JP2611151B2 - Infectious medical waste treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an infectious medical treatment which infectious medical waste discharged at a medical site is melt-sterilized and reduced in amount under odorless and smokeless conditions, and furthermore, enables automatic packaging of waste products. The present invention relates to a waste disposal device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, at medical sites such as hospitals and medical research institutions, infectious medical waste such as Tespo syringes, injection needles, used paper, glassware, blood, small laboratory animals, and nonwoven fabrics. Is discharged. Such infectious medical waste is 2
Although careful treatment and special measures are required for handling to prevent the next infection, conventionally, such wastes are stored in garbage containers such as so-called buckets and contracted to outside contractors for incineration. Or a method of setting up an incinerator at a hospital or the like for treatment. In the actual disposal process, it is possible to separate it into infectious and non-infectious, sterilize and crush and reduce it, or dispose of it as general industrial waste without heat reduction by heat treatment using an autoclave or the like. Is being done.

[0003]

However, the method of outsourcing to an external waste disposal company not only increases the outsourcing work of hospitals and the like and increases the disposal cost, but also requires that the outsourcing company re-consign to another company. Is performed, it is not possible to confirm whether proper disposal based on the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law has been performed, and there is a problem that anxiety remains at the hospital or the like.

Although the method of incineration at a hospital or the like is simple, it is difficult to treat the odor of exhaust gas generated by incineration of plastics and filth and to prevent dioxins. In addition, in the case of installation / renewal, when the processing amount per day is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the consent of the neighborhood is required. Therefore, there is a problem that this method cannot be adopted in a hospital or the like located in a city or a residential area.

[0005] In the method of separating infectious and non-infectious, there is a risk of infection during the sorting process, and labor costs increase. Further, in the method of heat treatment sterilization using an autoclave or the like, since the amount is not reduced, there is a problem that the disposal cost to be collected as general industrial waste cannot be reduced.

Therefore, it is desired to develop a processing apparatus that can be easily disposed of even in a hospital or the like located in an urban area or a densely populated house.
At that time, it is possible to carry out the treatment in accordance with the Waste Management Law revised in 1993, as well as to reduce the disposal cost by reducing the amount of the treated product and collecting it as general industrial waste. It is also necessary.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and its object is to apply the waste disposal method revised in 1993, to sterilize and reduce the amount of odor and smoke without melting.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an infectious medical waste disposal apparatus that enables automatic packaging of waste disposal.

[0008]

To achieve the above object, the infectious medical waste treatment apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the infectious medical waste treatment apparatus of the present invention comprises a sealable input port for inputting a container (input) containing infectious medical waste, and a crusher for crushing the input input together with its contents. A feed chamber having a water injection mechanism for spraying steam generation water to the crushed material; and a feed mechanism chamber having a feed mechanism for transporting the crushed material from the input chamber, wherein the feed mechanism has a diameter of a feed blade and a shaft. A feed mechanism chamber configured to prevent the high-pressure gas / steam generated in the feed mechanism chamber from flowing back to the input chamber side due to the size relationship with the diameter; and at a temperature sufficient to sterilize the conveyed crushed material. A heater for heating the feed mechanism chamber for melting; a gas treatment chamber for removing the gas generated in the melting process taken out from the side of the feed mechanism chamber into an odorless and smokeless atmosphere, discharging the gas to the atmosphere, and reducing the steam to water. ; Sent from the feed mechanism room And a sealable discharge chamber having a cutter for cutting the incoming molten waste and a mechanism for cooling the cut waste to a level that can be put into a general industrial waste container. It is characterized by.

Specifically, the gas processing chamber includes a first water tank for performing primary cooling and primary cleaning of the taken out gas / vapor;
A second water tank for secondary cooling and secondary washing of the gas / steam exiting the first water tank; separating water from the gas / steam exiting the second water tank and discharging the moisture to the second water tank. A cleaner for performing alkaline cleaning of the gas discharged from the water separator; a deodorizer for performing deodorization of the gas discharged from the cleaner; a blower for discharging the gas discharged from the deodorizer to the atmosphere. And a mechanism for neutralizing the second water tank with the alkaline solution of the washer; and a contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization in a pipe route connecting the contaminated air discharge port provided on the side wall of the charging chamber and the first water tank. There is a room.

In addition, the charging chamber is always under negative pressure during operation, and the water injection mechanism also serves as a mechanism for cooling the crushing blade of the crushing mechanism, and has an ultraviolet sterilizing lamp near the charging port. The water in the second water tank is used for water injection, crushing blades, and cooling of the discharge chamber.

Further, a mechanism for automatically opening and closing a door of an input port of an input chamber in consideration of full automation; a mechanism for automatically opening and closing a discharge door of an output chamber; transporting an input material to an input port of the input chamber An elevating mechanism.

[0012]

Next, the operation of the infectious medical waste disposal apparatus of the present invention will be described. In the present invention, when a garbage container such as a so-called polybucket or a polybag containing infectious medical waste is put in as it is, it is crushed while spraying water automatically, and it is heated and melted to sterilize it, which is generated in the melting process. High pressure gas
Of the steam, the gas is odorless and smokeless and discharged to the atmosphere, the steam is reduced to water and reused, and the sterilized and weight-reduced waste is cut and cooled in the discharge chamber to produce general industrial waste. To be discharged.

[0013] Here, since it is heated and melted for sterilization, it can meet the requirements of the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law revised in 1993, and because the gas is odorless and smokeless, it can reduce air pollution. The problem can be solved and infectious medical waste can be easily disposed of even in hospitals located in urban areas or densely populated houses. Moreover, since the amount of waste is considerably reduced, the disposal costs at hospitals and the like can be greatly reduced.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus of the present embodiment includes an input chamber 1, a feed mechanism chamber 2, a discharge chamber 3, a gas processing chamber 4, a lifting mechanism 5, a packing mechanism 6, and a contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber 10. It is aimed at automation.

The input 7 is a Tespo syringe, a needle, a used paper, glassware, etc. discharged at a medical site such as a hospital.
A garbage container such as a so-called polybucket or a polybag containing infectious medical waste such as blood, small laboratory animals, and nonwoven fabric. However, infectious medical waste does not include hard metals such as scalpels. This is because the cutting described later cannot be performed.

The elevating mechanism 5 can move the horizontal arm 5a up and down by, for example, a conveyor belt. The input object 7 is placed by lowering the horizontal arm 5a, and is transported to the loading place 8 protruding outside the inlet 1a by moving it upward.

In the loading place 8, a stopper 8a is provided with an input port 1a.
Provided in the vicinity. This stopper 8a is a motor 8b
Thereby, it is possible to appear and disappear from the mounting surface of the mounting place 8. The loading surface of the loading space 8 is downhill toward the loading port 1a, and the conveyed material 7 slides down the loading surface and hits the stopper 8a, and the door 1b of the loading port 1a opens. Until the door 1b is opened.
a is immersed in the mounting surface of the mounting place 8, and the input chamber 1 is inserted through the input port 1a.
Fall into.

The charging chamber 1, the feeding mechanism chamber 2, and the discharging chamber 3 are connected to each other in a closed structure, and the charging chamber 1 is erected at one end of the feeding mechanism chamber 2 which is arranged substantially horizontally, and is lowered at the other end. A duct-shaped discharge chamber 3 is provided.

In the loading chamber 1, the loading port 1a is closed by a door 1b, but the door 1b is an automatic door which is automatically opened and closed by a motor 1c. An ultraviolet germicidal lamp 1d is provided on the ceiling of the charging chamber 1, and the area around the charging port 1a is always completely sterilized. The exhaust port 1 connected to the gas processing chamber 4 is provided on the side wall of the charging chamber 1.
k is provided. As a result, the charging chamber 1 has a negative pressure during operation, so that the contaminated air in the charging chamber 1 does not flow out when the charging port 1a is opened.

A guide blade 1e is provided in an upper stage and a crushing blade 1f is provided in a lower stage in a drop passage of the charged material 7 in the charging chamber 1, and each is driven to rotate by a motor 1g. Also,
A shower nozzle 1h is provided on the side wall, and water is sprayed on the crushed material, and water is sprayed on the blades to cool the crushed material. In short, the input material 7 is crushed together with the contents, and at the same time, is sprayed with steam generation water and falls into the feed mechanism chamber 2. When the opening 1a is opened,
The guide blade 1e and the crushing blade 1f stop rotating.

A screw 2a is provided in the feed mechanism chamber 2, and is driven to rotate by a motor 2b. Feed mechanism room 2
The gap between the inner wall of the screw and the outer diameter of the feed blade of the screw 2a is very small, and the inside of the feed mechanism chamber 2 is kept secret, so that the crushed material is transported toward the discharge chamber 3 while being pressurized. However, at this time, the crushed material is melted by the band heater 9 wound around the outer periphery of the feed mechanism chamber 2. Therefore, the crushed material is conveyed while melting under pressure.

More specifically, band heaters 9 each having a predetermined width are wound around a plurality of locations, and the heating temperature is gradually increased from, for example, 121 ° C. to 180 ° C. And according to the rules, the sterilization time is 20 minutes,
The rotation of the screw 2a ensures the sterilization processing time. The band heater 9
Used a device that generates far-infrared rays.

In the feed mechanism chamber 2, high-temperature and high-pressure gas and steam are generated during the sterilization process. Therefore, as shown in the figure, a gas / steam outlet 2c is provided on the side wall close to the discharge chamber 3, and before and after the gas / steam outlet 2c, the magnitude relationship between the diameter of the feed blade of the screw 2a and the diameter of the shaft is almost equal. The gas / steam is discharged to the gas processing chamber 4 side from the gas / steam discharge port 2c without making the generated gas / steam flow back to the charging chamber 1 side and flowing out to the discharge chamber 3 side. The melt is conveyed to the discharge chamber 3 by the feed blade and the groove provided on the shaft without any trouble.

The discharge chamber 3 has an electric cutter 3a at the entrance.
Is provided, and a shower nozzle 3b for spraying water toward the cutter 3a is provided. The molten waste product sent from the feeding mechanism chamber 2 is cut at intervals of, for example, several mm while being cooled, and is dropped and accumulated at the outlet side. The injection needle is also cut without hindrance. A shutter 3c is provided at the outlet of the discharge chamber 3, and is opened and closed by a motor.

The packing mechanism 6 is a turntable type in which a stocker box 6a made of, for example, cardboard is set immediately below the outlet of the discharge chamber 3, the shutter 3c is opened, and the exhausted material cut into the stocker box 6a from the outlet of the discharge chamber 3 is opened. Is dropped, and when it is full, the shutter 3c is closed, the motor 6b is driven to rotate the turntable, and the next stocker box is set immediately below the outlet of the discharge chamber 3.

Since the stocker box 6a is a container made of, for example, cardboard for storing general industrial waste, if cooling by the shower nozzle 3b is not sufficient, the discharge chamber 3 may be air-cooled from outside with a blower.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned crushing / melting / cutting processing can reduce the weight by about 80%. Since the waste material cut and stored in the stocker box 6a can be used as fuel, further cost reduction is possible. Further, in the transportation for disposal of the stocker box 6a, since it can be handled as the transportation of materials, there is an advantage that it can be transported by a white-numbered car without requiring a business license.

Next, in the gas processing chamber 4, a water tank 40, a water tank 41, a water separator (radiator) 42, a cleaning device 43, a deodorizer 44, and a blower 45 are arranged in this order. The water tank 40 has a gas / steam outlet 2c of the feed mechanism chamber 2.
And an exhaust port 1k of the charging chamber 1 are connected by a pipe, and a contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber 10 is provided in a pipe route from the water tank 40 to the exhaust port 1k.

That is, by the action of the blower 45, the feed mechanism chamber 2
The contaminated air in the charging chamber 1 together with the high-temperature and high-pressure gas and steam generated in the above is disinfected by the ultraviolet sterilizing lamp in the contaminated air ultraviolet sterilizing chamber 10 and taken into the water tank 40. As a result, the charging chamber 1 has a negative pressure. A pipe to the gas / steam outlet 2c is connected in the middle of the pipe route from the contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber 10 to the water tank 40.
A suction valve utilizing the Ventelli effect is provided in the pipe from 0 to the water tank 40 so that leakage from the gas / vapor discharge port 2c to the contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber 10 does not occur.

The high-temperature and high-pressure gas / steam from the gas / steam discharge port 2 c and the sterilized contaminated air from the charging chamber 1 are subjected to primary cooling and primary washing in the water tank 40, and Secondary cooling and secondary cleaning are performed. Since the degree of dirt is large, the processing is performed in two stages. Since the water in the water tank 40 is hot water of 100 ° C. or higher, it cannot be simply drained as it is, whereas the water in the water tank 41 is at room temperature, so that it can be easily drained and used as cooling water.

In the water tank 41, since the water is acidified,
A pH meter 41a is provided, and the water tank 41 and the cleaning device 43 are connected with a pipe, and a pH valve 41b is provided on the way. It can be held.

In the water tank 41, a shower nozzle 1h of the charging chamber 1 and a shower nozzle 3b of the discharging chamber 3 are connected by pipes, and are pressure-fed by a water pump 41c. It can be done individually by a valve. 41d is a water supply valve and 41e is a drain valve.

The radiator 42 is a multi-tube heat exchanger, and separates moisture from gas from the water tank 41. The water returns to the water tank and the gas enters the scrubber 43. Note that a pressure gauge 42a and a relief valve 42b are provided to maintain the pressure at the radiator 42 at a constant value (for example, 3 atm).

The cleaning device 43 cleans the gas with an alkaline solution. Next, in the deodorizer 44, the gas that has exited the cleaning device 43 is subjected to a deodorizing process using a special ceramic adsorbent. Blower 45
Discharges odorless and smokeless gas from the deodorizer to the atmosphere.

When performing full automation, the above control elements are managed and controlled by a computer, and the processing status and the like are displayed.

[0036]

As described above, in the infectious medical waste treatment apparatus of the present invention, when a garbage container such as a so-called polybucket containing infectious medical waste is put into the apparatus as it is,
Automatically crushed while sprinkling water with the contents, heat-melt it, sterilize it, and out of the high-pressure gas and steam generated in the melting process, gas is odorless and smokeless and discharged to the atmosphere,
The steam is reduced to water for reuse, and the sterilized and reduced waste products are cut and cooled in a discharge room and discharged as general industrial waste. Therefore, infectious medical waste is sterilized by heating and melting under heat and pressure, so that it can meet the requirements of the Waste Management Law revised in 1993, and the gas is odorless and smokeless. It has the effect of eliminating the problem of air pollution and enabling easy disposal of infectious medical waste even in hospitals and the like in urban areas and densely populated houses. In addition, since the amount of waste is considerably reduced, there is also an effect that disposal costs at hospitals and the like can be significantly reduced. In addition, the waste treatment can be used not only in the same manner as general industrial waste but also as fuel, so that the disposal cost can be further reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of a configuration of an infectious medical waste treatment apparatus (fully automated configuration) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input chamber 1a Input port 1b Door 1c Motor 1d Ultraviolet sterilization lamp 1e Guide blade 1f Crushing blade 1g Motor 1h Shower nozzle 1k Exhaust port 2 Feed mechanism chamber 2a Screw 2b Motor 2c Gas / vapor discharge port 3 Discharge chamber 3a Cutter 3b Shower nozzle 3c Shutter 4 Gas processing chamber 5 Lifting mechanism 5a Horizontal arm 6 Packing mechanism 6a Stocker box 6b Motor 7 Input 8 Place 8a Stopper 8b Motor 9 Band heater 10 Contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber 40 Water tank 41 Water tank 41a pH meter 41b pH Valve 41c Water pump 41d Water supply valve 41e Drainage valve 42 Moisture separator (radiator) 42a Pressure gauge 42b Relief valve 43 Washer 44 Deodorizer 45 Blower

Continued on the front page (73) Patent holder 594195317 Goro Kawagoe 3632 Ikebe-cho, Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture 603 (72) Inventor Shoji Tezuka 1-25-14 Tobio, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture (56) References Hei 1-95938 (JP, U) JP-A 1-144039 (JP, U) JP-A 3-122827 (JP, U) JP-B 61-94661 (JP, B2)

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sealable input port for inputting a container (input) containing infectious medical waste, a crushing mechanism for crushing the input input together with its contents, and water for generating steam in the crushed input. A charging chamber having a water injection mechanism for spraying water;
A feed mechanism chamber having a feed mechanism for transporting the crushed material from the input chamber, wherein the feed mechanism supplies high-pressure gas and steam generated in the feed mechanism chamber according to the magnitude relationship between the diameter of the feed blade and the diameter of the shaft. A feed mechanism chamber configured to prevent backflow to the side; a heater for heating the feed mechanism chamber so that the conveyed crushed material is melted at a temperature that can be sterilized; and taken out from a side of the feed mechanism chamber A gas treatment chamber that makes the gas generated in the melting process odorless and smokeless, discharges it to the atmosphere, and reduces the steam to water; and a cutter that cuts the molten waste product sent from the feed mechanism room; A sealable discharge chamber having a mechanism for cooling the cut waste to such a degree that the cut waste can be put into a general industrial waste container;
An infectious medical waste treatment device comprising: 2. A gas processing chamber includes a first water tank for performing primary cooling and primary cleaning of the taken out gas and vapor; and a secondary cooling and secondary cleaning of gas and vapor exiting the first water tank. Second to do
A water tank; a water separator for separating moisture from the gas / steam exiting the second water tank and discharging the moisture to the second water tank; and a washing device for performing alkaline cleaning of the gas exiting the moisture separator; A deodorizer for deodorizing the gas discharged from the scrubber;
The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a blower that discharges gas discharged from the deodorizer into the atmosphere. 3. The apparatus for treating infectious medical waste according to claim 2, further comprising: a mechanism for neutralizing the second water tank with an alkaline solution of a cleaning device. 4. The infectious agent according to claim 2, wherein a contaminated air ultraviolet sterilization chamber is provided in a pipe route connecting the contaminated air discharge port provided on a side wall of the input chamber and the first water tank. Medical waste treatment equipment. 5. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input chamber is always under negative pressure during operation. 6. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input chamber is provided with an ultraviolet germicidal lamp near the input port. 7. The water injection mechanism of the charging chamber also serves as a mechanism for cooling the crushing blade of the crushing mechanism.
2. The infectious medical waste treatment device according to claim 1. 8. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the water injection, the crushing blade, and the cooling of the discharge chamber use water in a second water tank. 9. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a mechanism for automatically opening and closing a door of an input port of the input chamber. 10. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a mechanism for automatically opening and closing a discharge door of a discharge chamber. 11. The infectious medical waste treatment apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: an elevating mechanism for transporting the input material to an input port of the input chamber.