Systematic literature review on the treatability and evaluation of the reuse potential of wastewater from the autoclaving of healthcare waste

Abstract

Health services waste (RSS) must be treated before its destination due to its hazardous characteristics. Autoclaving is an example of technology that uses steam sterilization to treat these RSS, ensuring that, later, they can be sent to a class II landfill for final disposal in the same place as urban solid waste (USW). The generation of wastewater during the autoclaving process is inevitable, which is a reason to study alternatives that can treat the effluents generated in this process. In this scenario, one of the objectives of this systematic literature review (RSL) is to answer whether the wastewater from the autoclaving of the RSS can be treated for subsequent reuse. In addition, it also seeks to investigate the characteristics of RSS and the autoclaving process. Thus, four platforms were considered for the search of scientific articles that contributed to the theme of this RSL, namely: Academic Google, CAPES, PubMed and ScieELO. Nineteen works were selected covering the period of the last 20 years. These were supported by the PRISMA methodology, which considered three lines of research: health waste (LE1); autoclaving technology that treats RSS (LE2) and wastewater and reuse (LE3). Through this RSL, it was possible to verify the deficiency in the number of articles found that talk about the topic, leading to the idealization of a promising field aimed at the treatability of this effluent for reuse. Despite this, it was possible to attest that the lack of management in generating establishments is an evident problem in several Brazilian municipalities, and that this inefficiency can interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment by autoclaving and even the possibility of reusing the effluent.