The Emerging Medical Waste Treatment Market - February 2003

Regarding the current state of medical waste, it is broadly classified into two categories: infectious waste and non-infectious waste. Infectious waste, in particular, requires strict management due to its high risk of infection. The management of these wastes involves a legally mandated manifest system that records and tracks each process from collection to transportation to final disposal, ensuring proper management.

Medical waste treatment technologies include sterilization techniques such as autoclaving (high-pressure steam sterilization) and dry heat sterilization. Additionally, technologies like the molten solidification system, which melts and solidifies waste at high temperatures, batch-type carbonization furnaces for carbonization treatment, and arc plasma technology that neutralizes waste using high-temperature plasma have all advanced. These technologies aim to neutralize and reduce the volume of waste, playing a crucial role in the safe treatment of infectious waste.

Furthermore, efforts are being made to reduce waste volume and promote recycling, such as converting waste into solid fuel and material recycling, where waste materials like plastics and metals are reused. This allows waste to be utilized as an energy resource, reducing environmental impact. At the same time, stricter regulations on dioxins have been implemented, making high-temperature treatment technologies critical for compliance.

In terms of market trends, educational programs have been introduced to promote proper treatment of infectious waste, with a particular focus on the challenge of handling home medical waste, which has emerged with the spread of home healthcare. To address these issues, further technological innovation and stricter regulations will be necessary. The medical waste treatment market is expected to continue developing as a crucial sector for achieving a sustainable society.