The management of residual materials, in particular biomedical waste, poses a problem within a complex dynamic system which encompasses the interaction between the anthroposystem (the human system) and the natural ecosystem. Biomedical waste constitutes a specific category of waste produced by healthcare establishments. In consideration of the legislative framework and regulatory standards that govern the management of biomedical waste in Quebec, the perception of risk in the context of the precautionary principle recommends disinfection (autoclave) and incineration as methods of treating biomedical waste. This puts environmental, social and economic considerations in the background.
The main objective of this study is to formulate an approach for the responsible management of non-anatomical biomedical waste (NABW) in the Montreal metropolitan area. The subobjectives consist of: (1) producing a visual representation of non-anatomical biomedical waste deposits within the health network of the Island of Montreal, (2) carrying out an analysis of material flows (inputs, outputs and transformations), of multi-stream scenarios for the treatment of non-anatomical biomedical waste (NABW), (3) evaluating the performance of the integrated management streams defined on the basis of the multi-criteria analysis.
The production of NABW varies significantly between accommodation units and hospitalization units. Across all CIUSSS, accommodation units generate 5891 t/year, compared to 3695 t/year for hospitalization units, that is an overall difference of 59%. The evaluated scenarios present advantages and disadvantages according to environmental, financial, social and public health criteria. However, disinfection-gasification is the one which presents advantages on all these criteria.
Regarding the prospects of the study, a pilot project would make it possible to evaluate the variability of the quantities of NABW based on evidence for the different types of hospital facilities.
| Date | 1 Apr 2025 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Mathias Glaus (Supervisor) |
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Ngando Lobe, S. I. (Author),
Glaus (Supervisor),
1 Apr 2025Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Environmental Engineering