# Bibliometric Analysis of Medical Waste Research Using Python-Driven Algorithm
## 3 Results
### Visualizing Scientific Networks and Trends
#### 3.3.4 Trending Keywords in the Field of MW Research  
The keyword co-occurrence network (Figure 10) generated by VOSviewer contains all the keywords with a minimum occurrence of 30.  
Figure 10: Keyword co-occurrence network map in the field of MW (1975–2024) (generated with VOSviewer). Node size represents keyword frequency, connections indicate co-occurrence in publications, and colors identify the three research clusters.  
Figure 9: Trending topics in the field of MW (1983–2024). Topics are positioned according to their average publication year, with recent topics appearing toward the right. Bubble size represents term frequency in the literature.  
The keywords from this period are divided into three different clusters, each representing a subdomain within the field of waste management research. Firstly, the red cluster, with 38 keywords, focuses on by-products of treatment processes and methods for their removal. This includes studies on contaminants, their degradation, and advanced treatment technologies. The green cluster, also with 38 keywords, focuses on terms directly related to waste management. It emphasizes the systemic and organizational aspects, including sustainability, MW management, and circular economy practices. Finally, the blue cluster, which contains only 16 keywords, focuses on MW disposal methods and the technologies that support these processes. This includes incineration, alternative technologies such as pyrolysis, and the environmental impact of such methods. Each cluster highlights an important facet of waste management research and illustrates the different approaches and emphases within the field.  
Table 3 presents the top 20 keywords by occurrence frequency and their total link strength in medical waste research publications from 1975-2024. The high occurrence of core terms such as \"medical waste\" (709 occurrences) and \"management\" (660 occurrences) underscores their foundational role in defining the research domain. The substantial presence of \"pharmaceutics\" (429 occurrences) indicates the significant attention given to pharmaceutical components within medical waste research. The prominence of process-oriented terms such as \"removal\" (227 occurrences), \"disposal\" (221 occurrences), and \"degradation\" (185 occurrences) reflects the field's strong focus on practical waste treatment methodologies. The high total link strength values for these core terms (ranging from 1080-2252) demonstrate their central connecting role across multiple research themes. Of particular note is the emergence of \"COVID\" (169 occurrences) as a high-ranking keyword despite its relatively recent introduction to the field, highlighting the pandemic's substantial impact on medical waste research priorities. The presence of environment-focused terms (\"environment\": 167 occurrences) alongside technical process terms suggests a dual research emphasis on both treatment technologies and their environmental implications. Keywords related to antibiotics (137 occurrences) and sorption (129 occurrences) indicate significant research attention to pharmaceutical pollutants and their treatment methods. The relatively high link strength of terms such as \"optimization\" (400) despite lower occurrence counts (97) suggests its integrative role across various waste management approaches, connecting technological innovations with practical implementation strategies.