Health Care Waste Treatment in the Philippines

Based on a study of ADB in 2003, 30.37% of wastes coming from health care
facilities are hazardous. It was estimated that a hospital generates an average of
0.34kg/bed/day of hazardous waste. Currently there are about 2,000 health care waste
generators nationwide, including medical centers, hospitals and clinics. These health care
facilities are responsible for the collection, handling, segregation, transport, treatment and
disposal of the waste they produce.
The Department of Health (DOH) outlines in the Health Care Waste Management
Manual the acceptable technologies and processes used in health care waste treatment as
shown in Table 1.
Table 1. DOH acceptable technologies and processes used in health care waste treatment.
Technology
1. Thermal processes

2. Chemical
disinfection

3. Biological
processes

4. Radiation
technology

5. Encapsulation

6. Inertization

Description
rely on high heat to destroy pathogens (disease-causing
microorganisms)
includes pyrolysis, autoclave and microwave
uses chemicals to kill or inactivate pathogens
This method should only be applied when there is no
available treatment facility in the area to prevent
environmental problems.
uses an enzyme mixture to decontaminate healthcare waste
There are very few biological systems for medical wastes.
These are still in the planning and development stages and
not yet mature for the commercial market.
High energy electron beams can sterilize waste by breaking
down the DNA molecules.
This type of technology is still in its demonstration stage.
involves filling up of containers with waste, adding and
immobilizing material, and sealing the containers
involves the mixing of the waste with cement and other
substances before disposal

A major portion of health care wastes still has to be treated to remove its toxic and
infectious nature prior to final disposal. The DOH provided a comparison of the different
health care waste treatment methods that are commercially available as shown in Table 1.

Table 2. Health care waste treatment methods.

Method

Autoclave
Steam treatment

Feed
preparation

Shredding after
disinfection

Operating
temperature

120-160C

Energy
Unrecognizabl
e waste
Waste volume
% reduction

Boiler
Yes

Residues

Inert waste

80-85% with
shredder, mass
essentially the
same

Microwave
Pyrolysis
Microwave Pyrolysis
generator
chamber at
frequency
elevated
temperatures
Shredding
Boxed
after
granulation
100C max Plasma 1650C
Laser
3,3005,500C
75 kW
300 kW
Yes
Yes

Chemical Treatment
Chemical and
mechanical

80-85%
with
shredder,
mass
essentially
the same
Inert waste

80-95%
reduction
both in mass
and volume

60-90% with
shredding and heat
treatment

Inert slag
&combustibl
e gases
IV
No liquid
effluent

Chemical wastes for

treatment

Treatment level IV
Environmental Possible odors
Pollutants

III
Odor
problem

Capital costs

Autoclave: P14.6M
Shredders:
P2.73-4.3M
Compactors:
P1M
Bags: P1-7K

P27M
P33M

Advantage/s

Waste suitable
for landfill;
well-proven

Waste
suitable for
landfill;

Plasma
pyrolysis:
P33MP55M
Laser-based
pyrolysis:
P440M
P1.357B
Waste
suitable for
landfill;

Shredding and
grinding
None

400 Volts
Yes

IV
Very high noise
levels, offensive odor,
liquid effluents
Hammermill:P16.25M
Paracetic acidgrinding: P0.11M
Alkaline: P20-23.5M

Well-proven
technology

technology

wellproven
technology

recovers at
least 80%
heat in the
form of hot
water steam

Disadvantage/s

Possible odors

Possible
odors; large
metal
object can
damage the
system

Limitations

No body parts,
chemical and
pharmacologica
l wastes

No body
parts,
liquid
blood and
hazardous
chemical
substances

High capital
cost;
extensive
maintenance
cost; may
produce
furans and
dioxins at
very small
quantities
No lead,
cadmium and
mercury

Chemical
management and
disposal required
because of use of
chemical reagents

No human and animal

remains, chemical
wastes

Though xxxxx also employs the method of pyrolysis, their type of pyrolysis is
through hydroburn technology, which is different from plasma pyrolysis and laser-based
pyrolysis that is being described in the table above.
After the treatment, there are 3 ways for disposal: (1) landfill, (2) safe burial
located in remote areas, and (3) septic/concrete vault.
About the Technology

The pyroclave is a medical waste processor that uses pyrolysis the process of
decomposing organic material using extreme heat in the absence of oxygen.

The waste material is placed inside a sealed rotating chamber. Once the machine
is turned on, it goes to work and starts heating the rotating chamber. The intense
heat within the chamber (up to 1200C) starts carbonizing the medical waste.

The gas produced by the intense heat and decomposition process is recycled and
fed into the burners, thereby serving as added fuel to continue the process and
help boost combustion.

After 15 to 45 minutes, what is left is the carbonized, soil-like remnants of the

medical waste that is claimed to be safe enough to be disposed of anywhere and

can even be used as soil conditioner.

Table 3 describes the technologies applied for the treatment while Table 4 lists the
different healthcare wastes that could be treated.

Table 3.Technologies applied.

Technology
1. Hydroburn

Description
- The company was granted Philippine Patent No. 1-2009-000162 for

2. Oil + Water
Gassifier

their invention of the Hydroburn technology for pyrolysis.

The Hydroburn is a patented technology developed by inventor
Rudy Dayot, father of Ricky Dayot. This technology has been
utilized for commercial and industrial applications in Davao City for
more than 20 years now.
It utilizes pure water to significantly increase flame temperature of a
hydrocarbon case burner through a special thermal catalytic process.
This technology allows easy achievement of a desired high
temperature and higher heating value, which significantly reduces
fuel costs.
The Hyrdoburner or Water Fuel energy saving device is Dayots
most famous invention. What usually takes 12 hours to boil takes 2
hours, saving 10 hours of boiling time.
This technology developed by RAD Green Solutions converts used
engine oils and gear oils to produce combustible gas which can be
used as fuel for diesel engine in a process known as Synthesis Gas
Charge Diesel Engine.
Combining features from gasoline and diesel engines, the synthesis
4

3. Rotary
Engine

charge diesel engine is promising the high efficiency of a diesel

engine with virtually no particular emissions.
- The rotary engine is capable of producing high rotational engine
speed with less moving parts than a piston engine. It works best
when fueled with gaseous phase fuel. It can use hydrogen as fuel.
- The rotary hydrogen engine has no valve, connecting rods and
crankshaft. It produces more engine power at a 180-degree rotation
than a piston engine, which produces power at a 360-degree rotation.
- The expanding gas is also dissipated immediately and prevents the
engine from overheating due to hydrogens high heat value.

Table 4. Medical Wastes Treated.

Waste
1. Infectious
Wastes
2. Pathological
Wastes
3. Sharps

4. Pharmaceutical Wastes
5. Genotoxic
Wastes

Inclusions
cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratories, wastes from
surgeries and autopsies, isolation wards, hemodialysis wastes, infected
animals from laboratories and infected instruments and materials
tissues, organs, body parts, animal carcasses, bloody and body fluids
needles, syringes, scalpels, saws, blades, and infusion sets
- The Sharps Project is an advocacy of the company for proper
management of infectious medical sharps. RAD Green shall partner
with health centers in the local communities and provide a reliable
and sustainable sharps management program to ensure that these
sharps are properly handled, stored, transported, treated and
disposed.
expired, unused, split and contaminated pharmaceutical products,
drugs, vaccines and sera
certain cytostatic drugs, vomit, urine or feces from patients treated
with cytostatic drugs, chemicals and radioactive materials

GENERAL OPERATIONS FRAMEWORK

RAD Green
Solutions
invented
Pyrolysis
Technology for
Healthcare
Waste
Treatment
used
to
fabricate

Medical Waste
Treatment
Facility

Medical
Facilities

Medical Facility
(on-site)

produci
ng

Service Contract
Agreement with

Healthcare
Wastes

RAD Green
Solutions

Train
hospital
operator

Deplo
y

Medical Waste
Treatment
Facility

Repairs &
Maintena
nce

for pick up
by

RAD Green
Solution vans
for

transport to
Off-Site Medical
Waste
Treatment
Facility
After
treatment,
produces

Char (Output of
treated waste)
disposed
to

Landfill
6