Rotating Autoclave

Less Waste Handling

The rotating autoclave typically requires manual loading of bags and sharps containers, although, in some instances, 96-gallon tubs are used and lifted automatically.

The STI unit is entirely automated and will NOT require manual handling of any waste or waste bag during loading.

More Effective Sanitation

Rotating autoclaves usually tumble the bags and sharps containers that fall under gravity onto vanes in the rotating drum in an attempt to break them open. Unpredictably, some glass bottles, tin cans, IV tubing, etc. will not be broken open during the tumbling process, defeating the idea of breaking open the containers to begin with.

With the STI equipment, the medical waste containers and their contents are shredded while steam simultaneously treats the waste in the sealed shredding chamber and in a slow-moving auger below the shredder. All of the bags, sharps containers and their contents are shredded during the actual steam treatment in the STI unit, thoroughly exposing all materials to the sterilizing steam.

No Batching Required

The rotating autoclave operates in batch fashion. This means that once you have physically placed the medical waste into the unit, a door is closed and the user must wait for up to an hour for the contents to become hot, even if there is more waste to be treated. This causes storage requirements issues for the user and necessitates an operator return to load again later.

The STI unit is not a typical batch feed system, but rather a continuous feed system. Users are allowed to roll entire 1-cubic yard carts of waste into the unit (all models above the 300 lbs/hr unit), without having to wait for an hour at a time before introducing the next cart of waste. The unit dumps a cart, sets it back down, and the user may roll in the next cart of waste. In this fashion, STI technology “waits” for the user; it does not make the user wait for the machinery.

Additional Staffing Requirements

The rotary autoclave requires a full-time employee to operate. This person typically sits at an operator station and manually turns on and off various sub-systems like a rotating drum, exit conveyors, shredders, and may be required to physically pick metal objects off of a conveyor belt.

The STI unit is entirely automated. The user rolls a cart of waste into the system and pushes one button. The system does the rest of the work. The user may walk away from the system and perform other duties. No additional staffing is required with the STI equipment.

No Additional Moisture Added to Waste

The rotating autoclave typically adds moisture to the waste, making it heavy and wet, increasing landfill costs.

STI technology dehydrates the moisture from the waste and deposits shredded, dry waste into the compactor. Waste from the STI unit is lighter, and therefore, less expensive to landfill. There are typically no free liquids in the STI systems-treated waste residue.

Sealed Operations

The rotating autoclave typically uses a series of open belt conveyors to convey the waste once the cooking cycle is done. These open conveyors take the waste up to shredding units and away from the shredding units after shredding. The shredder will become soiled with blood, urine, feces, and other undesirable organic materials and may become a Vector for pests. This also presents problems associated with maintenance of the shredding components of the rotary autoclave. The blood, urine, feces, etc. will become a growth media that would colonize organisms and will have to be surface decontaminated in some manner prior to working on the high wear components of the unit. Thigh-level autoclave may involve as many as 3 belt conveyors. The operator will in many instances manually “pick-off” metallic objects that may harm the shredding units.

The STI unit uses NO open belt conveyors. The entire process is sealed and self-contained. There is no need for anyone to manually pull metallic objects from a conveyor belt. STI uses the heaviest duty and most rugged shredding units in the industry, period. The shredder will not become the center for bacterial growth and will allow for safe, quick entry during preventive maintenance.

Less Maintenance

Downtime to repair lighter duty shredders on the rotating autoclave may be high in comparison to STI Waste Treatment Systems. The rotating autoclave uses much lighter duty shredding unit/s that can require more maintenance in comparison to our heavier and better-designed systems.

Downtime with STI unit is scheduled for updates and ongoing maintenance.

Effective Cleansing

Both the rotating autoclave and STI technology achieve high marks for efficacy results (both types of systems are capable of high-level disinfection of the medical waste). Both systems are capable of inactivating Bacterial Spores at 6 Log ₁₀ or greater.

Lower Operating Costs

The operating cost (of-off costs including maintenance) of the rotating autoclave typically averages between $0.04 and $0.06 per pound of waste.

The operating cost of the STI unit averages about $0.015 per pound of waste processed. The major difference in operating costs is reliability. Rotating autoclave users may expend large amounts of money in on-going maintenance. This is a major contributor to higher operating costs of the competitive system.

No Odors

The waste that exits the rotating autoclave on an open belt conveyor is hot, wet, and may have a foul odor.

The waste that exits the STI unit is hot, dry, and clean smelling waste. This is due to the patented system that allows for the addition of a tiny amount of sodium Hypochlorite prior to the steam treatment of the waste. Waste from the STI machine will NOT become a Vector for rodents or insects and will not present the problem of foul odors.