Biomedical Waste Management by Using Nanophotocatalysts: The Need for New Options

Abstract

Biomedical waste management is getting significant consideration among treatment technologies, since insufficient management can cause danger to medicinal service specialists, patients, and their environmental conditions. The improvement of waste administration protocols, plans, and policies are surveyed, despite setting up training programs on legitimate waste administration for all healthcare service staff. Most biomedical waste substances do not degrade in the environment, and may also not be thoroughly removed through treatment processes. Therefore, the long-lasting persistence of biomedical waste can effectively have adverse impact on wildlife and human beings, as well. Hence, photocatalysis is gaining increasing attention for eradication of pollutants and for improving the safety and clearness of the environment due to its great potential as a green and eco-friendly process. In this regard, nanostructured photocatalysts, in contrast to their regular counterparts, exhibit significant attributes such as non-toxicity, low cost and higher absorption efficiency in a wider range of the solar spectrum, making them the best candidate to employ for photodegradation. Due to these unique properties of nanophotocatalysts for biomedical waste management, we aim to critically evaluate various aspects of these materials in the present review and highlight their importance in healthcare service settings.

Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Obtained from Chemical versus Saponaria officinalis Extract-Mediated Synthesis

“…There have been a large number of reports regarding the metal oxides (TiO 2 , WO 3 , ZnO, Nb 2 O 5 , and Fe 2 O 3 ) in various processes of decontamination and disinfection [ 9 ]. Among these metal oxides, ZnO has a strong redox ability and non-toxic and controllable morphology, which are widely adopted in the field of photocatalysis as a suitable replacement for TiO 2 nanoparticles.…”

Titanium Dioxide-Based Photocatalysts for Degradation of Emerging Contaminants including Pharmaceutical Pollutants

“…TiO 2 is not the sole material used for this application, and there are many alternatives among metal oxide nanoparticles and other materials such as quantum dots, which have found use in the photocatalysis of pharmaceutical water contaminants. Hooshmand et al summed up these applications in their review that covered a broad selection of nanophotocatalysts for biomedical wastewater management [95]. Apart from pharmaceuticals, substances used in agriculture also belong to emerging contaminants and pose a significant threat when entering the environment in a non-regulated manner (Figure 5).…”

Biomedical Applications of Antiviral Nanohybrid Materials Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Other Viral Crises

“…As the pandemic spreads all over the world, a large number of PPE is being consumed every day. Therefore, management of biomedical wastes is crucial to avoid an extra pressure on the environment and spread of the virus [ 45 ]. The biomedical waste differs notably from the normal waste considering the likely presence of pathogens on its surface that could lead to further contamination and release of viruses and bacteria [ 45 ].…”

“…Thanks to detrimental effect of gamma rays on pathogen’s DNA, gamma irradiation caused by radioactive isotopes of cobalt, shows a high potential for sterilization of waste. However, the shadowing effect is challenging and the waste surfaces directly exposed to the radiation source become more sterile than those located on the shaded side [ 45 ].…”