Performance Evaluation of Biomedical Waste Incinerator: Environmental, Energy, and Economic Assessment

Improper disposal of biomedical waste (BMW) poses significant threats to public health and ecosystems. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of BMW incineration. The performance of the incinerator, greenhouse gas emissions, and bottom ash (BA) disposal scenarios were investigated based on 1 kg of produced ash. The incinerator’s flue gas emissions of SO₂ and NO_x met the EPA standard limits, unlike CO (83.72 mg/m³), which exceeded limits due to incomplete combustion. Natural gas and electricity consumption were major contributors to global warming, releasing 833.21 kg CO₂ eq/ kg ash. Moreover, residual ash contained heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, and As), posing significant human health toxicity (15.55 to 316.4 kg 1,4-DCB) and freshwater ecotoxicity (8.29 kg 1,4-DCB). The human health impact was 0.0036 DALY, primarily due to SO₂ and CH₄ emissions. Energy utilization in the incinerator was also dominated by fossil fuels (99.4%). Sensitivity analysis indicated a 17.3–19.91% reduction in impact categories with initial natural gas depletion. Regarding the BA disposal scenarios, BA solidification was less promising than BA landfill due to heavy metal release and CO₂ emissions. Economic assessment revealed a 48.72% contribution of maintenance expenses to total operational costs, with the final BMW disposal cost estimated as 6 US$/kg. This study presents a detailed framework for assessing the eco-environmental burdens of BMW incinerators and identifies critical drawbacks. The findings highlight the need for improved incineration practices to achieve a cleaner environment.