At the recent Medica Trade Fair, Bertin Technologies unveiled its new innovative Sterilwave 100 solution for the on-site treatment of biomedical waste (potentially infectious waste and by-products). No bigger than a household washing machine, the ultra-compact Sterilwave 100 unit offers the technology, high performance, traceability, efficiency and quality of equipment of the Sterilwave range. This latest model completes the existing range, comprising Sterilwave 440 and Sterilwave 250, to meet the needs of healthcare clinics, hospitals, laboratories and other establishments producing medical waste.

This new generation hospital waste treatment system developed by Bertin, the Sterilwave range uses an alternative technology contrasting with conventional processes of incineration, autoclaving and landfilling. The automated processes carried out in a single tank, following four steps:

- Loading of all types of unsorted medical waste (including solid, soft, sharp-edged, pointed, glass, plastic, bandage and dialysis items), - Grinding, which renders the waste unrecognizable, - Heating and sterilization by microwave treatment without any pressure increase, - Unloading of the inert waste with complete traceability

In just 30 minutes, the medical waste to be disposed of is transformed into a compact, dry, inert material, with a weight reduction of 25% and a volume reduction of 80%. As the system achieves a level of bacterial inactivation exceeding 8log10*(in compliance with the strictest international standards), the waste can then be mixed with household waste and disposed of via existing waste treatment channels, therefore generating savings both technical and logistics.

The Sterilwave process and its results have been tested by the Pasteur Institute and IRM (Institut de Recherche en Microbiologie) under the supervision of the French Health and Environment Ministries. The Sterilwave system has been certified as complying with French standard NF X30-503, recognized as one of the strictest in the world. It also complies with international regulatory standards regarding the required efficacy of disinfection (STAATT recommendations).

Designed and produced in France and certified as ISO 9001:2008 compliant, the Sterilwave technology has already attracted international interest. Notably, Eurotec Environmental Limited, a Bertin partner, has installed two Sterilwave 440 units at Barts Health NHS Trust, Whipps Cross University Hospital in London, allowing the hospital to treat between 2 and 2.5 metric tons of medical waste per day.

After being treated by Sterilwave, the waste is classified as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or solid recovered fuel (SRF). It can then be used as fuel for furnaces on industrial sites or waste-to -energy plants.

This offering is a logical extension to the business activities of the CNIM Group, European leader in energy-from-waste recovery. Eurotec Environmental Ltd, specifier of Sterilwave, was presented with the 2017 Product Innovation Awardby IHEEM (Institute of Healthcare Engineering & Estate Management) at a ceremony organized by Healthcare Estates in Manchester, on 10th October 2017.

Eurotec Environmental’s Sterilwave Plant at Barts Health NHS Trust, Whipps Cross Hospital is the first of its kind in the UK and is widely regarded as the most innovative on-site medical waste treatment service seen by the NHS in over 20 years. Thanks to this Sterilwave installation, Eurotec Environmental also won a Green Apple Environment Award 2017 (presented at the Palace of Westminster, in London, on November 6th, 2017). This prize is awarded for environmental best practices all over the world.