Emerging Green Technologies for Bio-medical Waste Treatment and Management: A Systematic Approach

Biomedical waste (BMW), including hospital wastewater (HWW), poses significant risks to the environment, workplace health and safety, as well as public health. Therefore, the selection of treatment technologies for BMW should be chosen in that way so that the negative impact of BMW and HWW can be neutralized. Considering this, the current review focuses on emerging green technologies for BMW and laboratory wastewater treatment and management. Improper waste management practices in developing nations have given rise to several issues, such as the introduction of pharmaceutical residues that are released into the environment. Hence, the timely adaptation and application of environmentally friendly technologies in the health sector is crucial. This study compares various technologies such as incineration, autoclaving, plasma pyrolysis, chemical disinfection, and microwave treatment, in terms of their feasibility, operational costs, and efficiency for the treatment of solid BMW. The study suggested selecting BMW treatment technology as per the Best Available Technology (BAT) principles of autoclave and microwave. Further, the liquid BMW is also a threat to the environment and human health. Ozonation technology has shown a promising ability for the pretreatment of laboratory and hospital wastewater.