Wednesday, September 7, 2022

NUS students come up with recycling method for medicine strips



Ms Su Yee Shien (left) and Ms Sophia Ding Ning Ke holding medical blister packaging and recovered aluminium and plastic polymer pieces.
PHOTO: Ms Su Yee Shien (left) and Ms Sophia Ding Ning Ke holding medical blister packaging and recovered aluminium and plastic polymer pieces.
ST Photo: Lim Yao Hui
Picture posted by Shabana Begum, The Straits Times on 21 August 2022 at 10:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9lXuU4Mv1Vhk_3EgAgjEnu0BaNY-eNcZEoe-gSATAAmM43b77ifJljdbTh2-Oqyzsl7b4H6KFP2wG9yq6m97_oIYh3cRq34Y_swdTwV5ltpszzAQ-dLDQrkF7BXeACSvxH-G6cuGbJ2OwKovLgBVbyti8ZCTH2jJc3Ek8EWkHY0sx2fc3GZ04jzv/s860/ac_blisterpacks_210822.webp
https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/styles/large30x20/public/articles/2022/08/21/ac_blisterpacks_210822.jpg?VersionId=se1Q0qo_5zVsDZlqIRw8qh.DtMbCGYP7&itok=4ebIOo22
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nus-students-come-up-with-recycling-method-for-medicine-strips


Once the last pill is taken, a patient or nurse will - without giving it a second thought - discard the medicine strip, which is made of polluting plastic and sought-after aluminium.

Medicine strips - formally known as pharmaceutical blister packaging - cannot be recycled because they are made of plastic and aluminium heat-sealed together with a type of glue.

It is difficult to separate the materials in this multi-layer packaging so the strips are usually discarded as general waste.


It is difficult to separate the materials in this multi-layer packaging so the strips are usually discarded as general waste.
PHOTO: It is difficult to separate the materials in this multi-layer packaging so the strips are usually discarded as general waste.
ST Photo: Lim Yao Hui
Picture posted by Shabana Begum, The Straits Times on 21 August 2022 at 10:00 am SGT
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxoSt4tiJ0bvVuvHkGMdWGQCh2SFz24LAqSjy0ypMugx7yaafT8YOIjcrLEucKrbLCyP_limNp404O_54k5e4x1vEiZg7JVTZcITEM_FNKKLlQ-XaQhLGGx78cy_LxSfIPeEQv3aNBZ1-soVE0iKzzLwtDHgP0LwNGfMe942p1Uu7ZKUnybNRfn8f/s1536/ac_blisterpack2_210822.webp
https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/articles/2022/08/21/ac_blisterpack2_210822.jpg?VersionId=wtBigUtf6Ry1qRZSi_neDvWzqGVDZ8sN
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/nus-students-come-up-with-recycling-method-for-medicine-strips


To avoid having to throw them in the incinerators, a group of engineering students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) came up with a chemical recycling method to separate plastic from aluminium and salvage both components.

Both materials can then be sent to recycling companies.

This student initiative, called the Green Doctors Programme, was born last August when a pharmacist from the National University Hospital (NUH) approached the NUS department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to find a way to reduce medical waste.


To avoid having to throw them in the incinerators, a group of engineering students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) came up with a chemical recycling method to separate plastic from aluminium and salvage both components.
PHOTO: To avoid having to throw them in the incinerators, a group of engineering students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) came up with a chemical recycling method to separate plastic from aluminium and salvage both components.
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Towfiqu
Picture posted by Canadian Plastics
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESvjN_Rgg-ifCo41SaGM3kV3KdEq1-Snfyju7ViWr9kDUDTK-bx3Hl0SRGRudcJz2ydWV_fR5gflb6OJKiPOnSmYUtSUz-uVa69bhTU0WfaZnzTtYXjiXl8PGC5QN-pHDWen2jT9JBB7Zd3fjM40sBKbOqiH0R1Hq1WJ_lFQue4YPbL6RGFOf3jIa/s600/AdobeStock_515856577-600x400.jpeg
https://www.canplastics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AdobeStock_515856577-600x400.jpeg
https://www.canplastics.com/features/new-chemical-recycling-process-allows-recycling-of-medicine-strips/


Every month, commonly prescribed medicines at NUH account for about 200,000 medicine strips being used up.

Overall, about five million strips are thrown away every month in Singapore, said Ms Sophia Ding, founder of the Green Doctors Programme. She is a final-year civil and environmental engineering student at NUS.

Chemical recycling involves adding chemicals to the waste materials to break down their original structures.

Ms Ding declined to elaborate on her team's process to salvage the plastic and aluminium in the medicine strips as it is still in the early research phase.


Every month, commonly prescribed medicines at NUH account for about 200,000 medicine strips being used up.
PHOTO: Every month, commonly prescribed medicines at NUH account for about 200,000 medicine strips being used up.
Picture posted by videospot33 - Pills container, empty blister packs of pills
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xb8jnaR5iG0rKiw0_LDbqZpeZJSq4dl9TTlHSlNkCJtAegTeSB0YJ3KDnFLrZweB45RbCe94qu0Iq8QS4GY78FsAxXhgNOqxSG3cR7k0fRJjflVLXdiVH5R5enUlS39bDEMW9DP45SHphU2zaUQOOQN2psxlcaslE2xlAWwJthvnnHK2_XyypDgO/s590/inline_image_preview.png
https://videohive.img.customer.envatousercontent.com/files/f1b4d7ce-a914-4da5-9fff-e77093fa640c/inline_image_preview.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&crop=top&max-h=8000&max-w=590&s=75ce896893c19377986eb77a0c5b4f43
https://videohive.net/item/pills-container-empty-blister-packs-of-pills/34455283


After three months of research, the Green Doctors Programme concocted a recipe to dissolve the adhesive layer between the plastic and aluminium earlier this year, so that the materials can be separated.

The team, which includes about 10 chemical, environmental and mechanical engineering students, has been testing and working to optimise their solution using medicine strips provided by NUH.

"There were only two research papers on recycling medical blister packaging. So it was very difficult for us to come up with the methodology ourselves because we had to infer and go into the roots of the materials," said Ms Ding, 22.


There were only two research papers on recycling medical blister packaging.
PHOTO: "There were only two research papers on recycling medical blister packaging. So it was very difficult for us to come up with the methodology ourselves because we had to infer and go into the roots of the materials," said Ms Ding, 22.
Picture posted by TerraCycle UK
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCa4EU23SgtMwRdS6q6NHpnDbgQESrtEkLSVDlzB17KnJU_d6Dy5hp_Q6NUsph2qwm99kV2u2zIzNKS45K56KGrebKzAM0H_6nirusz4UARz86XwOqYeFjLVyLJZRmbWaQwkWDcn4Yt_BFiGno0s1Bu62K2iaLJ85-XFVt4H4ITzLdytW_Db9Tuyr1/s2048/213383893_4469782633031986_2993797347587530078_n.jpg
https://scontent.fsin15-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/213383893_4469782633031986_2993797347587530078_n.jpg?stp=cp0_dst-jpg_e15_fr_q65&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=2d5d41&efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&_nc_ohc=z3CU3HMQydgAX-_IYl4&tn=KQ5HV7fKDkjmjGNO&_nc_ht=scontent.fsin15-2.fna&oh=00_AT9Ok75G7s0VBsAVHw4yvNkCwayLScQRh8eZGEode2iWmg&oe=633D0B42
https://m.facebook.com/TerraCycleUK/photos/a.122590567751236/4469782629698653/


"And we had to think about the technology that goes behind heat-sealing, and how to separate the layers without doing much harm to the original materials."

If all medicine strips in Singapore were to be recycled, 16 tonnes of plastic and 2 tonnes of aluminium could be saved each month, she added.

Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, chair of the NUS Circular Economy Taskforce, said much suitable medical or pharmaceutical waste is not recycled due to the challenges in segregating and pre-cleaning before recycling, in case it is biohazardous.


This student initiative, called the Green Doctors Programme, was born last August when a pharmacist from the National University Hospital (NUH) approached the NUS department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to find a way to reduce medical waste.
PHOTO: This student initiative, called the Green Doctors Programme, was born last August when a pharmacist from the National University Hospital (NUH) approached the NUS department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to find a way to reduce medical waste.
Picture posted byoo Depositphotos
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpuzyZnnnHO2OGRiExsvmkrmuPr2_l6QCZoKRZHyUgtgB9YWhR4UuZXOizSvnNl4MAB8i0gToLEegbqcZNpB64ViTWUEP3tXLJf5sW55DjK6mUQ9j9rMTI8fh-L9_MK57Sve6d8IEMIqYzuTTutD4PIB1mFCCR4-LUPMZoW4JevuipIYlixtv_xYP/s1600/depositphotos_199510382_1.png
https://st4.depositphotos.com/12985790/19951/i/450/depositphotos_199510382-free-stock-photo-cropped-view-young-volunteers-green.jpg
https://depositphotos.com/199510382/free-stock-photo-cropped-view-young-volunteers-green.html


But he noted that recycling industries are keen on trying to recycle plastics and other disposables, which have been treated and certified as non-biohazardous.


Recycling industries are keen on trying to recycle plastics and other disposables, which have been treated and certified as non-biohazardous.
PHOTO: Recycling industries are keen on trying to recycle plastics and other disposables, which have been treated and certified as non-biohazardous.
Picture posted by Domtar on 10 January 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ4Njn921axv3onY57SN0Yog24lmhVPUmYYYiJM8fLnThM98SSJBBB8eLuthn_fl2hwd-fG7Org1sIPCefiy4H5cxdfvdgNOFkSUsWZT2GvnatY51eUPn0UcRK0UpcD1GX_UouwAikaK6Qx11wLlpTWuXXgLNd5-n2NYzi01L6sCEjq5bYcr7o9bZ/s1280/maxresdefault_Recycling.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAqVxsEgWIM


Recently, hospitals and healthcare players in Singapore have been taking gradual steps to reduce their medical disposables and recycle them.

Since 2020, the Singapore General Hospital has been sending stainless steel disposables - such as surgical instruments and laryngoscope blades - to vendors for recycling.

More On This Topic
Recycle-me-not: What happens when the wrong things get recycled
From food waste to medical materials: Up-cycling can help reduce environment pollution


And we had to think about the technology that goes behind heat-sealing, and how to separate the layers without doing much harm to the original materials,
PHOTO: "And we had to think about the technology that goes behind heat-sealing, and how to separate the layers without doing much harm to the original materials," said Ms Ding, 22.
Photoshop from picture posted by Dreamstime
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ2H-Lr7KdhFkEJ_eTM_x-DP-Sdh1VRbK03HTnE8gWLD12og6jpU3-L1bdR2lclvlO7pwHWyuxzsL2eJR1DBI3-BQ1huSFuDpCaej7Kk2BabAA6krpTnl8tCgoE1B-lbtsk-ssgKkLDgizQDVzdLX6RPgTasIk8hBq75pqjjV2tIbnEJUZDgoBroI/s1800/144915772_1-1202x1800.png
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/pretty-blonde-girl-woman-dress-sexy-cute-tight-shows-off-legs-long-curly-hair-curls-urban-portraits-setting-city-144915772.jpg
https://www.dreamstime.com/pretty-blonde-girl-woman-dress-sexy-cute-tight-shows-off-legs-long-curly-hair-curls-urban-portraits-setting-city-image144915772


The soiled instruments are thoroughly washed and decontaminated in the hospital, and between 450kg and 600kg of instruments are recycled each month.

By 2030, Alexandra Hospital plans to reduce its waste by 60 per cent and raise its recycling rate by the same amount.

The hospital has specific bins for staff to drop off plastic packaging, and older operating theatre gowns are turned into recycling bags, said its chief operating officer Jeffrey Chun.


If all medicine strips in Singapore were to be recycled, 16 tonnes of plastic and 2 tonnes of aluminium could be saved each month
PHOTO: "If all medicine strips in Singapore were to be recycled, 16 tonnes of plastic and 2 tonnes of aluminium could be saved each month",  Ms Ding added.
Photoshop from picture posted by Dreamstime
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-P39xe-qNuF6zsuP32W8zmvFcom74lkVt34ddKqublzXaK62DMlH75G3oheodMzg-bwQAF0zB4MRxYtwTRHewzVx_Psn1N2jo0oN_Y12D-tblsHi7rQ-YTxshuF_SnBskDHfSK9BxYDrSBU9ooB-Fs1VV4tcPWIw-xQMJmhn8KCkWxKsoXdRXhvR/s1800/143928000_1-1202x1800.png
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/pretty-sexy-cute-girl-woman-tight-dress-shows-off-legs-long-curly-blonde-hair-curls-urban-portraits-setting-143928000.jpg
https://www.dreamstime.com/pretty-sexy-cute-girl-woman-tight-dress-shows-off-legs-long-curly-blonde-hair-curls-urban-portraits-setting-image143928000


From this year, most companies with an annual turnover of ＄10 million have to report the amount of packaging they use, and this includes pharmaceutical and medtech companies.

The Green Doctors Programme also plans to look into how other types of hard-to-recycle medical waste such as IV bags can be recycled.


The Green Doctors Programme also plans to look into how other types of hard-to-recycle medical waste such as IV bags can be recycled.
PHOTO: The Green Doctors Programme also plans to look into how other types of hard-to-recycle medical waste such as IV bags can be recycled.
Photoshop from picture posted by Dreamstime
PHOTO: Overall, about five million strips are thrown away every month in Singapore, said Ms Sophia Ding, founder of the Green Doctors Programme. She is a final-year civil and environmental engineering student at NUS.
Photoshop from picture posted by Dreamstime
Reference
[1] Shabana Begum, The New Paper, NUS students come up with recycling method for medicine strips, posted on 21 August 2022 at 05:24 pm, https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/nus-students-come-recycling-method-medicine-strips?dicbo=v2-d7f81a1ae7766d84ceec1cdf5514d8c9


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