Design and Simulation of a Multi-Stage On-Site System for Hazardous Medical Waste Treatment in Low-Resource Healthcare Settings

The management of hazardous medical waste in rural settings with limited resources faces significant constraints due to the lack of specialized infrastructure and inefficiencies in collection systems. This study presents the design and theoretical validation of a compact multi-stage system that integrates five key processes: double shredding, thermal evaporation, gas purification, hydraulic compaction, and UV-C disinfection. The methodology involved finite element analysis (FEA) to verify the shredding subsystem's structural integrity and thermal simulations to assess the efficiency of the evaporation process and the thermal safety of the equipment. Results obtained using SimSolid showed safety factors greater than 2.5 in critical shaft and blade regions, with structural displacements below 0.21 mm. Thermal simulations indicated that the chamber reached operating temperatures between 400 and 600 °C within 20 to 25 minutes, while the external surface remained below 60 °C due to the use of refractory insulation. A consistent thermal response was observed even under extreme simulated conditions (700-1100 °C), reinforcing the design’s stability. The combined heat treatment and compaction stages enabled an estimated waste volume reduction of 70% to 75%. In addition, the microbiological neutralization potential of the system, based on advanced filtration and UV-C disinfection, was evaluated, acknowledging simulation limitations and the need for future experimental validation. The primary contribution of this work lies in demonstrating the feasibility of an autonomous, safe, and efficient system for on-site hazardous medical waste treatment. Future work will focus on building a functional prototype, conducting real-world testing, and analyzing energy consumption and adaptability in rural settings with variable infrastructure.