title: Non-incineration microwave assisted sterilization of medical waste.
abstract: A non-incineration method for sterilizing hospital infectious wastes has been studied and realized. A small apparatus operating at 2.45 GHz and at a power of 3 kW was designed to optimize power transfer from the electromagnetic field to the infectious materials, which have been previously shredded and moisture-corrected. The high pressure reached in the reactor, 7 atm, was enough to ensure complete sterilization in just a few minutes for a batch of several hundred grams of waste. Sterilization efficacy during microwave irradiation was also optimized with a new procedure using thermal, microbiological and water vapour sensors in a single test.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials and Environmental Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veronesi
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leonelli
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Moscato
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cappi
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Figurelli
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D006761:Hospitals; D017745:Incineration; D008284:Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital; D008506:Medical Waste; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008872:Microwaves; D011827:Radiation; D013242:Sterilization; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008506:Medical Waste; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal