Innovations in Technology for Detoxifying Medical Waste - Pyrolysis Equipment in Hatoyama Town, Saitama Prefecture (June 1998)

Innovations in Technology for Detoxifying Medical Waste - Pyrolysis Equipment in Hatoyama Town, Saitama Prefecture (June 1998)

In the late 1990s, medical waste disposal was a major issue in Japan as infectious disease control and environmental problems intersected. While concerns about infections such as AIDS and hepatitis were spreading socially, small incinerators installed at each medical institution were seen as a problem as a source of dioxin generation, and environmental regulations were being tightened. In response to these demands of the times, a pyrolysis device developed by a manufacturer in the town of Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture, attracted much attention. The device uses a two-step process in which waste is steamed under oxygen-free conditions and then heated to 800°C. By shutting off the oxygen, the device generates noxious gases. By shutting off oxygen, the generation of toxic gases is suppressed, and the high-temperature process makes it possible to completely kill infectious pathogens. The system is also revolutionary in its ability to significantly reduce emissions of dioxin and su
lfur oxides, and has realized a process with less environmental impact than conventional incinerators.

A related technology, autoclave sterilization, which became widely used around the same time, rendered infectious waste harmless through high-temperature, high-pressure treatment using steam, and was utilized for in-hospital treatment. Gasification and melting furnaces attracted attention as a method of gasifying waste at high temperatures and recycling the residue as slag for use in building materials. Combined with the development of laws and regulations such as the Dioxin Control Law of 1997 and the Law Concerning Special Measures against Dioxin in 2000, the pyrolysis equipment in Hatoyama symbolized the shift from incineration to detoxification. The new direction of medical waste treatment This case, which showed a new direction for medical waste disposal, was an important step in shaping the foundation of a recycling-oriented society.