Consumables
The Model MD-1000 requires four consumables or inputs for processing medical waste:
- Electricity to power the unit.
- Cardboard trays to load the waste.
- NaOH solution for the scrubber for pH control.
- Natural gas if a thermal oxidizer is used for off-gas treatment.
Assuming 24-hour continuous operation, the MD-1000 will use 2,040 kWh of electricity, 18 cardboard trays and a maximum of 120 litres of NaOH solution daily, assuming the waste loads are 30% PVC plastic. Typical waste loads will be significantly lower in PVC plastic content and NaOH consumption will be proportionally lower.
The natural gas for the thermal oxidizer will depend on the manufacturer and model selected. Assuming continuous operation and optimal waste loading, in the order of 400 m3 per day (14,300 SCF/day) of natural gas will be used. If a biofilter is used for off-gas treatment no natural gas will be required, thereby reducing operating costs. The MD-1000 comes complete with a 30 kW microturbine to treat the off-gases and partially off-set the electrical consumption of the unit. The microturbine typically uses natural gas as a fuel while the MD-1000 will also require power from the grid at different times during the processing cycle.
All consumables or inputs to the system are incremental to the number of waste loads and/or the mass of waste processed daily; therefore, if the system is operated for 8 hours continuously, then consumables will be reduced by two-thirds from continuous 24-hour operation.
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