: Waste Management, Vol. 30, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2009.08.015; PII: S0956-053X(09)00340-7; Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AUTOCLAVES
CARBON DIOXIDE
COMBUSTION
COST
GREECE
GREENHOUSE GASES
HEAT TREATMENTS
HOSPITALS
INVESTMENT
LEGAL ASPECTS
PLANNING
POLLUTION LAWS
RECYCLING
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SEGREGATION
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
SOLID WASTES
STERILIZATION
BUILDINGS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
EUROPE
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENTS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WESTERN EUROPE