A new compact energy solution has been launched that will enable hospitals to turn contaminated syringes and other medical devices into heat.
DPS Global has unveiled its ST Series, which offers health trusts an alternative to sending clinical waste to landfill.
Reduction of clinical and hazardous waste is a key part of the NHS carbon reduction strategy as the organisation’s estate generates increasing amounts of waste due to the continued growth and demand for NHS services
The technology involves staged and separated pyrolysis and gasification of healthcare waste to produce small amounts of ash and heat. This enables hospitals to utilise their waste as a substitute for fossil fuels, thereby reducing CO2 emissions and heating bills by as much as £100,000 a year.
The technology also significantly reduces the cost of waste disposal by diverting it from landfill or incineration and through its capability to be positioned close to the source of waste. Collection of waste for incineration can cost as much as £1,000 per tonne for clinical waste. Comparatively the ST series technology treatment cost is much lower, around £150-£250 per tonne.
Pyrolysis, which involves the thermal decomposition of organic material by the action of heat alone, separates the energy-rich carbon and hydrogen from the waste. This is achieved by feeding the waste through a tube that is externally heated using exhaust gases from the later stages of the process. The heat decomposes the waste to form a synthetic gas (syngas) similar to the natural gas used by a domestic boiler. Additional syngas can be produced from some of the carbon left in the waste (known as char) after pyrolysis. This is achieved through gasification, using a small amount of air and steam to release the carbon from the waste.
Finally, the syngas can be combusted with a controlled amount of air, reaching a temperature of 1100°C - as hot as flowing volcanic lava. This ensures that any small pollutant particles, which make their way down the process, are destroyed. Carbon monoxide emissions, which can lead to smoke and soot, are also extremely low.
This technology turns waste into a fuel source and provides significant payback in terms of savings on energy and waste disposal costs at a time when both are rising and hitting the bottom line in the healthcare sector
Neil Young, managing director at DPS Global, said: “Reduction of clinical and hazardous waste is a key part of the NHS carbon reduction strategy as the organisation’s estate generates increasing amounts of waste due to the continued growth and demand for NHS services. Our technology supports both the NHS’s carbon cutting targets as well as its focus on costs with its spending review. “
He added: “Most waste has a high carbon and hydrogen content, which is exactly what fossil fuels contain. It is the reaction of the carbon and hydrogen with oxygen that releases the energy which can be used in hospitals.
“However, waste can contain other pollutants which can be released into the atmosphere when processed in a traditional incinerator. Our new technology is the first economically-viable small-scale unit to separate the carbon and hydrogen from the rest of the waste, extracting the fuel we need while leaving the pollutants in the ash from the process. The resulting ash is typically just 5-10% of the original waste.
“In short the ST series has been designed to offer a viable, low-emissions alternative, treating waste at source and recovering the energy for use onsite. This turns waste into a fuel source and provides significant payback in terms of savings on energy and waste disposal costs at a time when both are rising and hitting the bottom line in the healthcare sector.”
The model is capable of processing up to 250kg an hour and generating heat output of up to 700kWth. It accepts around 85% of the European waste catalogue of materials with no pre-treatment required and can also be easily integrated into existing industrial infrastructure to provide energy for heating and hot water.
