Biomedical waste management system and process therefor

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a biomedical waste management system and process therefor. The system (100) includes components such as feeder (10), a compression chamber (20), a crushing chamber (40), a segregating mechanism, and a conveyor belt (30,50). The system (100) and the process (200) of the present disclosure is safe, cost effective and environment friendly. The system (100) and the process (200) of the present disclosure facilitates safe disposal of biomedical needle(s), by facilitating breakage of ceramic bond and segregation of needle cannula (metal) from the needle hub (plastic) in intact form, thereby allowing recycling thereof, and thus offers an environmentally friendly safe disposal of biomedical waste.

Description

[0001] BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND PROCESS THEREFOR

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure in general relates to biomedical waste management. Particularly, the present disclosure provides a biomedical waste management system and process for safe disposal of biomedical waste, especially biomedical needles.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Generally, biomedical needles along with syringes used for administering drug to a patient, or used for any other medical purposes, are not re-used to ensure infections are not transmitted from one patient to another. The entire syringe assembly including the needle is disposed of after each use. Generally, these biomedical needles which are used in present medical practice, includes a needle cannula (stainless steel needles) having a needle hub securely bonded at one end thereof to facilitate attachment of the biomedical needle to a syringe or to any other medical component / device during use. Usually, the needle cannula is securely bonded with the needle hub using a strong ceramic bond to ensure reliable strong bonding therebetween. However, presence of this strong bond poses challenges during disposal of these biomedical needles after each use, either separately or in conjunction with the syringe assembly and like. For example, manually separating the needle from syringe, and / or more specifically separating the needle cannula from the needle hub after each use becomes almost next to impossible (due to presence of the ceramic bond) and may cause serious injuries to the personnel while handling resulting in serious health hazards. As such, the needle cannula remains tightly secured to the needle hub such that it is required to be disposed of as a biohazardous material. Therefore, the current practice for disposal of the needles and like used for medical purposes involves transporting them all to a landfill. Hence, millions of syringes and needles used for medical purposes across country gets transported and dumped into landfills as a part of their disposal practice, and these numbers are ever increasing. However, even after their disposal in landfills, the needle cannulas may still pose a great hazard should portions of these landfills gets exposed. In addition, it also poses a life-threatening risk to the personnel involved in handling, collection and disposal of the needles since an inadvertent exposure to the needle cannula may cause a needlestick injury that may lead to serious health hazards since these needle cannulas may transmit various infectious diseases. Further, the negative impact of dumping the biomedical needles into the landfills, it may have on our environment is a rising concern.

[0006] One solution to address these afore-stated concerns is breaking the needle hub from the needle cannula, and thereafter recycling them separately. However, even after breaking, a small portion of the needle cannula still remains embedded within the needle hub (metal remains inside plastic), such that even after recycling, it produces a recycled product with impurities. So, plastic that forms the needle hub and which has a small portion of the needle cannula (metal) embedded therewithin, as such cannot be recovered for further use, cannot be recycled, and hence needs to be permanently disposed of under special disposal protocol since it gets categorized as a biohazardous material, suggesting disposal in the landfills.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a solution that can provide an environment friendly, cost-effective and a safer approach for biomedical waste management. There is a need for a solution that can dispose the biomedical waste with in a safer and cost- effective manner without harming the environment. There is a need for a process that can facilitate an environment friendly, cost-effective and a safer handling and disposal of the biomedical waste, especially the used needles, without causing any health hazards to the personnel involved in the disposal process.

[0008] OBJECTS

[0009] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a biomedical waste management system for effective disposal of biomedical waste. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a process for biomedical waste management, which is safer, cost-effective and environment friendly.

[0010] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a biomedical waste management system and a process that facilitates a safer disposal of biomedical needles, without causing injuries to the personnel involved.

[0011] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a biomedical waste management system and a process of using the system to facilitate environmentfriendly disposal of the biomedical needles allowing recycling / reprocessing thereof.

[0012] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a biomedical waste management system and a process that addresses the aforementioned drawbacks of prior art solutions.

[0013] SUMMARY

[0014] The present invention provides a biomedical waste management system for biomedical needle(s). The biomedical needle(s) comprises of a needle cannula (metal part) and a needle hub (plastic part) tightly secured thereto using a ceramic bond. The biomedical waste management system being configured to facilitate segregation of the needle cannula (metal part) entirely from the needle hub (plastic part) thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof. Accordingly, the biomedical waste management system comprising of a feeder, a compression chamber, a crushing chamber, a segregating mechanism, and at least one controller. The feeder facilitates feeding of the biomedical needle(s) at a pre-defined feeding rate into the compression chamber in communication therewith. The feeder includes any one of hopper and a vibrating conveyor system to accommodate different material sizes of feed (i.e., the biomedical needle(s)), the size being in range of 5mm to 50mm in length. The pre-defined feeding rate of the feed (i.e., the biomedical needle(s)) is adjustable within a range of 0.5 to 2m / s ensuring consistent flow of the biomedical needle(s) into the compression chamber. The compression chamber is in communication with the feeder to receive the biomedical needle(s) being fed therefrom. The compression chamber includes a compression component comprising of a plurality of rollers with splines to facilitate vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) while passing therethrough thereby causing change in profile of the biomedical needle(s) from a cylindrical to a flat-shaped profile thereof. The crushing chamber in communication with the compression chamber via a conveyor belt to receive the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state being conveyed therefrom. The crushing chamber includes a vibration-cum-compression component comprising of two horizontal crushing plates- an upper crushing plate and a lower crushing plate, both being adapted of horizontal movement but in opposite directions to each other at a pre-defined speed and stroke length being facilitated via motorized actuator(s) thereby imparting a vertical-cum-sideway compression using oscillatory movements onto the biomedical needle(s) exerting a shear force thereon to facilitate crushing of the ceramic bond and the needle hub whilst keeping the needle cannula intact. The predefined speed of the upper and lower crushing plates is proportional to material of the needle hub and is typically in a range of 0.5 m / s to 1.5m / s whereas the stroke length is in range of 10mm to 100mm such that the shear force applied onto the biomedical needle(s) lies in a range of 10 to 50 tons depending upon type / strength and design of material thereby facilitating complete breakdown of the ceramic bond and the needle hub allowing separation of the needle cannula in entirety therefrom thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof. The horizontal crushing plates are fabricated from any one of hardened steel, alloy steel, and tungsten carbide thereby ensuring high resistance and durability under heavy pressure. The motorized actuator(s) is any one selected from a hydraulic and pneumatic system, ensuring precise and powered movement of the horizontal crushing plates, and wherein further, the motorized actuator(s) includes a pressure-feedback mechanism to ensure the biomedical needle(s) are under consistent shear force being exerted thereon by the horizontal crushing plates.

[0015] The segregating mechanism in communication with the crushing chamber via the conveyor belt to facilitate separation of the needle cannula in entirety from crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond. The segregating mechanism includes at least one vibrating screen having a mesh to sieve out the crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond while passing therethrough whilst retaining the needle cannula behind. The vibrating screen is fabricated using any one of heavy- duty steel and stainless steel to provide strength and resistance to wear. The segregating mechanism may optionally comprise of an air classifier or a magnetic separator. In air classifier mechanism, an air stream is utilized to separate the needle hub from the needle cannula based upon densities thereof such that the needle hub (being plastic) being lighter in density gets carried away with the air stream while the needle cannula (metal) being heavier in density falls apart (or down). In magnetic separator mechanism, an eddy-current based magnetic field-based segregation is performed, wherein, the needle cannula being metal attracts to a magnetic roller component of the magnetic separator and is retained thereon whereas the needle hub gets removed first out from the conveyor belt thereby ensuring purity of separated plastic (the needle hub).

[0016] The at least one controller being a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) with a Human Machine Interface (HMI) and is adapted to facilitate automation and operational connectivity between all components of the system (100).

[0017] The system optionally comprises of proximity sensors and load cells to facilitate automation and monitoring of pressure (or shear force) between the horizontal crushing plates and pressure exerted onto the biomedical needle(s) to facilitate automate adjustment of the pressure based on material of the feed. The system optionally comprises of a plate gap adjustment mechanism to automate adjustment of gap between the horizontal crushing plates as per requirement, based on size of the feed to be processed, and thus facilitates processing varied sizes of the feed.

[0018] The present disclosure further provides a process for biomedical waste management to facilitate separation of the needle cannula in intact form, from the needle hub, facilitating disposal and separate recycling thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The present disclosure is illustrated in the accompanying non-limiting drawings, throughout which reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

[0020] Figure 1 shows the biomedical waste management system, in accordance with the present disclosure; and

[0021] Figure 2 is a flow-chart showing the biomedical waste management process, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present disclosure provides a biomedical waste management system and a process therefor. Particularly, the present disclosure provides a biomedical waste disposal system and a process therefor. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a system and a process for disposal of biomedical needle(s) and like. The system and the process of the present disclosure ensures environment friendly and safer disposal of the biomedical needle(s) facilitating efficient recycling thereof.

[0024] The features, functionalities, raw material, components, dimensions, conditions of operation, steps of operation, end uses and the like of the system and the process of present disclosure include, but are not limited to the disclosure provided herein below.

[0025] In one aspect of the present disclosure, referring to figure 1, a biomedical waste management system (100), hereinafter referred to as “the system (100)”, is disclosed. The system (100) facilitates safer and environment friendly management and disposal of the biomedical waste thereby allowing effective recycling thereof. For the purpose of present disclosure, the term “biomedical waste” includes the hazardous and infectious waste generated from medical establishments, for example, hospitals. More particularly, the system (100) of the present disclosure facilitates safer and environmental-friendly disposal of the biomedical needle(s) allowing recycling thereof. For the purpose of present disclosure, the term “biomedical needle(s)” refers to different varied types of needles used for biomedical applications and in medical facilities / establishments.

[0026] However, it is evident to a person skilled in the art that the system (100) and the process (200) of the present disclosure can be used for effective and sustainable management and disposal of biomedical waste other than biomedical needle(s) alone. In a preferred embodiment, the system (100) is specifically used in safe disposal of the biomedical needle(s), allowing separate recycling thereof. It is already known in that art that the biomedical needle(s) comprises of a needle cannula (metal part) and a needle hub (plastic part) secured tightly at one end thereof using a ceramic bond. The needle hub facilitates the biomedical needle(s) to establish attachment of the needle cannula to a syringe during a medical use thereof. The needle hub is securely attached to the needle cannula with a ceramic bond establishing a strong connection therebetween, which cannot be broken manually. The system (100) of the present disclosure facilitates in effective disposal of the biomedical needle(s) thereby allowing recycling thereof. Particularly, the system (100) of the present disclosure is configured to facilitate segregation of the needle cannula entirely (in intact form) from the needle hub thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof. The system (100) allows breaking of the ceramic bond such that the needle cannula separates entirely from the needle hub allowing independent recycling thereof, and thus eliminates need for disposal in landfills, thereby curbing rising environmental concerns relating to biomedical waste disposal, especially w. r. t. the biomedical needle(s).

[0027] Accordingly, referring to figure 1, the system (100) includes components such as, but not limited thereto, a feeder (10), a compression chamber (20), a crushing chamber (40), a segregating mechanism, a conveyor belt, at least one controller, and like, all working in synergism to facilitate effective disposal of the biomedical needle(s) thereby allowing recycling thereof. In an embodiment, the system (100) may include other supporting components in addition to aforementioned components, which include, not limiting thereto, bearings, bushing, seals etc. to facilitate efficient functioning and operation of the components of the system (100). These supporting components are designed for high-load applications and are lubricated to prevent their wear and tear. In another embodiment, the system (100) may include any other component working in conjunction with the afore- stated components to synergistically facilitate safe disposal of the biomedical needle(s) allowing effective recycling thereof, thereby addressing rising environmental concerns.

[0028] The feeder (10) is provided for feeding the biomedical needle(s) at a pre-defined feeding rate into the compression chamber (20) in communication therewith. In an embodiment, the biomedical needle(s) can be loaded in any orientation within the feeder (10) to be unloaded or fed into the compression chamber (20). The biomedical needle(s) are collected from the medical establishments (for example, hospitals) and is disinfected (or sterilized) using autoclave or microwave prior to loading them into the feeder (10), for feeding them into the compression chamber (20), to avoid spread of infectious diseases while handling by the personnel. Particularly, the biomedical needle(s) are collected into bins having the disinfectant therewithin and are then transported to load onto the feeder (10) to limit spread of infectious diseases while handling thereof. In a preferred embodiment, manual detachment (or removal) of the biomedical needle(s) from a syringe is performed prior to loading them onto the feeder (10) for feeding them into the compression chamber (20), in an event the biomedical needle(s) is received with, a syringe attached thereto during collection from the medical establishments. The feeder (10) includes any one of hopper and a vibrating conveyor system to feed a mixture of the needle cannula and the needle hub, i.e., the biomedical needle(s) into the compression chamber (20). The feeder (10) is adaptable to accommodate for different material sizes of feed (i.e., the biomedical needle(s)). In an embodiment, the feeder (10) can accommodate sizes of the feed, that is, the biomedical needle(s), typically being in range of 5mm to 50mm in length. In another embodiment, the pre-defined feeding rate for feeding the biomedical needle(s), i.e., the feed into the compression chamber (20) is adjustable feeding rate and typically is within a range of 0.5 to 2m / s ensuring consistent flow of the biomedical needle(s) further into the compression chamber (20).

[0029] The compression chamber (20) is in communication with the feeder (10) to receive the biomedical needles(s), being fed therefrom. The compression chamber (20) includes a compression component comprising of, but not limiting thereto, a plurality of cylinder(s), roller(s) and like, with characteristic other sub-components (or sub-parts) such spline(s), to facilitate vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) while passing therethrough. In a preferred embodiment, the compression component comprises of a plurality of rollers with splines rotating at a pre-defined rotational speed being in range of 20 to 100 rpm with help of motor and gears to facilitate vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) while passing therethrough thereby causing change in profile of the biomedical needle(s) from a cylindrical to a flat-shaped profile thereof. The rotational speed of the plurality of rollers varies as per the feed. The compression chamber (20) receives the biomedical needle(s) in any orientation, and can still achieve effective vertical compression thereof which is facilitated by the compression component.

[0030] The crushing chamber (40) is in communication with the compression chamber (20) via a primary conveyor belt (30) to receive the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state being conveyed therefrom. The primary conveyor belt (30) establishes communication between the compression chamber (20) and the crushing chamber (40) facilitating conveying of the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state therebetween from the compression chamber (20) to the crushing chamber (40). The crushing chamber (40) includes a vibration-cum-compression component comprising various sub-components such as, but not limited thereto, for example, a vibrator, roller, plates, and like having characteristic surface features to facilitate vertical and sideways compression of the biomedical needle(s). In a preferred embodiment, particularly, the vibration-cum-compression component comprises of at least one set of horizontal crushing plates having - an upper crushing plate (40A) and a lower crushing plate (40B). In an embodiment, the vibration-cum- compression component of the crushing chamber (40) may include plurality of sets of the horizontal crushing plates to increase processing speed and facilitating breakage of the ceramic bonds in shorter time span. The upper crushing plate (40A) is adapted of horizontal movement at a pre-defined speed and stroke length. The lower crushing plate (40B) is stationary, and does not move. The biomedical needle(s) being conveyed from the compression chamber (20) via the primary conveyor belt (30) gets placed / sandwiched in between the horizontal crushing plates. In an embodiment, the horizontal crushing plates are fabricated from either of hardened steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, tungsten carbide and like materials known in the art, or combinations thereof. However, it is evident to a person skilled in the art that these can be fabricated in any other material known in the art that offers high resistance and durability and abrasion resistance especially under heavy, constant shear pressure / crushing force. The horizontal movement of the upper crushing plate (40A) at the pre-defined speed and stroke length is facilitated via motorized actuator(s)(45) thereby imparting a vertical-cum-sideway compression using oscillatory movements onto the biomedical needle(s), and exerting a crushing (or shear) force thereon to facilitate crushing of the ceramic bond and the needle hub whilst keeping the needle cannula intact. The vibration cum compression component subjects the biomedical needle(s) passing therethrough to oscillatory movements thereby facilitating breaking / destruction of the ceramic bond which holds together the needle cannula and the needle hub. These oscillatory movements facilitate breaking the ceramic bond and also breaking the needle hub such that the needle cannula separates in entirety (in intact form) from the needle hub. Since the needle cannula is completely made up of stainless steel (or metal) it does not break under this shear force which is exerted on the biomedical needle(s), and thus facilitates its mechanical separation from the needle hub in entirety. The motorized actuator(s)(45) includes components such as motor, linkages etc. known in the art, and can be either a hydraulic-based actuator system or a pneumatic-based actuator system for powering the horizontal movement of the upper crushing plate (40A), ensuring precise and powerful movement thereof. The hydraulic actuator provides smooth, powerful motion and can apply significant crushing force (10- 50 tons), whereas the pneumatic actuator is lighter and faster but might not provide as much force as hydraulic ones. However, it is evident to a person skilled in the art that selection of the motorized actuator(s) () is based on design, and type / strength of material of the feed, i.e., on material of the biomedical needle(s) that are to be disposed. Further, the motorized actuator(s)(45) includes a pressure-feedback mechanism to ensure the biomedical needle(s) are under consistent shear force (or crushing force) being exerted thereon when sandwiched between the upper crushing plate (40A) and the lower crushing plate (40B). The pre-defined speed of the upper crushing plate (40A) is proportional to properties and material of the feed, that is, specifically the material of the needle hub, and is adjustable to ensure the material (feed) is processed at an optimal rate. Particularly, the pre-defined speed of the horizontal movement of the upper crushing plate (40A) typically ranges from 0.5 m / s to 1.5 m / s and is proportional to material of the needle hub / material of the feed, and is adjustable by changing frequency of motor of the motorized actuator(s). Furthermore, the stroke length of the upper crushing plate (40A) is adjustable to facilitate control on how far apart the two horizontal crushing plates are during each crushing cycle. Particularly, the stroke length is in range of 10mm to 100mm (and depends upon the feed) such that the shear force applied on the biomedical needle(s) is in range of 10 to 50 tons, which is decided depending upon the material of the needle hub, and design of the biomedical needle(s), design and weight of the upper crushing plate (40A) such that to facilitate optimal processing (or crushing) of the biomedical needle(s) and breakdown of the ceramic bond to separate the needle cannula from the needle hub in intact form, such that each can be separately recycled at a later point. By increasing weight of the upper crushing plate (40A), force exerted onto the biomedical needle(s) can be increased, and thus input of the feed can be increased. Particularly, when the biomedical needle(s) are subjected to shear force / crushing force (due to movement of the upper crushing plate (40 A)) when placed between the two horizontal crushing plates, the softer plastic i.e., the needle hub will crack and break into smaller fragments, along with breaking of the ceramic bond, whereas the needle cannula, being metal are resistant to the crushing force (or shear force) and remains largely intact. The vibration cum compression component, in another embodiment, further includes characteristic surface features such as, but not limiting thereto, grooves, and like to facilitate forward movement of the biomedical needle(s) after crushing action, onto a secondary conveyer belt (50) while also removing any ceramic part that may be remaining on the needle cannula (or metal). The secondary conveyer belt (50) establishes communication between the crushing chamber (40) and the segregating mechanism and facilitate transfer / conveying forward crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond, along with the needle cannula (intact form) from the crushing chamber (40) towards the segregating mechanism.

[0031] The segregating mechanism is in communication with the crushing chamber (40) via the secondary conveyor belt (50) to facilitate separation of the needle cannula in entirety from crushed debris of- the needle hub and the ceramic bond.

[0032] In one example embodiment, the segregating mechanism may include at least one vibrating screen with a mesh to sieve out the crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond while passing therethrough whilst retaining the needle cannula behind onto the secondary conveyor belt (50). Basically, the vibrating screen separates smaller fragments (the needle hub and ceramic bond debris) from larger components (the needle cannulas), wherein the smaller pieces fall through the mesh while the larger metal pieces (the needle cannulas) are retained. The vibrating screen is fabricated using, but not limiting thereto, any one of heavy-duty steel and stainless steel, and like or combinations thereof, to provide strength and resistance to wear. However, it is evident to a person known in the art that vibration screen can be fabricated in any other similar material known in the art which offers durability and strength.

[0033] In another example embodiment, the segregating mechanism may include an air classifier, wherein an air stream is used to separate the lighter plastic particles (the needle hub) from the heavier metal fragments (the needle cannulas), i.e., separation is based on densities such that the needle hub being lighter in density gets carried away with the air stream while the needle cannula being heavier falls down (falls apart). That is to simplify, the lighter plastic is carried away by the air stream, while the metal needles fall directly down.

[0034] In yet another example embodiment, the segregating mechanism may include a magnetic separator to perform eddy-current based magnetic field-based segregation. In an event, a magnetic field-based segregation is to be performed, in one example embodiment, the secondary conveyor belt (50) may even act as a magnetic separator, in which case it may further include characteristic surface features on segment thereof, the characteristic features such as, but not limiting thereto, a magnetic roller component (60) as shown in figure 1, to facilitate rollerbased eddy-current based magnetic segregation, wherein the needle cannula being metal attracts to the magnetic roller component (60) and is retained, whereas the debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond gets removed first out from the secondary conveyor belt (50) and gets collected within collection bins (70). The characteristic surface features of the secondary conveyor belt (50) acting as the magnetic separator may also facilitate further breaking of the ceramic bond that might have remained even after the crushing action in the crushing chamber (40). Thus, any portion of the ceramic bond that remains along with the needle cannula and / or the needle hub gets completely destroyed on the secondary conveyor belt (50) due to these characteristic surface features before moving ahead to the segregating mechanism which might be provided supplementary to the magnetic separator, thereby ensuring purity of the segregated material. This ensures that upon breaking of the ceramic bond, the needle cannula emerges out in entirety from the needle hub, and is thereafter segregated therefrom by subjecting it to the segregating mechanism. Thus, the use of magnetic separator along with any other segregating mechanism ensures purity of the separated plastic (the needle hub) and the metal (the needle cannula). This ensures complete segregation of the needle cannula from crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond, thereby allowing separate recycling and reprocessing thereof using standard protocols known in the art, to obtain a recycled product in purest form, i.e. without any impurities, thus addressing the over rising environmental concerns regarding disposal of used needles. The primary conveyor belt (30) and the secondary conveyor belt (50), in an embodiment, are necessarily same in construction and have similar purpose / function of traditional conveyors known in the art. In another example embodiment, the secondary conveyor belt (50) may optionally further include various subcomponents (or characteristic surface features) to also assist in segregation of plurality of the needle cannula (metal) from crushed debris of the needle hub (plastic) and the ceramic bond which have been formed during the vibration cum compression stage (during crushing action in the crushing chamber (40)). For example, the secondary conveyor belt (50) may be provided with a characteristic surface texture (or grooves, and like characteristic features) due to which only the needle cannulas move ahead on the secondary conveyor belt (50) thus allowing segregation thereof from the needle hub and the ceramic bond debris at this stage itself, even prior to reaching the segregating mechanism. The secondary conveyor belt (50) in this case, therefore acts supplementary to the segregating mechanism ensuring purity of the segregated material for effective recycling thereof.

[0035] The at least one controller is operationally coupled to all components of the system (100) and is adapted to facilitate automation and operational connectivity between afore-mentioned components of the system (100). The controller is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) device with a Human Machine Interface (HMI), and is a computing device with processing capabilities, and facilitates automation of each step in environmentally friendly disposal of the biomedical needle(s). The controller facilitates easy control of settings such as crushing force, speed and stroke lengths, timings and plate gap and speed of movement, to ensure efficient separation of the needle cannula from the needle hub.

[0036] The system (100) of the present disclosure further optionally comprises of at least one proximity sensor and at least one load cell to monitor pressure between the two horizontal crushing plates and facilitate automatic adjustment thereof based on material of the feed entering the system (100). The pressure here refers to the crushing force exerted on the biomedical needle(s) (which are placed between the horizontal crushing plates) which makes them shear. This automatic adjustment is done by varying gap between the horizontal crushing plates of the crushing chamber (40) and also between the plurality of rollers of the compression chamber (20) thereby facilitating change in feed.

[0037] The system (100) of the present disclosure further optionally comprises of a plate gap adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust gap (or plate gap) created between the two horizontal crushing plates, based on size of the feed to be processed, thereby facilitating processing the feed of varied sizes in range of 5- 50mm. Particularly, this automatic adjustment feature allows the system (100) to process different size of the biomedical needle(s)- different sizes of the needle cannula and the needle hub.

[0038] The system (100) of the present disclosure further comprises of safety mechanism such as, but not limited thereto, as follows:

[0039] Automatic shut-offs: there is a material blockage or excessive pressure, an automatic shut-off or emergency stop will trigger;

[0040] Safety guards: Proper guarding around the two horizontal crushing plates and crushing areas to prevent accidents;

[0041] Overload Protection: sensors to detect abnormal loads or jams and automatically stop the system (100) to prevent damage;

[0042] Operator Access: Emergency stop buttons should be easily accessible to operators of the system (100).

[0043] The system (100) of the present disclosure, in an embodiment, have energy requirements as follows: the two horizontal crushing plates are typically powered by hydraulic or pneumatic systems that require significant energy, an overall energy consumption is between lOkW to 50kW, depending on size and capacity of the system (100). In an embodiment, if using the hydraulic system to power the two horizontal crushing plates, an additional hydraulic power unit with its own power supply might be required.

[0044] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a biomedical waste management process (200), herein after referred to as “the process (200)”, is disclosed. The process (200) works and is explained in conjunction with components of the system (100). The process (200) is facilitated by the controller, which plays a crucial role facilitating the automation and operational connectivity between all the components of the system and giving commands for all its operation to provide an efficient disposal of the biomedical needle(s).

[0045] Referring to figure 2, the process (200), at step (210), includes feeding of the biomedical needle(s) into the compression chamber (20) via the feeder (10) in communication therewith at a pre-defined feeding rate, which is in range of 0.5 to 2m / s to ensure consistent feeding. The biomedical needle(s) are collected from medical establishments, and thereafter loaded into the feeder (10) prior to feeding step. The feeder (10) accommodates differently sized feed (the biomedical needles), and the feeding rate is adjustable to ensure consistent flow of the biomedical needles into the compression chamber (20). In an embodiment, the biomedical needle(s) may be loaded in any orientation into the feeder, and also are fed in any orientation into the compression chamber (20) and does not require a user (or personnel) to adjust to a specific orientation before loading, thereby reducing handling time by the personnel.

[0046] The process (200), at step (220), includes undergoing vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) by the compression component within the compression chamber (20) to cause change in profile of the biomedical needle(s) from a cylindrical to a flat-shaped profile thereof.

[0047] The process (200), at step (230), includes subjecting the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state to undergo vertical and side-way compression being facilitated by the vibration cum compression component of the crushing chamber (40), wherein the biomedical needle(s) undergo oscillatory movements such that the ceramic bond and the needle hub breaks, but the needle cannula remains intact. The biomedical needle(s) in compressed state are carried away from the compression chamber (20) via the primary conveyor belt (30) to the crushing chamber (40) to undergo vertical and side- way compression being facilitated by the horizontal crushing plates, causing breakage of the ceramic bond. Particularly, the biomedical needle(s) are sandwiched between the upper crushing plate (40A) and the lower crushing plate (40B), wherein, horizontal movement of the upper crushing plate (40A) at the pre-defined speed and stroke length facilitates breakage of the ceramic bond.

[0048] The process (200), at step (240), includes separating the needle cannula from crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond via the segregating mechanism pursuant to which, the needle cannula emerges in intact and in purest form from debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond. The segregating mechanism may include either a magnetic-based segregation, an air classifier-based segregation, a vibrating screen with mesh-based segregation and like techniques, known in the art. The process (200) ends after this step, where the plastic fragments, the needle hub are collected via conveyors or chutes for further processing (or recycling thereof), whereas the needle cannula (metal part) gets collected separately in a different container or chute, for further processing (or recycling thereof).

[0049] Thus, the process (200) ensures that the ever-rising environmental concerns regarding disposal of the biomedical needle(s) are addressed while providing a safer, cost-effective and environment friendly alternative to conventional methods of dumping into landfills.

[0050] Therefore, the system (100) and the process (200) of the present disclosure provides a safer, cost-effective and an environment friendly approach to disposal of the biomedical needle(s) generated in medical establishments, and thus provides an alternative to conventional disposal methods of dumping into the landfills. The system (100) is simple in construction, and the process (200) allows effective destruction of the ceramic bond using mechanical force alone (no temperature - based destruction), and further allows simple magnetic-based segregation of the needle cannula in entirety from the needle hub, thus allowing individual recycling and reprocessing thereof. The system (100) and the process (200), thus provides a green technology for effective management of the biomedical waste, and particularly effective management of the needles generated by any biomedical facilities and / or medical establishments. The system (100) and the process (200) achieve around 95- 99% separation efficiency which depends on factors such as, size / type of material being fed, force applied during crushing and subsequent segregation (or sorting) process, the factors which are adjusted as per the material of the feed. The system (100) and the process (200) operate in a controlled manner to achieve the end result- separating the needle cannula from the needle hub in intact form, allowing separate recycling thereof.

[0051] The foregoing objects of the invention are accomplished, and the problems and shortcomings associated with prior art solutions and approaches are overcome by the proposed invention described in the present embodiment. The embodiments described herein above are non-limiting. The foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as an illustration of the concept of the present disclosure and it is in no way to be construed as a limitation. Description of terminologies, concepts and processes known to persons acquainted with technology has been avoided to preclude beclouding of the afore-stated embodiments.

[0052] TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE

[0053] The technical advantages and economic significance of the system (100) and the process (200) of the present disclosure include but are not limited to:

[0054] • Enhanced safety;

[0055] • Environment- friendly (green-technology);

[0056] • Economical;

[0057] • Simple in construction, requires no heating and heating components to achieve desired result;

[0058] • Facilitates effective mechanical breaking of the ceramic bond to segregate the needle cannula (metal) from the needle hub (plastic) in entirety, ensuring safe disposal and recycling thereof;

[0059] • Ensures re-cycling of the segregated needle cannula (metal recycling) and the needle hub (plastic recycling) and avoids wastage of resources; and Eliminates contamination of environment by recycling of non-decomposing biomedical waste.

[0060] 5

Claims

CLAIM:

1. A biomedical waste management system (100), the biomedical waste management system (100) for biomedical needle(s) which comprises of a needle cannula (metal part) and a needle hub (plastic part) tightly secured thereto using a ceramic bond, the biomedical waste management system (100) being configured to facilitate segregation of the needle cannula entirely from the needle hub thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof, the biomedical waste management system (100) comprising of:• a feeder (10) being provided to feed the biomedical needle(s) at a predefined feeding rate into a compression chamber (20) in communication therewith;• a compression chamber (20) in communication with the feeder (10) to receive the biomedical needle(s) being fed therefrom, the compression chamber (20) includes a compression component comprising of a plurality of rollers with splines rotating at a predefined rotational speed to facilitate vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) while passing therethrough thereby causing change in profile of the biomedical needle(s) from a cylindrical to a flat-shaped profile thereof;• a crushing chamber (40) in communication with the compression chamber (20) via a primary conveyor belt (30) to receive the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state being conveyed therefrom, the crushing chamber (40) includes a vibration-cum-compression component comprising of at least one set of horizontal crushing plates having an upper crushing plate (40A) being movable and a lower crushing plate (40B) being stationary, wherein, the upper crushing plate (40 A) is capable of horizontal movement at a pre-defined speed and stroke length being facilitated via motorized actuator(s)(45) thereby imparting a vertical-cum-sideway compression using oscillatory movements onto the biomedical needle(s) and exerting acrushing (shear) force thereon to facilitate crushing of the ceramic bond and the needle hub whilst keeping the needle cannula intact;• a segregating mechanism in communication with the crushing chamber (40) via a secondary conveyor belt (50) to facilitate separation of the needle cannula in entirety from crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond, and• at least one controller being a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) device with a Human Machine Interface (HMI) being adapted to facilitate automation and operational connectivity between components of the system (100), wherein, the pre-defined rotational speed is in range of 20 to 100 rpm, the predefined speed of the upper crushing plate (40A) is proportional to material of the needle hub and is typically in a range of 0.5 m / s to 1.5m / s whereas the stroke length is in range of 10mm to 100mm such that the shear force applied onto the biomedical needle(s) lies in a range of 10 to 50 tons depending upon type / strength and design of material thereby facilitating complete breakdown of the ceramic bond and the needle hub allowing separation of the needle cannula in entirety therefrom thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof.

2. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feeder (10) includes any one of hopper and a vibrating conveyor system to accommodate different material sizes of feed being in range of 5mm to 50mm in length, wherein, the pre-defined feeding rate of the feed is adjustable within a range of 0.5 to 2m / s ensuring consistent flow of the biomedical needle(s) into the compression chamber (20).

3. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the horizontal crushing plates are fabricated from any one of hardened steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, and tungsten carbide thereby ensuring high resistance and durability under heavy pressure.

4. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motorized actuator(s)(45) is any one selected from a hydraulic and pneumatic system, ensuring precise and powered movement of the upper crushing plate (40A), and wherein further, the motorized actuator(s)(45) includes a pressure-feedback mechanism to ensure the biomedical needle(s) are under consistent shear force being exerted thereon.

5. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segregating mechanism comprises of an air classifier such that an air stream is utilized to separate the needle hub from the needle cannula based upon densities thereof, wherein the needle hub being lighter in density gets carried away with the air stream while the needle cannula being heavier in density falls apart.

6. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segregating mechanism comprises of a magnetic separator to perform eddy-current based magnetic field-based segregation, wherein the needle cannula being metal attracts to a magnetic roller component (60) of the magnetic separator and is retained thereon whereas the needle hub gets removed first out from the secondary conveyor belt (50) thereby ensuring purity of separated plastic (the needle hub).

7. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segregating mechanism comprises of a vibrating screen with a mesh that facilitates sieving out crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond while passing therethrough whilst retaining the needle cannula behind onto the secondary conveyor belt (50), and wherein, the vibrating screen is fabricated using any one of heavy-duty steel and stainless steel to provide strength and resistance to wear.

8. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising at least one proximity sensor and at least one load cell to monitor pressure between the horizontal crushing plates and facilitate automatic adjustment thereof based on material of the feed.

9. The biomedical waste management system (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plate gap adjustment mechanism to automatically adjust gap created between the horizontal crushing plates based on size of the feed to be processed, thereby facilitating processing the feed of varied sizes.

10. A biomedical waste management process (200), the biomedical waste management process (200) for biomedical needle(s) which comprises of a needle cannula (metal part) and a needle hub (plastic part) tightly secured thereto using a ceramic bond, the biomedical waste management process (200) being configured to facilitate segregation of the needle cannula entirely from the needle hub thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof, the biomedical waste management process (200) comprising the steps of: a) feeding the biomedical needle(s) at a pre-defined feeding rate via a feeder (10) into a compression chamber (20) in communication therewith, facilitated by at least one controller; b) subjecting the biomedical needle(s) to vertical compression being facilitated by a compression component of the compression chamber (20) to cause change in profile of the biomedical needle(s) from a cylindrical to a flat-shaped profile thereof, facilitated by at least one controller, the compression component having plurality of roller with splines rotating at predefined rotational speed to cause vertical compression of the biomedical needle(s) while passing therethrough; c) subjecting the biomedical needle(s) in compressed state to shear force being facilitated by a vibration cum compression component of the crushing chamber (40) in communicationwith the compression chamber (20) via a primary conveyor belt (30), facilitated by at least one controller, wherein, the vibration -cum-compression component includes at least one set of two horizontal crushing plates- an upper crushing plate (40A) being movable and a lower crushing plate (40B) being stationary, wherein the upper crushing plate (40A) is capable of horizontal movement at pre-defined speed and stroke length being facilitated by motorized actuator(s)(45) thereby imparting vertical cum side-way compression force using oscillatory movements onto the biomedical needle(s) to facilitate crushing of the ceramic bond and the needle hub whilst keeping the needle cannula intact, and d) segregating the needle cannula entirely from crushed debris of the needle hub and the ceramic bond being facilitated by a segregating mechanism in communication with the crushing chamber (40) via a secondary conveyor belt (50), facilitated by at least one controller, wherein, the pre-defined feeding rate is in range of 0.5 to 2m / s to ensure consistent flow of feed into the compression chamber (20), the pre-defined rotational speed is in range of 20 to 100 rpm, and the pre-defined speed and stroke length of the upper crushing plate (40A) is in a range of 0.5 m / s to 1.5m / s and 10mm to 100mm respectively such that shear force applied onto the biomedical needle(s) lies in a range of 10 to 50 tons thereby facilitating complete breakdown of the ceramic bond and the needle hub allowing separation of the needle cannula in entirety therefrom thereby allowing separate disposal and recycling thereof.

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