Medical Waste Gasification and Melting Technology - October 2000

Medical Waste Gasification and Melting Technology - October 2000

Sumitomo Metal Industries has developed a gasification and melting technology specifically for medical waste, such as used syringes and blood-contaminated medical waste from hospitals. Traditionally, medical waste was processed through high-temperature incineration, but this method raised concerns about the emission of dioxins and other harmful substances. In response, Sumitomo Metal Industries introduced a gasification and melting furnace, which first gasifies the waste and then melts it at high tempera...

This technology can also handle organic waste, contaminated soil, and incineration ash, effectively processing special waste that conventional facilities cannot manage. Specifically, in the gasification stage, the waste is heated to about 800–900°C, and in the melting furnace, it reaches over 1,200°C. As a result, harmful substances that cannot be fully processed by ordinary incinerators are completely treated.

This gasification and melting technology is expected to be applied not only to medical waste but also to general waste in metropolitan areas such as Tokyo and Osaka. Its high processing capacity allows it to handle 50 tons of medical waste per day. In addition to reducing harmful emissions, the slag produced from the melting process can be recycled and used as material for road construction.