Zimmermann Klaus
Danube BioSolutions, Pressbaum, Austria.
Waste Manag Res. 2017 May;35(5):471-479. doi: 10.1177/0734242X16684385. Epub 2017 Feb 2.
Microwave is an emerging technology to treat biohazardous waste, including material from healthcare facilities. A screen of the peer-reviewed literature shows that only limited information may be found in this area of work and, furthermore, analysis of the references reveals that sometimes not all necessary aspects for the appropriate use of the technology are considered. Very often conventional microwave technology is applied for the inactivation of pathogens, which might make sense for certain applications but, on the other hand, may lead to the misbelief that microwave systems cannot be used for the inactivation of a solid "dry" waste. However, conventional microwave units have no means to control the inactivation process, and especially moisture content. But there are a few sophisticated microwave technologies with appropriate measurements allowing a validated inactivation of biohazardous materials. These technologies are an effective tool for inactivation and some of them are commercially available. It must also be considered that the waste should be preferably inactivated either directly at the place where it is generated or biohazardous waste should be transported only in closed systems. Moreover, microwave technology presents a possibility to save energy costs in comparison to the more widely used autoclaves. This mini-review will discuss important aspects for the use of microwave technology for the treatment of biohazardous waste.
微波是一种用于处理生物危险废物（包括来自医疗机构的材料）的新兴技术。对同行评审文献的筛选表明，在该工作领域只能找到有限的信息，而且，对参考文献的分析表明，有时并未考虑到该技术正确使用的所有必要方面。传统微波技术常常用于病原体的灭活，这对于某些应用可能有意义，但另一方面，可能会导致误解，认为微波系统不能用于灭活固态“干燥”废物。然而，传统微波装置无法控制灭活过程，尤其是含水量。但是，有一些先进的微波技术具备适当的测量手段，能够有效灭活生物危险材料。这些技术是灭活的有效工具，其中一些已商业化。还必须考虑到，废物最好在产生地直接进行灭活，或者生物危险废物应仅在封闭系统中运输。此外，与更广泛使用的高压灭菌器相比，微波技术有可能节省能源成本。本综述将讨论使用微波技术处理生物危险废物的重要方面。
