Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34896492›Full record

ReviewThe Science of the total environment2022

A review on emergency disposal and management of medical waste during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Hailong Zhao, Hanqiao Liu, Guoxia Wei, Ning Zhang, Haoyu Qiao, Yongyue Gong, Xiangnan Yu, Jianhua Zhou, Yuhang Wu

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in The Science of the total environment, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
11.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Does medical waste research during COVID-19 meet the challenge induced by the pandemic to waste management?Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Forecasting medical waste in Istanbul using a novel nonlinear grey Bernoulli model optimized by firefly algorithm.Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Collaborative Reverse Logistics Network for Infectious Medical Waste Management during the COVID-19 Outbreak.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Hailong ZhaoCollege of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
Hanqiao LiuCollege of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China. Electronic address: lhqlkx@126.com.
Guoxia WeiCollege of Science, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
Ning ZhangLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Weberplatz 1, Dresden 01217, Germany.
Haoyu QiaoCollege of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
Yongyue GongCollege of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
Xiangnan YuCollege of Energy and Safety Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin 300384, China.
Jianhua ZhouShandong Advanced Materials Industry Association, Jinan 250014, China.
Yuhang WuMathematical Modeling Innovation Lab, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210, China.
Tianjin Chengjian University · CNLeibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development · DENorth China University of Science and Technology · CNTsinghua University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The surge of medical waste (MW) generated during the COVID-19 pandemic has exceeded the disposal capacity of existing facilities. The timely, safe, and efficient emergency disposal of MW is critical to prevent the epidemic spread. Therefore, this review presents the current status of MW generation and disposal in China and analyzes the characteristics and applicability of emergency disposal technologies. The results show that movable disposal facilities can dispose of infectious MW on site, even though most of their disposal capacity is at a low level (<5 t/day). Co-disposal facilities need to be reformed completely for emergency MW disposal, in which separate feeding systems should be taken seriously. Specifically, municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration facilities have great potential to improve emergency MW disposal capacities. For hazardous waste incineration facilities, compatibility of the wastes must be matched to the composition and calorific value of the waste. As for cement kiln, MW can only be used as an alternative fuel instead of a raw material for cement. Based on the environmental risk and technical adaptability, the six emergency MW disposal technologies are recommended to be prioritized as follows: movable microwave sterilization, movable steam sterilization, movable incineration, co-incineration with hazardous waste, co-incineration with MSW and co-disposal in cement kilns. Infectious MW, especially COVID-19 MW, should be prioritized for disposal by centralized and movable disposal facilities, while non-infectious MW can be disposed of using co-disposal facilities. All stakeholders should strengthen the delicacy management of the end-of-life stage of MW, including collection, classification, packaging identification, transportation, and disposal. Currently, it is necessary for centralized disposal enterprises to follow the emergency disposal operation flowchart. From a long-term strategic perspective, making full use of regional movable and co-disposal facilities in the megacities can effectively enhance the emergency MW disposal capacity.

Indexed as

COVID-19Medical WasteMedical Waste DisposalRefuse DisposalWaste ManagementChinaHumansIncinerationPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Solid WasteWaste Disposal FacilitiesMedical WasteMedical Waste DisposalSolid WasteCo-disposal in cement kilnHazardous waste incinerationLife cycle managementMedical wasteMovable disposalMunicipal solid waste incineration

Identifiers

PMID34896492
PMCPMC8660658
OpenAlexW4200054308

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.