Pyrolysis of Surgical Tray Plastics: Advancing Circular Economy Strategies for Sustainable Healthcare

Background: Hospitals generate large volumes of single-use plastic waste, predominantly incinerated. To improve sustainability, standardized procedure-specific surgical trays have been implemented, reducing waste and setup time. This study investigated whether the residual plastics can be recycled via pyrolysis into high-quality oil for circular reuse in medical device production. Methods: Residual plastics from transurethral resection trays were subjected to pyrolysis at 430–460 °C in a batch reactor. Condensable fractions were collected as heavy (HF) and light (LF) oils, while non-condensable gases and coke were quantified. Chemical analyses included density, water content, heating value, and elemental composition. Results: From 1.102 kg of input, ~78% oil, 20.5% gas, and 1.5% coke were recovered. HF solidified at room temperature, while LF remained liquid, reflecting distinct hydrocarbon distributions. Both oils showed favorable densities (749–767 kg/m³), high heating values (>46 MJ/kg), and low contaminant levels. Conclusions: Pyrolysis of standardized surgical tray plastics yields high-quality oil suitable for reuse in medical device manufacturing. This process ensures decontamination, reduces CO₂ emissions, and supports scalable circular economy models in healthcare.