Record Display for the EPA National Library Catalog
RECORD NUMBER: 21 OF 92| Main Title | Ethylene oxide control technology development for hospital sterilizers / | |||||||||||
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| Author | Meiners, Alfred F. | |||||||||||
| CORP Author | Midwest Research Inst., Kansas City, MO.;Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC. Air and Energy Engineering Research Lab. | |||||||||||
| Publisher | Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, | |||||||||||
| Year Published | 1988 | |||||||||||
| Report Number | EPA/600/2-88/028; MRI-8691-L; MRI-8692-K; EPA-68-02-3999 | |||||||||||
| Stock Number | PB88-211792 | |||||||||||
| Subjects | Sterilization--methods ; Ethylene Oxide ; Air Pollution--prevention & control | |||||||||||
| Additional Subjects | Air pollution control equipment ; Ethylene oxide ; Medical equipment ; Hospitals ; Stationary sources ; Hospital sterilizers ; Chlorofluorocarbon ; Catalytic oxidation ; Acid hydrolysis ; CAS 75-21-8 | |||||||||||
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| Collation | 155 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm. | |||||||||||
| Abstract | The report discusses the development of ethylene oxide (EO) control technology for hospital sterilizers. Hospitals sterilize heat-sensitive items in gas sterilizers that use a mixture of EO (12 wt %) and a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) (88 wt %). The active sterilizing agent is EO. The CFC is added as a flameproofing diluent. Two potential sterilizer emission control systems were tested: catalytic oxidation and acid hydrolysis. In catalytic oxidation, relatively dilute mixtures of air and EO (12/88) are passed through a catalyst bed at 149-177 C. In acid hydrolysis, EO is hydrolyzed to ethylene glycol using H2SO4 (the CFC is unaffected). A full-scale system was tested under laboratory conditions, simulating a system that could be used for hospital sterilizers. The tests showed that the EO destruction efficiency was 99.9-99.999% of the EO reaching the device. However, 45-60% of the EO was absorbed by the ethylene glycol used in the closed-circuit liquid-ring vacuum pump. Each system has significant advantages and limitations. |
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| Notes | "May 1988." Includes bibliographical references. "EPA contract no. 68-02-3999." "PB88-211792." Microfiche. |