JPH0499572A - Treating device for waste synthetic resin for medical purpose - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the waste treatment of used implements for medical purposes in an ideal state by providing a thermal melting and decomposing means, a supply means for supplying waste synthetic resins for medical purposes, a condenser for cooling and liquefying gaseous substances and a melting container to be packed with the waste synthetic resins for medical purposes. CONSTITUTION:The used medical implements generated in a hospital, etc., are packed into the melting container 4 and are recovered from the hospital after the container is sealed. The recovered melting container 4 is supplied by the supply means 2 to the heating vessel 5. A gas shut off valve 9 shuts off the flow of air and supplies the melting container 4 to the heating vessel 5 at this time. The melting container 4 and the medical implements made of the synthetic resins packed therein are melted by heating and are decomposed to low molecules to a gaseous state. The hermetic chamber in the heating vessel 5 is heated up to 300 to 500 deg.C and is perfectly sterilized. The gases sterilized and decomposed to the lower molecules are sent from the heating vessel 5 to the condenser 3. The condenser 3 cools and liquefies the gases. The gases are cracked to oils which are burned.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for disposing of waste synthetic resins used for medical purposes, such as synthetic resin syringes, liquid medicine containers, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

Disposable medical devices, commonly known as ``dispos,'' can effectively prevent bacterial infections. Minimizing bacterial infections is extremely important for medical devices. For this reason, the number of disposable medical devices has increased significantly in recent years. For example, syringes and containers for Ringer's solution are mostly disposable. Disposable medical equipment cannot be disposed of in the same way as regular waste. This is because it contains items infected with bacteria. Disposable medical devices are required to be processed in a manner that eliminates bacterial infection. Disposable medical devices are molded from synthetic resin. After use, these medical tools are sealed in containers, heat sterilized, and then disposed of by incineration.

Problem 1 to be Solved by the Invention Disposal of medical equipment by incineration has the drawback that the equipment cannot be constructed in a sealed structure. The reason for this is that a large amount of air is supplied to the incinerator for combustion. For example, polyethylene is a polymer of ethylene CH2=CH2. A synthetic resin of this composition requires about 120.0 OOcc of air to burn 10 g. That is, when incinerating synthetic resin, it is necessary to supply the incinerator with approximately 10,000 times more air per volume than the amount of synthetic resin to be discarded. For this reason, a device for incinerating and disposing of medical devices cannot be treated as a closed structure, and this device requires a large amount of air to be admitted and a large amount of air to be exhausted for exhaust treatment. Processing equipment with an open structure, in which a large amount of air enters and is exhausted, has a high risk of bacterial leakage. The present invention was developed to solve this problem, and an important object of the present invention is to provide a treatment device for medical waste synthetic resin that can be disposed of in a closed room. Another important object of the present invention is to provide a treatment device for medical waste synthetic resin that can be completely sterilized and treated. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a treatment device for medical waste synthetic resin that can effectively reuse used medical tools as oil. [Means for Solving the Problems] The medical waste synthetic resin processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above-mentioned object. (a) The processing device includes a thermal melting decomposition means 1 that heats synthetic resin to melt, decompose, and vaporize it, a supply means 2 that supplies medical waste synthetic resin to the thermal melting decomposition means 1, and a thermal melting decomposition means 1. It is equipped with a condenser 3 that cools the gas sent out and turns it into oil, and a melting container 4 that is filled with medical waste synthetic resin. (b) The thermal melting and decomposition means l includes a heating pot 5 to which a melting container 4 filled with used medical devices is supplied, and a heating furnace 6 that heats this heating pot 5 to melt and decompose the synthetic resin. We are prepared. (c) The heating pot 5 is a loading port 7 for medical waste synthetic resin.
It has a closed structure in which a discharge port 8 for decomposed synthetic resin is opened. (d) The inlet 7 of the heating pot 5 is connected to the supply means 2 via a gas cutoff valve 9. (e) The outlet 8 of the heating pot 5 is connected to the condenser 3. (f) The supply means 2 and the entrance 7 have an opening area through which the melting container 4 can pass. (g) The melting container 4 is made of thermoplastic synthetic resin. (h) The melting container 4 is formed into a sealed structure having a sealable inlet.

[Effect]

The medical waste synthetic resin processing apparatus of the present invention is used in the following conditions to dispose of medical equipment. ■ Used medical tools generated at hospitals etc. are filled into the melting container 4. (2) When a predetermined amount of medical tools are placed in the melting container 4, it is sealed. The melting container 4 is recovered from the hospital in a sealed state. (2) The collected melting container 4 is supplied to the heating pot 5 by the supply means 2. At this time, the gas cutoff valve 9 cuts off the flow of air, and the melting container 4 is supplied to the heating pot 5. (2) Inside the heating pot 5, the melting container 4 and the synthetic resin medical device filled therein are heated and melted, decomposed into low molecules, and become gaseous. When the synthetic resin is melted, decomposed, and gasified in the heating pot 5, air is not required in principle. On the other hand, if a large amount of air is introduced, it will combine with oxygen in the air and oxidize the oil. In principle, there is no need for air to flow into the heating pot 5. (2) The synthetic resin melted in the closed chamber inside the heating pot 5 reaches a melting and decomposition temperature of, for example, 300 to 500°C, and is completely sterilized. (2) The sterilized and decomposed gas is sent from the heating pot 5 to the condenser 3. ■ The condenser 3 cools and liquefies the gas. The liquefied component is a synthetic resin that is decomposed into low molecules and becomes oil.

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below are illustrative of a device for embodying the technical idea of this invention, and the device of this invention has the material, shape, structure, and arrangement of the component parts as shown below. It is not specific. The device of this invention can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, in order to make the claims easier to understand, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are indicated in the "Claims column" and "Means for Solving the Conventional Problems". The members shown in the "Column" and "Column of Functions and Effects" are appended with notes. However, the members shown in the claims are by no means limited to the members of the embodiments. The synthetic resin processing apparatus shown in FIG.
, a reactor 14 , a condenser 3 , a supply means 2 , and a melting container 4 . The thermal melting and decomposition means 1 heats the melting container 4 and the synthetic resin medical tools filled therein in a closed space. The thermal melting decomposition means 1 includes closed heating pots 5 and 2, a stirring member 10 for stirring the synthetic resin supplied to the heating pot 5, and a heating furnace 6 for heating the heating pot 5. The heating pot 5 is composed of a pot main body 5A and a lid plate 5B. The heating pot 5 is entirely made of stainless steel. The stainless steel heating pot 5 acts as a catalyst to decompose the synthetic resin into low molecules. The pot main body 5A has an open upper end, and the upper end opening is closed with a lid plate 5B. The pot body 5A has a circular horizontal cross section. That is, the upper part of the pot body 5A is cylindrical,
The bottom plate is spherically curved. The pot main body 5A having this shape allows the stirring member lO for stirring the synthetic resin to be brought close to the inner surface.
It is possible to prevent synthetic resin from adhering to the inner surface of the pot body 5A. Heat absorbing fins 11 are fixed to the outer surface of the bottom plate of the pot body 5A so as to efficiently absorb heat from the combustion gas of the burner. A radiation fin 12 for forced cooling is fixed to the upper part of the pot body 5A. The radiation fins 12 protrude from the outer periphery of the pot main body 5A and are fixed in the shape of a flange. The radiation fins 12 also serve as flanges connecting the lid plate 5B. For this reason, the lid plate 5B is connected to the pot main body 5A with a set screw passing through the radiation fins 12 of the pot main body 5A. The heating cauldron 5 has an upper portion protruding to the outside of the heating furnace 6. When the heating pot 5 is made to protrude outside the heating furnace 6 in this state, the height of the protruding portion is 10 to 50% of the total height of the heating pot. Furthermore, preferably, the protruding portion is 15 to 40% of the total height of the heating pot.
%. A discharge port 8 is opened through the cover plate 5B. A gas transfer pipe 13 is connected to the discharge port 8 . Gas transfer pipe 13 is connected to condenser 3 via reactor 14 . The stirring member 10 includes a rotating shaft 10A, a blade 10B, and a drive motor 10D. A blade 10B is fixed to the lower end of a freely supported zero-rotation shaft 10A. The blades 10E are radially fixed to the rotating shaft 10A. The blade 10B is made of stainless steel like the heating pot 5. The blade 10B has a shape in which the outer periphery approaches the inner surface of the heating pot 5. The gap between the outer circumferential edge of the blade 10B and the inner surface of the heating pot 5 is 1 to 00111k, preferably 3 to
Adjusted to a range of 50+++m. The blades 10B having this shape can scrape off the synthetic resin adhering to the inner surface of the heating pot 5, and therefore have the advantage of being able to remove foreign matter adhering to the inner surface of the heating pot 5. Further, on the upper part of the rotating shaft 10A, a gas stirring blade 1.0
C is fixed. The gas stirring blade 10C is arranged at a position higher than the level of the molten synthetic resin. The gas stirring blade 10C stirs the atomized or gasified synthetic resin within the pot body SA. In the heating cauldron 5 shown in this figure, the upper part of the part disposed inside the heating furnace 6 is insulated with a heat insulating material 15 below the part located outside the heating furnace 6. The heat insulating material 15 is provided to make the temperature distribution inside the heating pot 5 uniform. The heat insulating material 15 suppresses thermal energy from being transmitted to the heating cauldron 5 from the flame burning within the heating furnace 6 . In the heating pot 5 having this structure, the bottom plate is heated by flame, the middle part suppresses the transfer of thermal energy, and the upper part dissipates heat to make the internal temperature uniform. The inner surface of the heating pot 5 covered with a heat insulating material 15 (well, the supply of thermal energy is suppressed compared to the bottom part. Therefore, there is less carbon adhesion on the inner surface of this part, and the 1° rotating shaft 10A is driven It is connected to a motor 10D and rotated by a drive motor 10D.The heating pot 5 has a built-in zeolite, a metal catalyst, etc. in order to heat the waste synthetic resin and convert it into oil efficiently.The metal catalyst includes nickel, etc. Use stainless steel. Rotating shaft 1
It is also possible to make 0A and the blades 10B of nickel or stainless steel, which are metal catalysts. The heating furnace 6 includes a burner 16. Burner I6
The method heats the pot body 5A by burning oil obtained by converting waste synthetic resin into oil. Therefore, no extra fuel is required. The burner heats the molten synthetic resin inside the heating pot 5 at a temperature of 300
Heat to 500°C. The structure of reactor] 4 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The reactor 14 includes a cylindrical casing 17 and a plate-shaped catalyst 18 housed in the casing 17. The casing 17 is hermetically sealed so that the gas supplied from the gas transfer pipe 13 does not leak to the outside. The casing 17 is heated by exhaust heat generated by heating the heating pot 5. Therefore, the casing 17 is connected to the exhaust flue 1 of the heating furnace 6.
9 and is fixed. Both ends of the casing 17 protrude from the exhaust flue 19. Flanges are provided at both protruding ends of the casing 17. An opening/closing lid 20 is airtightly fixed to the flange with screws. The casing 17 can be opened by removing the screws and removing the opening/closing M20. The casing 17 has a gas inlet and a gas outlet opened on opposite sides. The inlet is opened at the bottom and the outlet is opened at the top. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has three reactors 14 connected in series. The reactors 14 are arranged vertically in the exhaust flue 19. The gas generated in the heating pot 5 is sequentially transferred from the lower reactor 14 to the upper reactor 14. Therefore, the lowermost reactor 14 is connected to the heating pot 5 , and the upper reactor 14 is connected to the condenser 3 . The middle reactor 14 is connected in series to the lower and upper reactors 14. The reactors 14 in each stage are connected in series with each other, with inlets opening at the bottom and outlets opening at the top. When this reactor 14 is connected, the gas sent from the heating pot 5 can be effectively carbonized and discharged smoothly, and the components liquefied in the reactor 14 can be reheated to avoid clogging of the gas transfer pipe 13. can be prevented. It is reactor 14
This is because gas flows in the following manner. ■ The gas flowing into the reactor 14 from the heating pot 5 passes through the catalyst 1.
8 and is decomposed into low molecules. ■ Both ends of the reactor 14 protrude outside the exhaust flue 19,
Since the intermediate portion is located within the exhaust flue 19, the gas supplied therein is stirred by convection. This is because the supplied gas is cooled at both ends of the casing 17 and heated in the middle. (2) The stirred gas effectively contacts the catalyst 18 and is decomposed into low molecules, but some of the gas changes from a gas state to a liquid state. (2) The gas decomposed into low molecules is transferred to the next step from the outlet of the reactor 14 on the uppermost stage. ■ The components that have become liquid inside are heated again in the middle of the casing 17, gasified, and sent out from the upper discharge port. (2) Liquid components that cannot be gasified even when heated flow backwards and are sent to the reactor 14 in the lower stage. (2) The internal temperature of the reactors 14 connected in series is higher in the lower stage. Incidentally, in the device prototyped by the present inventor, the internal temperature of the lowest stage reactor 14 is approximately 360°C, and that of the middle reactor 14 is 33°C.
The temperature in the upper stage reactor 14 was 290°C. Therefore, the components liquefied in the upper reactor 14 flow back into the lower reactor I4, where they are heated to a higher temperature and gasified again. The gasified components are transferred to the upper stage while contacting the catalyst 18 inside the reactor 14, and transferred to the condenser 3 in a gaseous state. Therefore, the reactor 14 having this structure can most effectively carbonize the gas supplied from the heating pot 5 and transfer it to the condenser 3. A plate-shaped catalyst 18 is housed inside the reactor 14 . The plate-shaped catalyst 18 allows gas to pass through the gap.
For example, they are stacked with a distance of several 11111 to several am. Both sides of the catalyst 18 are bent to form a groove so that they can be easily stacked. The catalyst 18 having this shape has the advantage that it can be simply housed in the casing 17 and stacked. It also has the advantage of increasing the contact area with gas, allowing for efficient carbonization. Although not shown, the catalyst can also be shaped like a cylinder or a rod instead of a plate. Further, the catalyst can also be processed into fibrous or granular metal and housed in a casing with gaps formed between the fibers or granules. The condenser 3 cools the gas components sent from the reactor 14 and liquefies them into oil. The condenser 3 is connected to an oil conversion tank 21 that stores liquefied oil. The supply means 2 shown in FIG. 1 includes a supply cylinder 22 for feeding synthetic resin into the heating pot 5, and a plurality of gas cutoff valves 9 provided in this supply cylinder 22 for blocking air and feeding waste synthetic resin.
and a control member 23 that controls the open/close state of the gas cutoff valve 9. The supply cylinder 22 is vertically connected to the lid plate 5B of the heating pot 5 so that the waste synthetic resin can be dropped and supplied to the thermal melting and decomposition means 1.
It is connected to a carry-in port 7 which is opened to the front. The supply tube 22 shown in FIG. 1 has three gas cutoff valves 9 connected in series. As the gas cutoff valve 9, any type of valve that can cut off air and supply the melting container 4 can be used. The gas cutoff valve of the device shown in FIG. 1 is the top gate valve 9A.
and rotary valves 9B provided below in two stages in series. The supply cylinder 22 has a supply chamber 24 between the gate valve 9A and the upper rotary valve 9B. A temporary storage chamber 25 is provided between the lower two rotary valves 9B. The gate valve 9A includes an opening/closing plate 9a that moves horizontally with respect to the supply tube 22, and a direct-acting cylinder 9b that moves this opening/closing plate 9a. The opening/closing plate 9a is provided so as to be movable so as to pass through the supply cylinder 22 laterally. In the figure, when the opening/closing plate 9a is moved to the right, the supply tube 2
2 is closed and moved to the left, the valve is opened. The rotary valve 9B includes a valve seat 26, a valve body 27, and a deceleration motor 28 that rotates the valve seat 26. The valve seat 26 is fixed to the supply cylinder 22. The valve body 27 is
It is fixed to a rotating shaft 29. The rotating shaft 29 is connected to the supply cylinder 2
2 in an airtight manner and is attached to the supply tube 22 via a bearing. As shown in FIG. 1, when the valve body 27 is rotated upward, it comes into close contact with the valve seat 26 and closes. When the valve body 27 is rotated 90 degrees from the position shown in the figure, the valve is opened. The valve seat is shaped so that it comes into close contact with the rotary valve when it rotates upward. This invention does not specify the structure of the gas cutoff valve to the above structure. For example, although not shown, it is also possible to use a valve that uses an air curtain to prevent air from flowing into the heating pot. The rotary valves 9B provided above and below the temporary storage chamber 25 can have the same shape. - The storage chamber 25 is designed to have a volume that allows one to a plurality of melting containers 4 to be supplied therein. The supply chamber 24 is designed to have approximately the same volume as the -time storage chamber 25, or to be somewhat smaller than this. This is because all of the melting containers 4 stored in the supply chamber 24 are supplied to the temporary storage chamber 25. As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus provided with a gate valve and a two-stage rotary valve as the gas cutoff valve 9 can more reliably cut off the heating pot and supply the melting container 4. The control member 23 that opens and closes the gas cutoff valve 9 opens either the gate valve 9A or the rotary valve 9B to prevent the heating pot 5 from being exposed to the atmosphere under any conditions. The supplied melting container 4 is supplied to the heating pot 5. When the gate valve 9A is opened, the supply chamber 2
4 is supplied with a melting vessel 4. When the upper rotary valve 9B is opened, the melting container 4 is transferred from the supply chamber 24 to the temporary storage chamber 25.
is supplied. When the lower rotary valve 9B is opened, the melting container 4 is supplied from the -time storage chamber 25 to the thermal melting decomposition means 1. The melting container 4 contains used medical tools and is hermetically sealed. FIG. 4 shows the cross-sectional shape of the melting container 4. This melting container 4 has a main body 4A containing medical tools and a main body 4A.
It is composed of a lid 4B that closes the opening of A. The main body 4A and the lid 4B are made of polyethylene, polypropylene,
Molded from thermoplastic synthetic resin such as acrylic or vinyl chloride. The main body 4A is shaped like a box with an upward opening and has a volume of, for example, 2 to 30 magazines, so that a predetermined amount of medical tools can be filled therein and transferred from the supply cylinder to the heating cauldron 5. The opening periphery of the main body 4A is hermetically sealed by fitting the groove of the lid 4B here. Therefore, the peripheral edge of the opening is formed to be somewhat wide. i4B has grooves 30 formed on its periphery. 30 is fitted into the opening of the main body 4A and hermetically sealed. Therefore, the groove 30 is provided in the same shape as the opening periphery of the main body 4A. In addition, the width of the opening of the full 30 is slightly narrow (molded. If necessary, adhesive tape is applied along the outer periphery of the lid 4B fitted to the lid 4B to seal it airtight. Medical tools can be disposed of. This is because used medical tools can be sterilized in a closed room by blocking air entry and exit. The device of this invention can dispose of medical tools in a closed room. This process is possible because the waste synthetic resin is not combined with oxygen and burned as in conventional equipment, but the air is blocked and the polymers of the polymerized synthetic resin are decomposed into low molecules.
Synthetic resins have physical properties that allow them to be decomposed into low molecules by heating, melting, and gasifying while cutting off the supply of air. The device of this invention completely sterilizes used medical tools by utilizing this physical property unique to synthetic resins and by effectively utilizing the heat required to decompose them into low molecules. By burning the oil that has been decomposed into low molecular weight, it is possible to heat the waste synthetic resin. Therefore, the device of this invention has the feature that it does not consume any additional fuel for disposing of medical devices.Furthermore, the device of this invention has the advantage that used medical devices are filled into a sealable melting container and heated in a heating pot. In addition, a gas cutoff valve is installed at the entrance of the melting container, and the melting container is sent into the heating pot via the gas cutoff valve.Medical tools sent into the heating pot in this state are Heating and melting together with the melting container. The gasification is sterilized by the heat at this time. Therefore, compared to the conventional device for incinerating medical tools, the device of the present invention reduces external leakage of bacteria during the processing process. It has the advantage of being able to minimize waste and safely dispose of it.Furthermore, the device of this invention can dispose of medical equipment and effectively reuse it as oil.The efficiency with which medical equipment can be turned into oil is , approximately 60-90%. That is, from discarded medical equipment, 60-90% by weight
of oil is obtained. The amount of used medical equipment generated is enormous. Therefore, if oil could be recovered from medical equipment, it would yield a huge amount. Additionally, used medical equipment is advantageously free from contamination with dirt and other foreign matter compared to regular waste synthetic resin (
Another feature is that high-quality oil can be recovered.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side view of a synthetic resin processing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing a reactor, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a melting container. . 1... Heat melting decomposition means, 2...
...... Supply means, 3...
・・Condenser, 4・・・・・・・・・・・・・Melting container, 4A・・・−・
・−・−・Body, 4B・・・・・・・・・Lid, 5・・・・・・・・・Heating pot, 5A・・・・・・・・・・・・...Kettle body, 5B...
・・・－・・・・・・M Temporary, 6・・・・・・・・・Heating furnace, 7・・・・・・・・・・・・ Loading entrance, 8・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・Discharge port, 9・・・・・・・・・Gas cutoff valve, 9a・・・・・・・・Opening/closing plate, 9b・・・・−
・・・・・・Direct acting cylinder 9A・・・・・・・−
...Gate valve, 9B...Rotary valve, 10...--Stirring member, 10A
・・・・・・・・・・・・Rotation axis, IOB・・・・・・・・・・・・
・・・・・・Blade, 10C・・・・・・・・・Gas stirring blade, 10D・・・・・・Old・−Drive motor 11・・・・・・・・・Old・・Fin , I2...--Radiating fin, 13...
...... Gas transfer pipe, 14...
...Reactor, 15----...Insulating material, 16...
・・・・・・Burner 17・・・・・・・・・・・・
Casing, 18......-Catalyst, 19...Exhaust flue, 20...-
・−・・・・Opening/closing lid, 21・・・・・・・・・・・・−
・Yuka Tankyu 22・・・・・・・・・Supply tube, 2
3.--Control member, 24-- Supply chamber, 25--
−−−・・・Time storage chamber, 26・−・・・・−・・
・・Valve seat, 27・・・・・・・・・・Valve body, 28・・・・・・・Deceleration motor 29−・・
・・・・・・・・・Rotation axis, 30・・・・・・−・・・・
··groove.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A medical waste synthetic resin processing device having the following configuration. (a) The processing device includes a thermal melting decomposition means 1 that heats synthetic resin to melt, decompose, and vaporize it, a supply means 2 that supplies medical waste synthetic resin to the thermal melting decomposition means 1, and a thermal melting decomposition means 1. It is equipped with a condenser 3 that cools the gas sent out and turns it into oil, and a melting container 4 that is filled with medical waste synthetic resin. (b) The thermal melting decomposition means 1 includes a heating pot 5 and a heating pot 5.
A heating furnace 6 is provided. (c) The heating pot 5 has an entrance 7 for medical waste synthetic resin,
It has a closed structure with an open discharge port 8 for the decomposed synthetic resin. (d) The loading port 7 of the heating pot 5 is connected to the supply means 2 via a gas cutoff valve 9. (e) The outlet 8 of the heating pot 5 is connected to the condenser 3. (f) The supply means 2 and the entrance 7 have an opening area through which the melting container 4 can pass. (g) The melting container 4 is molded from thermoplastic synthetic resin. (h) The melting container 4 is formed into a sealed structure having a sealable inlet.