STERIFANT The perfect solution to the disposal of special health care and hospital waste

The problem Within the European Union, infectious health care waste is now classified as special or hazardous waste As incorrect handling, transportation and disposal of such waste can cause injury or infection, strict legislation which must be complied with, is now in place relating to these aspects The disposal of health care wastes in the past was predominantly by incineration Tighter legislation necessitates expensive modernization of existing incinerators; this led to fewer installations throughout Europe able to accept health care waste for treatment The distances required for transportation are much longer, resulting in elevated costs for handling, transportation and treatment

The solution It is in this field of technology that STERIFANT has developed a patented system that can be used as a mobile or stationary system for the treatment of health care waste on site Special waste management and handling problems are reduced or solved by: – there is no intermediate storage necessary, so neither costs for it – no specific protective clothing requirements – no specialized transportation Volume of waste is reduced by up to 80 % The disinfected waste, following shredding into tiny fragments, ensures that even syringe needles, scalpel blades or glass bottles do not mean a threat, to anybody

The STERIFANT System The STERIFANT system can treat waste where it has been caused The waste is no longer collected in plastic bags Specially designed hermetically sealed reusable Polycarbonate bins are used without having to contact the bin with sterile hands Once full, the bin has a sealing clamp ring, placed over the bin/lid joint and locked shut forming a hermetic seal It can then be moved safely through the facility The full and sealed bins can be easily stacked, saving space whilst awaiting treatment

The STERIFANT procedure (1) Prior to the commencement of treatment, ten bins are placed on the retractable platform of the unit At the touch of a button the platform is retracted inside the sealed treatment chamber Each of the bins is automatically connected to the sealed system of the unit The cycle begins with ten hollow needles (cannulae) being lowered into the lids of the containers puncturing the “bung” seal of the lids. A washer around the hollow needles then forms a pressure seal, connecting each of the ten bins to the system for treatment to start

The STERIFANT procedure (2) At the start of the treatment cycle, approximately 2 liters of water and steam at 140 degrees C are injected through the hollow needles into each of the bins The system‘s nine microwave generators are then activated, heating the contents of the bins to a temperature in excess of 105 degrees C, which is maintained, causing a saturated steam atmosphere The unit‘s effectiveness is further increased by creating first, a vacuumed and then a pressured atmosphere within each of the bins (similar to a breathing action) The result is that the saturated steam atmosphere ensures complete penetration, disinfecting the bins’ contents.

The STERIFANT procedure (3) At the end of the cycle the treatment chamber of the unit opens automatically The bins can now be opened without any risk of infection The bins are then transferred to the integral shredder, located at the side of the unit, for the contents of the bins to be shredded The shredder was designed and developed by STERIFANT specially for the shredding of health care and hospital waste The automatic arm lifts the bin and empties the contents into the shredder After being finely shredded the waste is compacted at 80 bars pressure, any liquid present is drawn off and put into a container under the shredder

The STERIFANT procedure (4) Sterile liquid from the compaction of the waste is drawn off to a separate tank This contains only biodegradable residual substances and can be discharged to the local effluent treatment works, under permit, or disposed of by alternative means if required The sterile, dry compacted waste, after retrieving all recyclable materials can be disposed of in the same way as domestic waste and brought to a landfill A proprietary chemical deodorizer perfume is automatically added to the shredded waste to avoid any possible odors The shredder system is self cleaning, an automatic washing program being activated after use

Effectiveness Compared with other methods of treatment the STERIFANT system guarantees effective destruction of all germs, even In closed and hollow containers, such‘ as glass bottles or very small diameter tubing (e.g. intravenous, or needles) Not only specialists in hygiene and microbiology but also other authorities of many countries have repeatedly confirmed the effectiveness of the STERIFANT system In Germany the STERIFANT system is regarded as an outstanding innovation. It was accepted in 1995, onto the approval list of the Robert- Koch Institute at the Ministry of Health in Germany

Requirements For operation, the system requires only a three phase power supply of 63 Amp rating (on a CEE 63 Amp socket) with a fuse rating of 50 Amps A connection to a tap for filling of the ‚on board‘ 400 liter water tank may be required. The unit will run approximately 25 cycles from a full tank of water.

Design of the system The STERIFANT system is contained in a truck mountable unit that can be de-mounted to form a self contained stationary unit In the unlikely event of a fault being detected by the ‚on board‘ diagnostic equipment during a treatment cycle the system will stop at once. The treatment chamber will remain shut and the fault can be rectified in complete safety as all the unit‘s operational equipment is located outside the sealed chamber. When the system is brought back on line and order it will continue to complete the treatment cycle from the point of the malfunction

STERIFANT-Bins The STERIFANT bins form part of the system. The disinfecting process takes place in these on purpose designed patented bins. Designed and tested to the highest standards, the bins are made from high quality synthetic materials and are re-usable over 100 times. The lids are re-usable by replacement of the ‚bung‘ after each treatment. To help to protect the bin from possible damage and dirt, a heavy polythene liner is placed in the bin before use. The STERIFANT bins are designed to enable them to be stacked inside each other (48 bins per EU standard pallet) with shaped sides to avoid a vacuum forming between the bins when stacked.

Contact Sterifant Deutschland GmbH Walter-Oehmichen-Str. 14 ▪ D Viernheim Tel. +49 (0) Fax +49 (0)