Development of a cost-efficient electrostatic precipitator for hospital wastes incineration

Abstract

The environmental impact of medical waste incineration is non-negligible. Medical waste includes various toxic materials generated in hospitals and the incineration process should be an economically viable alternative to its safe disposal. But incineration alone is not an effective solution if it is not employed in conjunction with a smoke control system. The paper reports the development and implementation of a cost effective plate-type electrostatic precipitator (ESP) prototype for the medical wastes incinerator of University Hospital Centre (CHU) of Sidi Bel Abbes, using a water washing system for cleaning the electrodes. An experimental study was carried out on a half-scale laboratory ESP, to pave the way to the manufacturing and on-site testing of a full-scale installation.