# Lean Management Framework in Healthcare: Insights and Achievements on Hazardous Medical Waste
## 2 Literature Review on HMW Management
### Policy, Regulation, and Sustainability Frameworks
\begin{table}
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**First Author** & **Year** & **Contributions** & **Reference** \\ \hline [PERSON] et al. & 2025 & Alternative fuel recovery from syringe and bottle waste using pyrolysis in a fixed-bed reactor. & [19] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2025 & Neutrosophic decision method applied to improve biomedical waste disposal under uncertainty. & [20] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2025 & Highlights gaps in medical waste research; proposes tech, policy, and awareness strategies. & [21] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2025 & Promotes integrated sterilization, pyrolysis, composting, and digital waste platforms. & [22] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Co-word analysis shows rising trends in pyrolysis and circular technologies in waste studies. & [23] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Ash from incinerated medical waste used to degrade antibiotics through activation of peroxydisulfate. & [24] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Co-word analysis shows rising trends in pyrolysis and circular economy in waste studies. & [25] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Links waste to energy tech to waste traits and country income; essential amid urbanization. & [26] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Proposes a combined process of plasma gasification and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis to convert medical waste and biomass waste into synthetic fuels. & [27] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Optimizes medical waste transport using advanced route and location algorithms. & [28] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Proposes circular waste system with drone deliveries and reverse logistics. & [29] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Recycles medical plastic into carbon dots for sustainable fluorescent markers. & [30] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Applies pyrolysis and gasification to treat infectious HMW. & [31] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Evaluates waste technologies for urban-scale sustainable healthcare solutions. & [32] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2024 & Improves waste crushing through parameter optimization in processing. & [33] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Reviews modern sterilization methods like plasma and ozone for hospitals. & [34] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Uses sodium-ion supercapacitors made from recycled medical waste for sustainable energy. & [35] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Presents microbial treatment of pharmaceutical waste as a cost-effective, eco-friendly option. & [36] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Highlights advanced recycling like pyrolysis and bioremediation to recover hard-to-recycle waste. & [37] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Introduces blockchain to improve traceability and efficiency in waste management systems. & [38] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Discusses low-cost biological methods for degrading hazardous healthcare waste. & [39] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Transforms HMW ash into concrete additives to enhance durability and reduce waste impact. & [40] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Explores plasma gasification for converting medical waste into hydrogen and methanol fuels. & [41] \\ [PERSON] et al. & 2023 & Combines biogas and waste vaporization for zero-emission hydrogen fuel production. & [42] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Key contributions to HMW management in the circular economy framework (2020–2025). \begin{table}
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Table 1 provides a structured synthesis of the most relevant contributions between 2020 and 2025 regarding HMW management under the CE paradigm. The entries in the table reveal five dominant thematic directions that reflect the evolution of the field across technological, environmental, operational, and systemic dimensions. First, a significant body of studies focus on thermal valorization methods--notably pyrolysis and gasification--as core strategies for reducing the volume and hazardousness of medical waste while recovering energy or secondary products. Research by [PERSON] et al. (2025) [19], [PERSON] et al. (2024) [31], and [PERSON] et al.