How it Works: Series 2000 STI Waste Treatment System
Steps
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Step 1
Regulated Medical Waste, infectious waste/clinical waste (including animal bedding), import waste and HIPPA documentation is loaded into the system in bags, boxes, sharps containers, trace carts or is automatically fed by a cart dumper.
Step 2
Air is drawn from around the feed hopper area through HEPA filters, to capture potential airborne pathogens that could be released during the waste dumping and shredding process.
Step 3
Containerized waste drops into a heavy-duty shredder. Steam impinges directly onto the bags and sharps containers prior to and during shredding.
Step 4
Shredded waste enters the steam auger chamber where low-pressure steam is injected through multiple ports immediately bringing all material to proper treatment conditions.
Step 5
The distal portion of the system steam jacket provides continued heating of the waste. In all cases, waste is treated for a minimum of 60 minutes prior to discharge from the auger. The low-pressure flash-off chamber allows moisture to vent to the atmosphere.
Step 6
The residue exits the end of the conveyor (auger) into a standard self-contained compactor and may be disposed of as municipal waste.
STI Waste Treatment Systems address every one of these issues:
The inclusion of a negative air pressure and HEPA filtration system addresses the issue of potential release of airborne pathogens during the integral shredding process.
Shredding destroys the waste containers, bags, boxes and sharps, maximizing waste surface area. This assures ALL waste is adequately exposed to the steam. It addresses the issue of subsequent “un-usability” of sharps.
Accurate validation testing is achieved by introducing a “carrier” containing challenge spores after the shredder so that the spores actually travel with the waste during the treatment process.
Direct steam impingement in a rotating auger specifically designed to mix the waste creates paths for steam permeation, which rapidly raises the waste stream’s temperature into the proper operating range.
Operating temperatures are deliberately set below the threshold temperature of the volatilization of plastics, thereby avoiding problems associated with VOC emissions.
The system integration of shredding and direct steam treatment ensures maximum exposure of all contaminated waste surfaces to the proper treatment conditions. Treatment blockages or cold spots associated with other methods leading to the potential of discharging portions of untreated waste are eliminated by the STI design.
The STI system incorporates a steam jacketed waste dehydration feature, prior to discharge which drives off water vapor absorbed by the direct steam treatment injection function. Combining these features with heavy duty construction and superior components creates a system that has a long life with a low operating and maintenance cost profile.
