Sustainable medical technology for people and the environment
Hospitals, clinics and doctors' surgeries are cornerstones of the healthcare system. Many disposable products are used in the inpatient and outpatient treatment of patients, which, according to the Federal Statistical Office, added up to around seven to eight tonnes of waste per day even before the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospitals were already among the largest producers of waste in Germany. During the pandemic, the volume of waste in the medical sector has increased significantly once again. A trend that cannot be reconciled with the goals of closed material cycles and climate neutrality even before the middle of the century.
Throwing away or burning single-use plastic products is the exact opposite of resource efficiency. The researchers at IWU are convinced that there is another way. The aim of the project is to develop a strategy for dealing with waste from the medical technology sector in the medium term and to anchor this strategy among stakeholders in the healthcare sector. The focus here is particularly on waste from hospitals. A successful strategy must therefore provide answers to key questions about the composition of the waste, the parties involved in the process chain, regulations, material flows and the processing of recyclates. Taking these focal points into account, a realistic scenario should be available at the end of the project that shows how medical waste can be collected, separated, processed and utilised or recycled to a high standard.
The mechanically produced recyclates are processed using three manufacturing processes (3D printing, injection moulding, SMC) in order to develop a product that can be reintroduced into the cycle of disposable medical products or, alternatively, can be used in a less regulated industry.Farewell mountains of waste: If manufacturers, hospitals and recycling companies pull together, material cycles can be closed and recyclates can be used sustainably without causing additional workload in hospitals and surgeries. Another innovative approach to recycling disposable medical products can help to return raw materials used in medical technology to the materials cycle - even in the case of recyclates that can no longer be used for medical products. For example, a container for the treatment of waste water from showers, bathtubs and washbasins in private households is conceivable. This still requires some research work. A project with social benefits in which everyone can participate: Goodbye mountains of rubbish!
The WIR! Bündnis DIANA will close a supply gap in the region between Chemnitz and Leipzig in the future and establish a network for the production and application of innovative point-of-care diagnostics. This will enable simple, cost-effective and reliable measurement data on the patient's state of health on site. Other applications may include sports and care. DIANA stands for diagnostics and sustainability and brings together around 80 partners, including SMEs, research institutions and supporters from education and society.
The aim of point-of-care (PoC) diagnostics is decentralised on-site analysis, which can also be used outside of a laboratory infrastructure and can save time, especially in the case of decisions that need to be made immediately or in the case of life-sustaining measures. Interdisciplinary collaboration between diagnostics and production technology is crucial in the development and translation of highly integrated PoC test systems. The Fraunhofer IWU will contribute its extensive expertise in production engineering and microfabrication technologies. The alliance is managed by the Fraunhofer Institutes IWU and IZI as well as SensLab GmbH; the VEMASinnovativ network is also an important partner in the strategic further development of DIANA.
3D printing processes in medical technology enable customised solutions tailored to patients and the integration of new, improved properties and functions into components. This is often not only significantly more cost-effective than conventional methods, but also expands the range of therapies and treatment approaches.
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