Assessment of Medical Waste Incinerator Performance Based on Physical Characteristics of Ashes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the combustion process during medical waste incineration by studying physical properties of the ashes produced. Combustion characteristics data including maximum temperatures, total weight of waste loaded, weight of ashes, weight reduction, sieve analysis and particle size distribution were determined experimentally. The test runs were conducted in a newly installed incinerator at Temeke district hospital. The average maximum temperatures achieved in the primary chamber was 397.8℃and 839℃ for secondary chamber with average incineration cycle time of 99 minutes. These temperatures were lower compared to the design temperatures of 650℃ and 950℃ as a result of loading wet waste. The ash samples were collected under the incinerator grate by randomly sampling the ashes for each run after weighing the total ash. The particle size distribution of ashes observed was not uniform due to presence of non-combustible materials in the sharps waste. However, the fineness modulus ranged between 2.0 and 4.0, which is in the acceptable range. From the above results it was concluded that, the incinerator performance was high in terms of the parameters assessed. To improve the incinerator performance further, it was recommended that the medical waste should be stored in a dry place away from rain.