METHOD FOR DECONTAMINATING INFECTED MEDICAL WASTE BY MICROWAVE RADIATION AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTATION THEREOF Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC A61L2/12 A61G11/00 

FIELD: medicine; processing and recycling of waste.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to sanitary-epidemiological welfare, namely to methods and devices for decontaminating medical waste, mainly dangerous and extremely dangerous classes by means of microwave radiation, and can be used both in medical and preventive treatment facilities of different profiles and in centralized centers for decontaminating such wastes. In the method for decontaminating infected medical waste by means of microwave radiation, moistened medical waste is placed in a container, the container is further hermetically closed and installed into a working chamber located in the body of the device, where the waste is heated by microwave radiation. In the hermetically sealed container, thermal decomposition of medical waste occurs simultaneously with the formation of a hot vapor-gas mixture, the pressure of which increases because of heating. Hot vapor-gas mixture is further withdrawn from the container to the outlet channel of the working chamber with further emission into atmosphere. In addition, the method is carried out with the help of a system for monitoring and controlling operating parameters of the decontamination process installed in the body of the device. Wherein the hot vapor-gas mixture in the sealed container is passed through a filter element provided with a perforated surface with a volume porosity of 75 % and a retention threshold of 100–200 nm. Vapor-gas mixture purified from harmful impurities and pathogenic bacteria is further discharged through two outlet channels of the filter element into the working chamber of the device. Subsequently, the vapor-gas mixture is sent to the discharge channel in the form of an exhaust pipe, located in the upper part of the working chamber, the input of which is provided with a metal grid serving as a screen for microwave radiation. Wherein at the outlet of the discharge channel of the working chamber, the rate of emission of the vapor-gas mixture into atmosphere is increased with the help of the fan. Technical result in the "Device for decontaminating infected medical waste with the help of microwave radiation" is achieved due to the fact that it contains a body with a system for monitoring and controlling working parameters of the decontamination process, the working chamber located inside the body, outside which there are two symmetrically arranged magnetrons. Container with transparent walls is located, in turn, in the working chamber and provided with a lid connected to the container by means of clamps with the formation of an internal space for placing moistened infected medical waste to be treated with microwave radiation, in addition, the device is provided with a unit for withdrawing the hot vapor-gas mixture emerging from the container and produced inside the container during exposure by microwave radiation. Wherein the container is provided with a conical, upwardly expandable body with a two-hole lid tightly fixed thereon, wherein the holes are combined with the unit for withdrawing the hot vapor-gas mixture emerging from the container, the latter is installed inside the container at its upper part and is in the form of a horizontally arranged cylindrical filter element with a perforated surface, on both sides of which two outlet bent tubular elements are rigidly mounted, the opposite ends of which, in turn, are aligned with two holes of the lid of the container, wherein the filter element and the outlet tubular elements are made of a dielectric hydrophobic material thermally stable and resistant to damaging substances. In addition, in the upper part of the body of the working chamber, a discharge channel is provided in the form of an exhaust pipe, the input of which is provided with a metal grid serving as a screen for microwave radiation. At the outlet of the exhaust pipe of the working chamber there is a fan, serving to increase the rate of release of the vapor-gas mixture free of harmful impurities and pathogenic bacteria into atmosphere.

EFFECT: technical result is improved quality of purification of vapor-gas emissions into atmosphere in the process of decontaminating infected medical waste with the help of microwave radiation and decreased possibility of scattering of pathogenic thermally stable microorganisms within the working chamber of the device intended for the implementation of the claimed method, by retention of harmful gases and pathogenic microorganisms in the filtering element with a high retention threshold of 100–200 nm, and by placing the filter element in the upper part of the hermetically sealed container at the outlet of the hot vapor-gas mixture therefrom into the working chamber of the device.

2 cl, 2 tbl, 4 dwg