John and Savo, have recently completed their MBA from Manipal University and were working on various ideas for start-ups. During their research, they noted that many Indian cities are facing a major problem of bio-medica

Bio-medical waste means "any solid and/or liquid waste including its container and any intermediate product, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological or in health camps. Biomedical waste poses hazard due to two principal reasons - the first is infectivity and other toxicity. The following approaches are generally used for disposal of bio-medical wastes - (a) Autoclaving: The process of autoclaving involves steam sterilization. Instead of incineration, which can be expensive, autoclaving simply introduces very hot steam for a determined amount of time. At the end of the process, micro-organisms are completely destroyed. This process is particularly effective because it costs much less than other methods, and doesn't present any personal health risks. (b) Incineration: The major benefits of incineration are that it is quick, easy, and simple. It effectively removes the waste entirely, and safely removes any microorganisms. However, when burning hazardous materials, emissions can be particularly hazardous. (c) Chemicals: When it comes to liquid waste, a common biomedical waste disposal method can be chemical disinfection. Chlorine is generally used for this process, and is added to the liquid waste in order to kill microorganisms and pathogens. Chemical disposal can also be used for solid wastes, but it is recommended that they be grinded first to ensure maximum decontamination. Liquid waste, once decontaminated, is then disposed into the sewer system. (d) Microwaving: During this process, waste is shredded, mixed with water, and then internally heated to kill microorganisms and other harmful elements. One of the main benefits of this process is the shredding aspect; It lowers the volume of biomedical waste, and it is reportedly more energy efficient to use this method than to incinerate.