Sanitary Health

A design project by
Anish Uddaraju
Parth Sharma
Rishit Sarkar
Vaibhav Verma

Illustration by: Wendy Westlake

Although, we take it for granted, sanitation is a physical measure that
has probably done more to increase human life span than any kind of
drug or surgery.
“ ”
drug or surgery
- Deepak Chopra

PREFACE
Peopleloveaddressingproblemsandissues,theyfinditpleasingandsatisfacto-
ry when they have approached a societal curse and discussed about it in-detail.
Notmanytalkaboutsolutionsorimprovements,eventhoughtheyhavethought
about it. Even brands or companies that are a significant part of our lives play
thisblame game, and it just doesn’t stop there. We here have tried our best to
work around the problems, to bend and manipulate the norms and mentality of
the society but not break it or disturb it. Hygiene is both, birth right and re-
sponsibility, and when it comes to sanitation, a few factors that are uncertain in
nature,control what actually happens in the society.
We humans dwell on the facts about how things are wrong with the Earth, that
how nature is going haywire. And we aren’t considered one of the smartest be-
ings for the sake of it, because we know where things are going wrong, weknow
what needs to be changed, but are we taking the steps required? Are we taking
theprecautionsneeded?Areproblemsapproachedrightattheircontextofgener-
ation? This is what we have tried to accomplish, or at least taken a small
step towards something big.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The work being presented in this document is an outcome of the steady,
cohesive efforts and guidance of Ashim Sarkar,Managing Director of Rishit
Bunk Makers pvt.ltd ,special thanks to all the members of Rishit Bunk Mak-
ers and others who helped and guided us in the project.
We are thankful to Sharmila Nagraj Nandula and Subhash Chandra Bose
Yalala ofWoxsen School of Arts and Design for providing us with the oppor-
tunity to work for this project.

Research Methodology
To acquire the information contained in the document and further ar-
riveatinsightsthathelpedinthisdesignproject,thefollowingresearch
methodologies were practised :
1. Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research was used to gain an understanding of active prc-
tices. underlying reasons, opinions and motivations behind the design
challenge. The following tools were used to practise the qualitative
research.
- Interviews
It included interviewing experts and professionals in the concerned
fieldtogainaprelimnaryunderstandingontheimportanceofthisproj-
ect.
- Secondary data analysis
This data was collected to understand the current scenario of the soci-
ety and the severity of the problem
- Survey
A digital survey was conducted to understand the challenges of the
scenario through the perspective of people facing it.
2. Quantitative Research
Quantitative research was conducted to understand the statitstics and
thescaleofthechallengeandthepotentialopportunitiesforthesame.
The following tools were followed to conduct the same:
-Survey
-Secondary Data Analysis
-Archival Study
Research Methodology

Design Methodology
Keeping in mind the psychological factors, the emotions of the people involved
in our field of research, led us to not approach this sensitive topic by following a
traditionalmethodorafixedmindset;buttofirstexplore,learnandentertainevery
possibility and doubt that comes through our mind.
Going with the flow is what kept us curious about every next step we knew
nothing about. Addressing social issues without having an understanding of how
the system behind it works, was the challenge.
The very first steps we took, were to understand the directions we need to look
at-existingproductsandtheirmarket,understandingtheprocessesinvolvedfrom
thepointofviewoftheconsumer,consequencesofmalpracticesinvolved,andthe
basic questions that form the backbone of any research- Who, Where, When, Why,
How.
A preliminary market study was conducted, to understand the consumption and
growth rate, first national and then global. And simultaneously the user study was
taken care of, wherein human factors, psychological factors and societal factors
were considered to further take direction in research. An in-detail study of existent
productswascarriedouttounderstandthefunctioning,purposeandenvironmental
impact of the materials used.
Current scenarios and norms of the system, on which the entire cycle works,
were also studied through field research and meeting industry experts. Facts and
figures supporting the findings were studied further to develop a concrete
understanding about why humans are in the situation they say they’re in.
Considering the problems and issues in the industry and market, we started
focusing on solutions and finding a way of how to work within the system,
without break the user's mentality to improve their lifestyle.
It was later realized, that the method followed, was something like a hybrid of
Design Methodology and System Thinking, and the factors considered for
ideating and coming up with solutions hinted towards the X Problem Method.
Design Methodology

Design Timeline
Initial Design
Brief
Design Timeline
Identifying
Problem
Secondary Research
on current scenario
Interviews and
Surveys
Research on processes
of breakdown
Target Market
Redefined
Brief

Prelimnary System
flows
Initial Ideations
Chemical testing
Redesigned system
flows
Ideations for
mechanisms
Mockups and proto-
types
Further future
steps

About Woxsen School of Arts and Design
Woxsen School was founded with the underlying need that
there has to be an inclusive growth for responsible education as well as re-
sponsible business. This is also to create economic, societal and intellectual
prosperity for the people of the country. Woxsen school had initially started
asabusinessschoolteachingmanagementandhasnowexpandeditswings
to the stream of arts and design and also, architecture and planning.
Courses offered:
Bachelors of design:
Product Design
Fashion Design
Interior Design
Visual Communications
About B.des Product design:
B.Des in Product design is an extensive course spanning four years compirs-
ingofeightsemesters.Thecourseinculcatesadeepunderstandingofdesign
principles and technology.The course enables students to understand peo-
ple’s needs, identify opportunities for innovation, visualize ideas and realize
solutions. The detailed classroom sessions will impart core visual, creative,
technical and analytical skills, along with knowledge of materials, technolo-
gies, manufacturing processes, trends and sustainability.
About Woxsen School

About company
RISHIT
Image credits : Rishit Sarkar

About Rishit Bunk Makers Pvt.Ltd
Established in 1998, Rishit Bunk makers is engaged in manufacturing and
supply of prefabricated steel bunkhouse for desired end uses. The RISHIT
range of bunk houses, are designed to meet the requirement at remote &
isolated sites for use such as, Family accommodation, Single executive
accommodations, Complete site camp, site offices, Living Module, Recre-
ation room, & Storage Units Stores, fully equipped kitchen, Mess [dinning],
dormitory, laboratory, toilet / bath, site accommodation etc
RISHIT range of bunk houses offered are designed & developed based on
standard ISO specification & conditions for end use, maintaining the highest
structural stability, earth quake proof, and weatherproof, leak-proof & fault-
less operation under extreme climatic conditions.
About Rishit

Bacteria were here on Earth before we were, and will still remain af-
ter we leave; but its our decision if we want to let them be the cause of
our illnesses and deaths tomorrow or not.
“ ”
our illnesses and deaths tomorrow or not.

“ Every day, more than 4,70,00,000 women menstruate in India.
It’s inevitably that normal. ”

Introduction
Sanitary Health and well being is vital for comfortable living and more
importantly, sustainability of humankind; and the safe handling and
treatment of products dedicated to collection of bodily expulsions of
Urine, Faeces, and Menstrual discharge is one of the first few steps to
take
Introduction

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299419/
INTRODUCTION TO SANITARY PADS
The most important purpose of life of any living being by physical in-
stinct is to survive and further reproduce to pass on their genes to their
offspring, allowing the world to tread along their inheritance.
As a part of this process of reproduction, women in their fertile years
(from puberty to menopause) menstruate.
During the menstrual cycle, female hormones namely Oestrogen and
Progesterone cause ovulation (the process of releasing an ovum from an
ovary into the uterus) and thicken the lining of the uterus, preparing for
pregnancy.
Whentheovumdoesn’tgetfertilisedwithinabout14days,thethickened
lining of the uterus and along with it, some blood is shed through the
vagina.
The average flow volume ranges around 35ml but widely varies, so does
the colour, texture and concentration of the composites of secretion ex-
pelled by the body varies from person to person and depends on several
factors.
The cycle of menstruation/menses lasts for an average of 5 days and re-
peats on an average of every 28 days.
With the incentive to contain and restrict this menstrual discharge from
exposure and contamination, several solutions were arrived at, which
evolved into the dominantly used modern day sanitary pads.
Fun Fact : Pads were initially commercialised in 1888 and were inspired
from swabs that were used to treat wounded soldiers.
Fun Fact: Sanitary pads were initially commercialised in 1888 and
were inspired from swabs that were used to treat wounded soldiers.
Sanitary Pads

COMPOSITION OF SANITARY PADS :
Sanitary pads are made to be as unobtrusive as possible and aren’t made for large
quantitiesofsecretionsandarehencestructuredasflattenedsheets.Today’saverage
commercial sanitary pad has 5 constituent layers :
1.Top Sheet
This is the surface layer and is usually made of a soft and textured semi-permeable
sheetofnon-wovenpolyethyleneorpolypropylenethattakescareoftransferringthe
vaginal fluid into the acquisition layer.
2.Emmolient
A superficial layer of a solution across the Top Sheet that keeps the skin in contact
with the pad healthy and moisturised while it is worn. It also carries an aroma to
conceal the pungent odour.
3.Acquisition layer
The acquisition layer takes care of distributing the collected fluid evenly across the
absorbent core for effective absorption. It is made of cellulose fibres acquired from
wood pulp (natural polymer) and can absorb 25 times its own weight. Some pads
also use polyester fibers for the acquisition layer.
4.Absorbent core
The most important component of a sanitary pad is the Absorbent core, and as the
name suggests, it absorbs the vaginal secretion. It usually contains two different
components.
1-A non woven fibrous layer of cellulose pulp
2-SAP (super absorbent polymer) granules made of Sodium Polyacrylate (synthetic
polymer)thathaveamassiveabsorptioncapacityallowingthemtoswelluptoabout
400 times their size in their dehydrated state.
5.Backsheet
It is made of an LDPE film and is the outermost layer placed at the bottom of a san-
itary pad. Commonly recognised and marketed as the‘leak proof’layer, the back-
sheet keeps the fluid contained and prevents it from escaping the pad.
Others :
Adhesive
Silicon coated release paper
LDPE encasing
http://www.designlife-cycle.com/sanitary-pads
https://www.bodyform.co.uk/ingredients/
Sanitary Pads

Back sheet
Cellulose infused
with SAP
Acquistion layer Top Sheet

INTRODUCTION TO DIAPERS
Humanexcretaistheresidualby-productafterthebodyingests,digests
and distributes nutrients and energy through its bloodstream. Getting
rid of this bodily waste with minimum interaction with the living en-
vironment was easy, but the challenge arrived when infants and their
unpredictability came into the picture.
For this, disposable wearables were developed around 1946 in which
cellulose fibres encased in rubber pants were used to collect and con-
tain infant urine and faeces. By 1948, Johnson & Johnson was the first
company to mass-market disposable diapers.
Subsequently, another line of diapers came along for the senior citi-
zens, unwell, and physically incapable to aid them in handling their
excreta. Once diapers became a common commodity, Kimberly Clark,
the manufacturers of Huggies began the first successful commercial
sales of adult diapers in 1983-84.
Diapers

COMPOSITION OF DIAPERS
Though the purpose of diaper types differ, they are aimed at being
comfortable to wear without compromising the required collection
capacityofexcreta,andtheirprimaryconstituentsremainthesame.To-
day’s average commercial diaper has 5 constituent layers :
1.The Top Sheet
This is the surface layer and is usually made of a thin semi-permeable
sheet of non-woven polyethylene or polypropylene that takes care of
transferring the liquid excreta into the acquisition layer.
2.Emmolient
A superficial layer of a solution across the Top Sheet that keeps the
skin in contact with the diaper’s surface healthy and moisturised while
it is worn. It also carries an aroma to conceal the pungent odour.
3.Acquisition layer
The acquisition layer in diapers are relatively very thin and handles the
distribution of the collected fluid evenly across the absorbent core for
effective absorption. It is made of cellulose fibres acquired from wood
pulp (natural polymer) and can absorb 25 times its own weight.
4.Absorbent core
The most important component of any diaper is the Absorbent core,
and as the name suggests, it absorbs liquid excreta. It contains two
different components.
1-A relatively thick layer of cellulose fibres distributed across so as to
contain the fluid flowing into the diaper
2-SAP (super absorbent polymer) granules made of Sodium Polyacry-
late (synthetic polymer) that absorb the fluid the cellulose was unable
to.
5.Backsheet
It is made of LDPE or Polypropylene and is the outermost layer placed
at the bottom of a diaper. Commonly recognised as the‘leak proof’
layer, the Backsheet keeps the excreta contained and prevents it from
escaping.
Others :
Elastic strings
Adhesive
Diapers

Back sheet Top sheet Cellulose infused
with SAP
Acquistion layer

Both Diapers and sanitary pads contain the same primary constituent
materials : Cellulose, SAP and polymers (LDPE/PP). With each of
them portraying specific characteristic properties, they have their own
unique functions in pads or diapers. Carrying the incentive to handle
theseproducts,understandingthepropertiesoftheirconstituentcom-
ponents is necessary.
Cellulose :
Cellulosefibreisacommoncompositematerialusedfortheproduction
of sanitary napkins, panty liners and diapers (baby/ adult). It’s found in
theformofanon-wovensheetencasedinnon-wovensyntheticfabrics
(polymers)ofsanitarynapkinsanddiapers.Thepurposeofintroducing
a cellulose sheet, encased in a polymer covering is to provide structur-
al integrity to the Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) and to draw and
contain expelled menstrual fluids.
This composite material is often made using pulp from different sourc-
es such as bamboo pulp, or wood or paper pulp. Generally wood pulp
fluff is used for the absorbent core (cellulose fibres + SAPs) of the
diapers and sanitary napkins, it has high fibre to weight ratio, short
fibrelengthanduniformityinstructure,thusprovidinggoodabsorbing
capacity to the diapers/ sanitary napkins.
Cellulose is highly absorbent, but not hydrophylic, and so it releases
theabsorbedwaterwhenacertainamountofpressureisapplied.Alter-
nativesolutionsandreplacementsfornaturalpulphavealsobeentried-
cellulose acetate (treated cellulose) and propylene fibres, but were not
efficient enough.
PROPERTIES OF PRIMARY CONSTITUENT MATERIALS
Sodium Polyacrylate (a super absorbent polymer (SAP) :
Super Absorbent Polymers (SAP) are dry hydrophilic (fluid loving)
particles that are used in sanitary napkins and diapers which when
put in a fluid environment, absorb this fluid to become a gel. They are
often referred to as Magic Gel on the packaging of products available
commercially and is responsible for the quick absorption and locking
of human bodily fluids like that of blood, urine and fecal matter within
itself.
These particles are present in the absorbent core of the diapers and
sanitary napkins in the form of fine granules (like table salt), infused
within a cellulose sheet. The cellulose sheet acts as a collective layer
which uniformly spreads the liquid all over, allowing the SAPs to ab-
sorbthewaterandlockitin,preventingthefluidstoleakfromtheback
ofthepads/diapers,orbeingpushedoutofthemwhenexcesspressure
from the user’s body or handling is applied. SAPs increase the reten-
tion capacity of the baby diapers.
The molecular structure of the SAPs is like a coil, the more fluid it
takes in, the more space it has to increase its volume. Commercial-
ly available SAPs in the pads and diapers have the capacity to retain
fluids upto 400 times its own volume. This material is innocuous to
the environment and is often used by home gardeners for better water
retentionintheirpottedplants,butisextremelydangerousforanimals
as they may choke if consumed in large quantities.
Material Properties

Polymers (LDPE/PP) :
The most basic and common polymers used for making sanitary pads
and diapers are low density polyethylene and polypropylene.
Theyarenon-biodegradableplastics,derivedfrompetroleumby-prod-
ucts.Therehavebeenseveralalternativeorganicsubstancesproposed
as-biodegradableplasticslikepolylactidesorpolyhydroxyalkanoates,
orfossilfuelderivedandbio-degradableplasticslikepolycaprolactone,
ormoresustainablereplacementforpetroleumproductslikePLA(Poly
Lactic Acid) Fibre.
They are present in two physical compositions; Non-woven fabrics,
and Sheets.
Non-woven fabrics (top sheet) :
These too, like the cellulose sheets are non-woven fabrics; thousands
of thin yet uniform polymer fibres are laid out in a single direction to
form a fabric. The basic function of such a structure is to act as a one-
way semi-permeable membrane, allowing fluids (and not particulate
matter) through the fabric into the cellulose sheet and to be absorbed
by the SAPs, but not letting the already absorbed liquid escape back
out easily. Also, having a fibrous structure aids in making the pad more
breathable for the skin.
Bottom sheet :
Thin LDPE films are used as backsheet layers for‘leak-proofing’and
preventingtheabsorbedorcollectedexpulsiontoescapefromthebot-
tomfaceofthepadsanddiapers.Theyactasthebackboneofpadsand
diapers upon which the remaining layers are constructed.
Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) a.k.a Water gels

LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene ) :
Where is it used?
-Manufacturing containers
-Dispensing bottles
-wash bottles
-tubing
-plastic bags for computer components
-moulded laboratory equipment
-Packaging industries:
-LDPE is used as a packaging material in pharmaceutical industries
and squeeze bottles, caps and closures tamper evident, liners, trash
bags, and films for food packaging, laminations etc.
-Manufacture water pipes and hoses for the pipes and fitting industry
due to its plasticity and low water absorption.
Consumer goods- Housewares, flexible toys, agricultural films, wiring
and cables- sub conductor insulators, cable jacketing.
SAP ( Super Absorbent Polymer ) :
Roadways :
SAPs can act as an internal water source to provide hydration to con-
cretefrominsideitself,withtherequiredwaternecessaryforhardening
of roads.
Electonic :
The perform as biosensors, actuators (artificial muscles), self-regulat-
ing drug delivery systems, on–off regulation of enzymatic reactions
and purification of chemical agents.
Medical field :
SAPs can be used in many medical applications, such as drug delivery
systems (DDSs), wound closure , healing products, removal of body
waterduringsurgery(treatmentofedema),andsurgicalimplantdevices.
SAPs, also used in the health care field to manufacture an efficient heat-
ing pads to help patients whom suffer from rheumatism.
Agricultural sector :
SAPs inside the soil can absorb water from rainfall or excessive irri-
gation, then releasing it slowly upon the root demand through osmotic
pressuredifference,resultinginimprovedgrowthrate.Furthermorethey
can be used for the controlled release of pesticides and agrochemicals.
They are also used in the soil of potted plants and garden soil for water
retention via the same process.
Others :
They’re also used in fire retarders, dewatering of adulterated fuel, artifi-
cial snow , athletic garment,
ornamental(colored)products,sanitarytowels, buildinginternaldecora-
tion, modifying weather condition, as dehydrating agent to
solidify waste in the sludge treatment
MATERIAL USAGE IN OTHER MARKETS

Cellulose :
Structural application:
A structural Biocomposite can be defined as one that is needed to carry
a load in use. For instance, building industry, load-bearing walls, stairs,
roof systems, and subflooring are examples of structural biocomposites.
Non-Structural application :
Nonstructural biocomposites are used for products such as ceiling tiles,
furniture, windows, and doors.
Digital Dislpays :
Cellulose has always been the prime medium for displaying information
inoursociety;nowadays,effortshavebeenmadetofinddynamicdisplay
technology, for example in electronic paper.
Medical usage :
Recently, nanocellulose has been called as the eyes of biomaterial high-
ly applicable to biomedical industry which includes skins replacements
for burnings and wounds; drugs releasing system; blood vessel growth;
nerves,gumandduramaterreconstruction;scaffoldsfortissueengineer-
ing; stent covering and bone reconstruction .
Agriculture usage :
Celluloseisalsousedasseedandtopsoilmulchforeffectivegermination
of plants and moisture enclosure and also for protection from UV light.

“India has 12.3 billion disposable sanitary napkins to
take care of every year, majority of which are not bio-
degradable/compostable.”

“India’s diaper market is growing with a CAGR rate of
22.26% in the last 4 years. Sales of diaper in 2014 were
140 lakh units”

URINE
The normal range for an average adult human to urinate within 24
hours, with a fluid intake of 2 L, is 800 to 2000 milliliters per day. As
for new born baby or an infant upto 3 years of age; when the baby is
born s/he has a bladder with a capacity of 15ml, and empties it pretty
oftenlike6-10timesaday-makingitanywherebetween90mltomore
than 130 ml per day, and when it comes to elder babies the frequency
of urination increases. The composition varies too.
Adult urine is mildly acidic [pH= 4.5 - 8.2; avg. is 6)]. It consists of
95% water and 5% of other solutes such as urea, salts (KCl, NaCl etc),
uric acid, phosphates and sulphates, and traces of of Ca, Mg and other
minerals, and urochrome - the pigment giving urine its golden yellow
color.
Infant urine is substantially different than this.With most of their initial
sources of nutrition being‘milk and water’, and baby food or fruits/
vegetable puree a few years later, infant urine mostly comprises of just
water and slight traces of urea.
Urine

FAECES
There is a huge difference in adult human faeces and baby faeces too,
since the food we eat is nowhere similar to a baby’s diet. Even the
digestivetractofababyisdifferentthanthatofanadultanddeveloped
human. An adult’s faeces is 75% water and 25% solids comprising of a
mucous membrane, 30% cellulose, 10-20% cholesterol, 10-20% calci-
um phosphate and iron phosphate, minerals (Ca, MG, Hg, Zn, Cu etc),
indole (carbon compound responsible for odour), 100 billion bacteria
per gm and 100 million viruses, 10 million colonocytes and more than
a million yeasts and single celled fungi.
The composition of a baby’s faeces on the other is so different that an
absence of a large number of solutes can be seen. It is more liquefied,
though it is 75% water and 25% solids, but the reason for this is the
baby’sdigestivesystembeingnotsodevelopedtoefficientlycompress
thefaeceswheninthetract,butanadvantageofthistothebabyisthat
s/he then doesn’t have to apply too much anal force.The main compo-
nent of baby faeces is‘Merconium’- compound formed due to break-
down of uterus ingested minerals, epithelial cells, amniotic fluid etc,
and‘Bilirubin’- broken down version of RBCs.
Faeces

MENSTRUAL BLOOD
Human blood consists of RBCs, WBCs and Platelets, and all of this is
present in Plasma- a medium for all of it to flow around with. But the
blood found on sanitary pads is a lot more different- be it composition
or the origin of blood. Menstrual blood has high water content, less
iron, platelet and haemoglobin count, and is thicker due to mucin. Mu-
cin is a composite of the mucous that is infused in the menstrual blood
from the uterine walls’cells of mucus lining.
Menstrual blood is rich in electrolytes [K, Na etc] and consists of vag-
inal bacteria and uterine lining tissue. An average female bleeds about
10 to 16 teaspoons (50ml to 80ml) every menstrual cycle.
Menstrual blood

As a supervising and authorising body, the Indian Government has
stateddifferentsetsofguidelinesforthehandlingandtreatmentofUsed
SanitaryProductsonthebasisofthecontextandtheendaddresseeaudi-
ence.
Domestic Audience - For the common man (Solid Waste)
Provisions of Sanitary Waste in Solid Waste Management (SWM 2016) :
As per Rule 17, of the duty of manufacturer or brand owners of dispos-
able products and sanitary napkins and diapers,
Manufacturers, brand owners or marketing companies of sanitary nap-
kins and diapers must explore the possibility of using all recyclable
materials in their products or they shall provide a pouch or wrapper for
disposalofeachnapkinordiapersalongwiththepacketoftheirsanitary
products.
All such manufacturers, brand owners or marketing companies shall
educate the masses for wrapping and disposal of their products.
Menstrual Hygiene Management Guidelines under Swachh Bharat
Mission (December 2015) :
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is an integral part of the Swa-
chh Bharat Mission - Guidelines (SBM-G). The MHM Guideline (Dec
2015) is issued by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to sup-
port all adolescent girls and women. It outlines what needs to be done
by state governments, district administrations, engineers and technical
experts in line departments; and school head teachers and teachers.
Offsite disposal can be organized with the communal or town solid
waste collection and management system. If a hospital with a safe treat-
ment unit for hazardous waste is nearby, this might be a best solution to
explore.
However, this is unfortunately not a viable option for many rural schools,
and transport will be a logistical and financial challenge.
Hence, options for on-site disposal can be considered. This may include
disposal via deep burial, composting, pit burning and incineration.The right
option depends on key factors such as amount and type of materials, the
available budget (investment and O&M costs) and environmental consider-
ations. Burning in open heap should be totally avoided. If burning is the only
option, a deep pit should be used.
The key deciding factors for disposal and treat-
ment of sanitary waste are the scale, type of mate-
rials, the available budget and the relevant Invest-
ment, Operation and Management costs.
INDIAN GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES FOR
HANDLING OF USED SANITARY PADS
Government guidelines

Considering the affordability and practical viability chal-
lenges for the acts of burning or incineration, the Govern-
ment has certain guidelines and categories under the SWM
Rules, 2016 :
a) Low cost, locally made Incinerators : Rural girls’
schools, colleges, institutions, hostels, etc.
b) Electrical Incinerators : Girls toilets, community toilets,
complexes, Malls, Society Complex etc.
c) High Temperature Incinerators for BMW : Waste burnt at
central/combi ned incinerator facility
Though burial and dumping of synthetic products isn’t au-
thorisedintownsandcities,therearecertainguidelinesthat
permit it under specific conditions in rural areas.
On the other hand, burial is permitted in urban areas if the
sanitary product is legally bio-degradable or compostable.
Guidelines by the government of India

White/ Transleuscent :
Waste Sharps - Needles, syringes with fixed needles, needles from
needletipcutterorburner,scalpels,blades,oranyothercontaminated
sharpobjectthatmaycausepunctureandcuts.Thisincludesbothused,
discarded and contaminated metal sharps.
Blue :
a)Glassware - Broken or discarded and contaminated glass including
medicinevialsandampoulesexceptthosecontaminatedwithcytotoxic
wastes.
b) Metallic body Implants
Sanitary pads and diapers fall under the
“soiled waste”category of the YELLOW cate-
gory of Bio-Medical Waste labelled as“Items
Contaminated with Blood/ Body Fluids”
Industrial Audience; For Institutions – Large scale
(Bio-Medical Waste)
Biomedical waste is dominantly categorised on the basis of its constit-
uent material properties and specific treatment and handling require-
ments.They are divided into 5 colours for easy referencing and under-
standing.
Yellow :
a)Human anatomical waste - Human tissues, organs, body parts and
fetus below the viability period (as per the Medical Termination of
Pregnancy Act 1971, amended from time to time).
b)Animal anatomical waste - Experimental animal carcasses, body
parts,organs,tissues,includingthewastegeneratedfromanimalsused
in experiments or testing in veterinary hospitals or colleges or animal
houses.
c)Soiled waste - Items contaminated with blood/ body fluids like
dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs and bags containing residual or
discarded blood and blood components.
d) Expired or Discarded medicines - Pharmaceutical waste like antibi-
otics, cytotoxic drugs including all items contaminated with cytotoxic
drugs along with glass or plastic ampoules, vials etc.
e) Chemical Waste – Chemicals used in production of biological and
used or discarded disinfectants.
Red :
Recyclable Contaminated Waste - Wastes generated from disposable
items such as tubing, bottles, intravenous tubes and sets, catheters,
urine bags, syringes (without needles and fixed needle syringes) and
vaccutainers (with their needles cut) and gloves.
Government guidelines

The treatment of this Yellow labelled -‘soiled waste’as per BMWM norms is as
follows :
Deep burial (permitted only in rural or remote areas) and Incineration or Plasma
Pyrolysis.
In absence of the above facilities,
autoclaving / micro-waving / hydroclaving / sterilization followed by shredding /
mutilation must be practised.
The following is a brief explanation about the processes :
Incineration or Plasma pyrolysis:
Waste with heating value over 3500 kcal/kg is processed in a pyrolysis unit while
lower heating value waste is burned in a single-chamber incinerator.Waste is typi-
callyheterogeneous,andifthecombustiblefractionisbelow60percent,itmaynot
be acceptable for incineration. Overly wet waste (over 30 percent water by weight)
is probably not good for incineration either as it will require excessive quantities of
assist gas/fuel.
Autoclaving:
For medical waste that will be disposed of, autoclaves are used as heat treatment
processing units to destroy microorganisms before disposal in a traditional landfill
or further treatment, by disposing the bio medical waste in a chamber where it is
disinfected by the process of applied pressure and steam. Autoclaves are a batch
process, not a continuous one. Autoclaves are“chemical free”and that appeals to
many stakeholders in a complex waste management envronment.
Microwaving:
Microwave radiation is used to treat wastewater sludge and as a heat
sourcetotreatmedicalwaste.Theprocessingusuallyincludesfront-end
shreddingofthewaste,bothtoincreasetheefficiencyofthemicrowave
treatmentandtoreducethevolumeoftheendwastefordisposal.Itbasi-
cally works like a souped-up version of your kitchen’s microwave oven.
Typical operation is at 2450 Hz. Microwave power causes the tempera-
ture of the water to increase. The microwave unit transmits energy as
microwaves and that energy turns into heat inside the wet
Irradiation:
Irradiation disinfects waste by exposing it to gamma rays that are fatal
to bacteria. A radioactive isotope of cobalt is employed.This is basically
thesameradiationsourceusedforradiationtreatmentofcancer.Incan-
cer treatment, radiation is intended to kill the malignant cells. In irradia-
tion for sterilization of equipment or treatment of waste, the radiation is
intended to kill pathogens.
Deep burial:
Deepburialistheprocessofdepositingthebiodegradablegarbageintoa
manmadedepressioncreatedinthegroundwhichiscoveredwithlayers
of soil.Polymer particles take approximately 300-500 years to degrade
and the drawback with the burial pits is that, it helps in breaking down
biodegradable substances but does not help in the case of non biod
gradable subtances.

THE KNOT IN THE STRING
Challenges of the Guidelines and the differences in SWM and
BMWM Practices in Domestic vs Industrial scales
Sanitary waste disposal has become an increasing problem in India as
the plastic used in disposable sanitary napkins are not bio-degradable
and lead to health and environmental hazards.
Ignoring the fact that the government itself, and also companies man-
ufacturing, supplying or dealing with sanitary products like pads and
diapers aren’t complying with the aforementioned norms of the Cen-
tral Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms and Menstrual Hygiene
Management (MHM) articles of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)
– Guidelines to aid in handling Bio – Medical Waste (BMW) or Solid
Waste Management (SWM);
The government’s sanitary waste management system already has
shortcomings within itself.
The impact of poor sanitary waste handling is more
pronounced because of the unorganized ways of
municipal solid waste management and poor com-
munity collection, disposal and transportation net-
works in both cities and villages.
Further, one major issue of sanitary waste has always been their cate-
gorization, i.e., whether it is biomedical or plastic waste.
As plastic waste (in Domestic context)
Soiled napkins, diapers, condoms, tampons and blood-soaked cotton,
which are household waste according to the SolidWaste Management
(SWM) Rules, 2016, are being disposed after segregation into biode-
gradable and non-biodegradable components.
As BMW (in Industrial Context):
However, the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 indicate
that items contaminated with blood and body fluids, including cotton,
dressings,soiledplastercasts,linesandbedding,arebio-medicalwaste
andshouldbeincinerated,autoclavedormicrowavedtodestroypatho-
gens.
The reason for such a conflict is the inefficiency in execution of waste
categorisation at domestic levels.
Efficient Bio-medical waste collection, specifically at the
Domestic Level, demands for an immense scale of Logis-
tics involving dedicated time, money and substantial ef-
fort, which poses as a hindrance for achieving the same.
Knot in the string

The Challenge
The Confusion
The Opportunity
Venn diagram of the waste collection by Solid Waste
Management and Bio Medical Waste Management

Theconsequencesofpoorsanitarywastemanagementhastwoeffects.
The Environmental effects which is already known; and
The Human Health effects :
Menstrualblood,faecesandurine,thecontentsofsanitarypadsanddi-
apersrespectively containseveraltypesofpathogens(diseasecausing
microorganisms), and also are a breeding ground for a wide spectrum
of pathogens to infest, multiply and evolve in.
Poor disposal of such products will allow growth and movement of
such pathogens through different media like water due to rains,
Thesepathogens,ifgiventhefreedomofpoortreatmentandbreeding
time ( > 24 hrs), may become immune to disinfectants by developing
cell walls (called spores) and will simultaneously infest in the sur-
rounding vicinity.
This will lead to an exponential rise in the radius of the biohazardous
material, dramatically increasing the potential risks of exposure and
subsequently inevitable health complications due to direct or indirect
interaction, and a potential biohazard outbreak.
Thereare5differenttypesoftheafforementionedpathogenspotential-
ly present in bodily waste.
Bacteria, Fungi, Viruses, Protozoa and Worms (helminths).
Hepatitis B (HBV)
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by
the hepatitis B virus (HBV). It is a major global health problem. If the
infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts for more than 6 months, it
increases the risk of permanent scarring or even death from cirrhosis
and liver cancer.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for a minimum of 7
days.
During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body
of a person who is not protected by the vaccine.The incubation period
of the hepatitis B virus is 75 days on average, but can vary from 30 to
180 days. The virus may be detected within 30 to 60 days after infec-
tion and can persist and develop into chronic hepatitis B.
Indiaisthesecondhighestaffectednationwithalatestestimate(2017)
of 40 million people chronically infected.
Transmission:
Hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis Bvirus (HBV).
The virus is passed from person to person through :
Horizontal transmission : exposure to infected blood by needlestick in-
jury, razors, tattooing, piercing and even exposure to body fluids, such
as saliva and, menstrual, vaginal, and seminal fluids.
Perinatal Transmission : from infected mother to her child.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral infection
of the reproductive tract. Cervical cancer is by far the most common
HPV-related disease. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be attribut-
able to HPV infection.The infection with certain HPV types also causes
a proportion of cancers of the anus, vulva, vagina, penis and orophar-
ynx,whicharepreventableusingsimilarprimarypreventionstrategies
as those for cervical cancer.
IF WE DONT TAKE NECESSARY SAFETY
MEASURES OF TREATMENT

Worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in wom-
en with an estimated 570 000 new cases in 2018 representing 7.5% of
all female cancer deaths. Of the estimated more than 311 000 deaths
from cervical cancer every year, more than 85% of these occur in less
developed regions.
Transmission :
The peak time for acquiring infection for both women and men is
shortly after becoming sexually active. HPV is sexually transmitted,
but penetrative sex is not required for transmission. Skin-to-skin geni-
tal contact is a well-recognized mode of transmission.
Faecal-oral pathogen transmission routes.

REALITY CHECK
Current disposal methods
Every year, India produces 9000 tonnes of
sanitary waste, which is about 90% plastics.
It is becoming common knowledge that our
sanitary waste will spend the next centuries
breaking down in landfills and oceans.
Sanitarywasteisproblematicbecauseoftheingredientsbehinddispos-
able pads and diapers. Conventional pads and diapers are 90% plastic
with 4 out of 5 constituent layers being polymers.
Plasticstakearound400-800yearstodegrade.Whereindegrademean-
ing breaking down to bigger plastic bits to smaller ones, also known as
micro plastics. And as smaller the plastics get, more difficult it gets to
segregate and process them.
Not-So-Fun Fact : According to a study in the United King-
doms, it was found that an average person could be swal-
lowing at least 1000 micro plastic particles with every meal
accumulated from the dust on the household plates.
“One sanitary napkin is equivalent of 4 small plastic bags”
Reality Check

At the domestic level, it was observed that sanitary napkins and diapers
were being disposed in the same dustbin as the regular dustbins, which
were later collected by the municipal authorities and taken to landfills.
Disposable pads fall under the Solid Waste Management Rules as Do-
mesticHazardousWaste–givingtheleveragethattheycanbethrownout
with household garbage.
In a conversation with an organisational director of Swachh Bharat, Gu-
jarat,itwasobservedthatpeopledidnotwanttosegregatethewasteand
wantedthegarbagecollectingauthoritiestosegregatethesamesincethey
were paying for their services and expected the authorities to segregate
bio degradable, non-bio degradable and domestic hazardous waste.
On conducting a digital survey that addressed 250+ menstruating urban
womenofvariousagegroupsandprofessions,weconcludedthatwomen
83.4% of the time, wrapped their pads in paper
and disposed them in bins while 28.5% of the
time, wrapped them in a polymer pouch and
then disposed them in general bins; regardless
of the context they were in (home / outdoors).
If the disposed biomedical waste contains hazardous pathogens, the
pathogenshavetheabilitytousethemoistandbiologicallyactivelandfill
environment to breed and infest the surrounding waste too, growing the
radius of biohazardous content.
It is believed that wrapping in plastic may help, but the challenge aris-
es when it is realised that polymer coverings provide a healthy and safe
breeding environment for viruses to survive without exposure, and also
potentially become immune by developing cell walls and becoming
spores that travel much easier and faster than ordinary bacteria.
In rural locations the problem of disposal is compounded. In the absence
ofwastecollectionservices,individualsresorttoopenlyburning,burying
or flushing used pads, if not recklessly throwing them away, which are all
the most unsafe methods of disposal, but unfortunately the easiest.
According to a study in a village in Jharkhand, the majority of women
donothaveaccesstoaprivatebathroomanddisposeofpadsinthesame
pond where they bathe.
SANITARY DISPOSAL AT DOMESTIC LEVEL:
Reality Check

PAPER
PLASTIC
OTHER
Number of females
A Bar graph denoting the method of disposal of
sanitary pads by women
How a bio medical waste affects other waste material

Sanitary pad and diaper disposal at public level deals with looking upon
the current scenario of sanitary waste disposal in public spaces (i.e. Gov-
ernment institutions, Malls, Educational Institutions, Work spaces, Bus
depots, Railway stations, Trains etc.)
As per the survey conducted by us involving menstruating
women of all age groups and professions, 51% of women
were extremely uncomfortable to change pads in public spac-
es like malls, colleges, work spaces etc. for reasons of hygiene
and absence of a proper disposal amenity within the vicinity,
and even if there was a disposal bin, it was sometimes not
regularly emptied, making women feel more unhygienic, in-
secure and exposed to judgement.
Women stated 3 essentials for comfortably changing a pad or diaper : a
clean bathroom, a safe disposal bin, and water. ( the other 3 things for
which women felt its okay)
Government spaces like railway stations are poorly maintained in terms
of hygiene when it comes to disposing sanitary waste. Because of this,
many women prefer not to change their sanitary napkins in such spaces
unless in dire need, and even if they do, they are often compelled to carry
the used pad until they find a safe and a discreet point for disposal of the
same.
They also stated that disposal during travel is a nightmare for the same
reasons of poor hygiene and absence of a safe disposal amenity.
SANITARY DISPOSAL AT PUBLIC LEVEL:
Reality Check

51% OF WOMEN WERE NOT
COMFORTABLE CHANGING IN
PUBLIC SPACES
49% OF WOMEN DID NOT HAVE A
PROBLEM CHANGING IN PUBLIC
SPACES
Pie chart denoting the comfort of women chang-
ing pads in public spaces.

THE HOTEL SCENARIO
It was crucial to know the steps taken up by hotels where there is a
discharge of sanitary waste and how they dealt with it.
It was observed that sanitary napkins are provided by most hotels
(available in room for single women rooms or separately by call).
The sanitary waste is initially segregated when waste is accumulated
from all the active rooms, but is then again disposed with the same
wasteintothemunicipalwastecollectiontruck.Andhence,allthesan-
itary waste, is ending up in the landfill.
Insights: It was observed that hotels took up measures to initially seg-
regate sanitary waste, yet however ended up being in the same land-
fill rather than going through a different bio medical waste treatment
procedure.
Hotels : Fortune Hotel (ITC group), (Nr. Akota Munjmahuda Rd,Pratham Avenue,
Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat - 390020)
Surya Palace Hotel, (opposite Parsi Agiyari, Sayajiganj, Vadodara, Gujarat –
390020)
Hotel Sayaji (Near, Kala Ghoda Cir, Sarod, Sayajiganj, Vadodara, Gujarat 390005)
Vivanta Taj (Vadodara Road, Sheetal Nagar, Akota, Vadodara, Gujarat 390012)
Reality Check

Homes and Hotels Garbage collection truck Solid Waste Management Garbage Dump/ Landfill
The process flow of garbage collection of solid waste

THE HOSPITAL SCENARIO
Earlier, most government hospitals had their own bio medical waste
management plants within their premises, but it was soon shut by the
government due to malpractices in the procedures of waste collection
and incineration. For ex: The fuel used to incinerate the waste was
oftenstolenandsoldoutsideandshownthatitwasusedbythehospital
in the record books.
After,thegovernmentshutdownthepersonalbiomedicalwasteplants,
Private Institutions like Quantum environmental engineers Pvt. Ltd.
took up the contract to collect and process the bio medical waste from
hospitals and medical institutions.
How does it work?
In Large scale hospitals :
The medical institution has 5 types of coloured bins (Yellow, Red,
Blue, White, Black) with respectively coloured garbage bags inside
everymedicalroom/warddependinguponthepurposetheroomserves
(the ER, OT, ICU, Path lab, Patient Ward, OPD etc. have independent
purposes, functions and requirements). These garbage bags and bins
are labelled (on the basis of room no. and pick up date/time) for ac-
countability,andcollectedatanaccumulationpointineachfloorofthe
hospital premises.
Fromhere,thewasteistakentoaseparateroomwhichhousesdedicat-
ed storage rooms for each garbage category.
Every 24hrs, a collection truck from Quantum Environmental Engi-
neers Pvt. Ltd., picks up and deposits the bio medical waste at their
treatmentplant,whereeachcategoryofwasteistreatedappropriately.
Inference: Larger Institutions must and do follow government guide-
lines of correct treatment of biomedical waste and does so with sincer-
ity. Due to malpractice and the absence of sufficient on-site real estate,
the treatment is authorised to an independent body.
On large scale institutions, biomedical waste from private hospitals is
being safely treated to ensure safety.
In small scale health centres and hospitals :
The CAG ( The Comptroller and Auditor General) of India conducted
aresearchonthenumberofhospitalconductingthebiomedicalwaste
collection and segregation by the book, it was found that out of 80
health centres and hospitals in Gujarat, only 14(17.5%) of them were
categorising waste according to the Bio-Medical Waste( Management
and Handling) Rules of 1998. Out of 80 centres, medical waste was
found mixed with the solid waste in 58 centres (73%) The waste was
also found in open landfill which has a potential to cause infectious
diseases.
Inmanyinstances,thebiomedicalwastegeneratedfromthe80health
centres was found to be burnt without any government supervision.
Outofallthehealthestablishmentchecked,48outof80burnttheirbio
medical waste without any supervision.
Data obtained from the government, however, painted a rosy picture.
The Gujarat Pollution Control Board’s annual reports showed that in
2007-08, 56 per cent of biomedical waste went untreated; in 2008-09
this figure dropped to 42 per cent. The 2009 to 2012 annual reports
show that no biomedical waste goes untreated.The data does not tally
with the reality check carried out by CAG.
Insight: To an extent, several smaller hospitals are not segregating
their bio medical waste and there is a presence of malpractice and
ignorance in and around the entire system.
Reality Check

Diagram of a bio-medical waste facility
Inlet
Primary
Chamber
Venturi
Scrubber
Filtration
Tank
Outlet
Water
Storage Tank
Slag/Slurry Outlet

TABOO IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT
Women have often seeked to hide their uncontrollable
bloody features.
TaboohasbeenassociatedwithmenstruationandwomeninIndiasince
a very long time. It usually resulted in breaking off communication
with the menstruating women, which made her feel inferior, out of
society.Accordingtoaresearchpaperconductedin2013,itwasreport-
ed that in India, 93% of girls missed 1-2 days of school on an average
every month during menstruation and 51% of them missed school
because of shame, embarrassment or fear of staining clothes. Taboo
has become a part of the urban and the rural context, wherein a urban
woman would not visit the temple during the menstrual days because
it has been considered as a sin (instead of addressing via the scientific
reasons).
According to the same report, it was also observed that, in the rural
context, 95% of mothers were in favour of educating their daughters
aboutmenstruationbeforetheyattainmenarche,yettheydonotinitiate
thediscussionwiththembecauseofembarrassment,thisiswhattaboo
has resulted in.
Taboo has acted like an obstacle when good samaritans tried con-
tributing towards the clamant issue.
There are initiatives taken up by the Union government and private
non-profit organisations to cut down on the cost on the pricing of the
sanitarynapkinfortheruralpopulation,asasteptoincreasetheaware-
nessandaffordabilityofthesanitarynapkin.Inaresearchconducted,it
wasobservedthatonly12%ofwomenusedsanitarynapkinswhilethe
rest practised other means of which many were unhygienic.
Taboo in the indian context

Many women are not comfortable disposing their sanitary napkins or even
talking about it in public or with the opposite gender.This loop has only add-
edtoescalatingtabooamongmenandwomenlabellingtalkingaboutsanitary
and menstrual health as“bad”according to the society. This, according to
us has happened due to the absence of familiarity with the product and the
process around the product.
The mere exposure effect, also called the‘familiarity effect’is a psycholog-
ical phenomenon by which people tend to develop preference for things or
people that are more familiar to them than others.
Repeatedexposureincreasesfamiliarityandtherefore,makessomethingmore
personally, and consequently socially acceptable.
Itcomestoourobservationsthatmenstruation,sanitarynapkinsalwaysbeing
in the shadow of societal taboo, it has never been familiar among the public
andhencenobody,evenfemalesareuncomfortablewithhandlingtheirown
sanitary waste. Because of absence of familiarity, women have failed to know
about the correct disposal methods of sanitary waste. Hence, the lack of fa-
miliarity accumulated to the already growing and concerning issue
MERE EXPOSURE EFFECT AND HOW IT AFFECTS TABOO
Mere exposure effect

Tackling Awareness and Affordability:
To tackle the issue of awareness and affordability of sanitary napkins
and their reach to the rural users, the government of India and private
bodies like Jayashree Industries and Vatsalya foundation took initia-
tives to create awareness by creating services and products that would
helpwomenunderstandandaccepttheinterventionofsanitarynapkins
as a requirement for hygienic well being.
Jayashree Industries:
Jayashree Industries, founded by India’s menstrual man or popularly
known as Pad man, Arunachalam Muruganantham’s, inventor of low
costsanitarynapkinsandalsothemachinestomanufacturethem.Heis
credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for creating awareness
about traditional unhygienic practices in rural India.
His machine enables rural women groups manufacture their own
sanitarynapkinsandsellthesurplus,thusgeneratingemploymentand
awareness at the same time. The mini machine manufactures the san-
itary napkins at a price one third of the price than that of commercial
pads.
With the increase in awareness and affordability of pads, the scale of
usage has substantially risen, especially in rural and remote areas.
Vatsalya Foundation
Horrified by the unhygienic living conditions of menstruating women
in rural India, Swati Bedekar (founder of Vatsalya foundation) decided
totakeaninitiativetocreateawarenessagainstthebuiltuptaboo.Swa-
titoyedwithMuruganantham’sideaofmanufacturinglowcostsanitary
napkins and providing employment to women with the same.
The Rise of Biodegradable pads and their problems:
With rising concerns about environmental health and disposal of san-
itary waste, there are new products coming up in the market to tackle
the issue, one step at a time.
Jayashree Industries, Azadi group etc. are coming up with sanitary
napkinsmadeupofbanana,bamboopulpwhichwhendisposeddonot
harm the environment.
There are 3 kinds of‘biodegradable’pads.
The cloth Pads; genuine disposable biodegradable pads; oxopolymer
based biodegradable pads.
BrandssuchasEcofemmehascomeupwithareusablesanitarynapkin
madeoutofclothwhichcanbereusedafterwashingit,butitquestions
thetaboo,whetherawomanwouldevenbecomfortablehandlingand
washing their own menstrual blood.
These pads however, do not absorb as much menstrual blood as the
commercial disposable sanitary napkin.
SANITARY PAD INCENTIVES AND THE INCREASE IN
THE USAGE SCALE:
SanitaryPadincentivesandtheincreasintheusagescale

The category of oxopolymer based biodegradable pads contain poly-
mers that have an additive mixed into them. This additive allows the
polymer to break down faster and easier when in certain ideal condi-
tions, namely presence of UV light and 40 + degrees C temperature,
which may or may not be available when inside a municipal landfill.
Also, if such oxopolymer based pads are incinerated or burned under
uncontrolledconditions,theytendtoreleasemoreharmfulgasesthan
the standard polymer ones too.
For the genuine disposable biodegradable pads, a major promise that
thesebrandsmakeisthat,theirproductsdegradewithin6monthsafter
disposal, which practically won’t when in a landfill.
Also,thematerialsthattheyusemaybebiodegradablebutthemenstru-
al blood once out of the body is still a bio medical waste. Hence, mak-
ing the sanitary napkin a biologically hazardous. One can only imagine
howmanyinfectiousdiseasecausingbacteriathe“biodegradablesani-
tarypad”willbreedanddispersewithinitsdecompositiontimewhileit
sits in the open landfill; no less than any other pad.
Price Range of biodegradable pads: Rs.5/- to Rs.365/- However, the
cheapestsanitarypadsarenotsoldinurbanareassince,theywouldnot
beabletocompetetothefiercecompetitionofcommercialpadmaker
giants like Procter and Gamble (P&G) and Johnson and Johnson.
Nothing for Diapers
The initiatives made were mainly for disposal of used sanitary napkins
for menstrual waste stream. No initiatives were reported for collection
and disposal of other sanitary wastes such as infant diapers, adult dia-
pers,tampons,condoms,incontinencesheetsandothersimilarwasteis
yet to be evolved in the country by the key stakeholders namely Con-
sumer, Producers and Local Authorities.
Reusable pads by Ecofemme
Saathi Pads

With the increase in pad usage and disposal scale, and the urgency of
availability and awareness of sanitary waste disposal for the domestic
level, the Government of India has encouraged initiatives in the field
of menstrual health, and even promoted the use of small-scale inciner-
ators.
Keeping this government directive in mind, corporations and social
entrepreneurs have developed and promoted mini incinerators and
burners for public, school and home usage.
However, there is a challenge to this too.
Thereisadifferencebetweenjustburningandtheincinerationprocess,
and the claimed‘small scale incinerators’are just burners.
In industrial terms of Bio-Medical waste treatment,
Burning of waste is uncontrolled and unregulated (not supervised by
a governing body). Here, high temperatures necessary for breaking
downtoxinsanddestroyingimmunisedpathogenslikesporescan’tbe
attained (~300 Degrees C).
Whereas, Incineration is a controlled process where the waste is burnt
at a certain temperature within a controlled environment.The process
issupervisedbyagoverningauthorityandthecontentsareincinerated
at more than 800 degrees centigrade (which takes 90 mins of preheat-
ing the incineration chamber) followed by a series of steps to disin-
tegrate the immunised infectious pathogens and neutralise the toxic
fumes emitted upon combustion.
A RESULT OF THE URGENCY OF A DISPOSAL SOLUTION
FOR THE COMMON WOMAN
Result of Urgency

Vatsalya Foundation
A challenge taken up by Swati Bedekar and her husband Shyam Be-
dekar was the issue of disposing sanitary napkins in rural spaces.
They designed the Ashudinashak, an eco-friendly incinerator, made of
terracotta, making it unobtrusive to the eye since it was meant to fit in
an environment with extensive use of terra cotta. The user just has to
disposethesanitarynapkinintheAshudinashak,andburnitoffusinga
flame-lit paper or any other similar medium.
Thisproductnowhitsub-urbaneducationalandcorporateinstitutions
and has been accepted as a product that helps and empowers women
and makes them feel more socially comfortable with their monthly
cycle.
The Problem:
This repeats the challenge of burning a sanitary napkin under uncon-
trolled conditions, gives out harmful fumes such as dioxins and furans,
which are cancerous.
Ashudinashakcannotreachthecorrectconditionstoincineratethesan-
itary pad safely, but instead emits fumes within the vicinity of so-con-
sidered safe environments involving human activity, and is only an
attempt at breaking the discomfort of the taboo for disposing sanitary
napkin but is not a correct method or solution to dispose the pad.
Having the involvement of a flame and emission of fumes, such prod-
ucts strictly cannot be placed in enclosed bathroom cubicles and are
hence placed out in the open; completely sacrificing the closed prox-
imity, confidentiality and comfort of a bathroom enclosure, where the
actual sanitation activities occur.
Small Scale Electrical Incinerators
Severalcompanieshavebeguntomanufacturesmallscaleincinerators.
The incinerator generates heat from a coil which is placed under the
chamber, where the napkins are displaced in the vessel. The vessel is
heated and it breaks down the napkin into ashes which falls in a tray
that can be removed from the incinerator body.
The Problem:
The drawback is that the incinerator does not filter the injurious fumes
and there are no specific authority to supervise on the contents of the
fumes released. Being specifically made for indoor enclosures, such
products may be a health hazard in the same aforementioned ways.
THE BEGINNING OF PRIVATELY BURNING PADS
Ashudinashak Mini Napkin Incinerator
Burning of Pads

As of today, there are no provisions to monitor the emissions from
small scale incinerators, leaving concerns that in the pursuit of provid-
ing a disposal amenity for sanitary pad disposal, incomplete solutions
are being practised. The same involve operating in unsafe conditions
andincompletelytreatingthewasteandsimultaneouslyaddinganew
hurdle of open exposure to carcinogenic fumes.
Further, if such products like the electric incinerators are employed
inside enclosed spaces, they pose a threat of intoxication by unknown
concentrations of carcinogenic fumes; and if placed outdoors instead,
they may seem to pose as a lesser direct threat, but sacrifice the confi-
dentiality and comfort of a bathroom enclosure that a woman needs.
PRODUCT RESEARCH CONCLUSION
Product Research Conclusion

“Periods are stated to cause inconvenience for women. This is not just
because of the actual intrinsic physical and emotional consequential
causations of menses, but because of exterinsic factors like the handling
of menstrual blood and sanitary pads, and diapers. dealing with the taboo
and its associated secrecy that society calls for.
The same applies to diapers and its associated handling of urine and fae-
ces.
This is where we intervene.”

1)Environmental harm due to poor disposal of pads and diapers
2)Health harm due to poor disposal of pads and diapers
3)Health Harm of existing sanitary pad incinerators
4)Shyness, Discomfort, Taboo and Judgement.
5)Absence of a safe disposal and break-down unit in closed prox-
imity of a bathroom cubicle due to sole practice of burning.
6)Absence of a Cradle to Grave approach
THE CONCLUSIVE CHALLENGES AND DRAWBACKS
AS OF TODAY
Conclusive challenged and drawbacks

SteriFlash :
Thisproductisanautoclavingmachinethatbreaksautoclavesandbreaks-
down different types of biomedical waste and shreds it into small frag-
ments.
Upon completion of the process, the machine rolls out a printed slip (a
bio-indicatior slip) with the biological activity status to ensure it has at-
tained necessary conditions
Itisdesignedformedicalinstitutionsasaprimaryon-sitetreatmentmeth-
od for hospital biomedical waste.
PnG, Johnson and Johnson and other Healthcare product
brands :
These brands with an established identity in the hygiene market focus on
awareness and branding on these lines as a source of promotion, CSR and
brand identity; but aren’t focused on arriving at a solution for the same.
SIMILAR PRODUCTS
Similar products

The Brief :
To design a stationary sanitary pad and diaper disposal unit, for in-
stallation within public bathroom enclosures.

Target Market
The difference here lies between the target market and the targeted user.
The purchaser of such a product is currently aimed at being institutional
authorities of Railway, Airports, Malls, Hospitals, Educational Institutions,
Corporate Institutions, Old age Homes, and Child Care Centers. (B2B)
Targeted Users
The end users of the product would be women, and parents or supervi-
sors of infants and senior citizens.
TARGET MARKET AND USERS
Target market and users

1. Indoors. Nearby. Comfortable. Discrete.
2. Enclosed. No fume emission. Safe for environment and health
3. No Incineration; instead Sterilization
4. The taboo, a challenge. Creating freedom and comfort.
5. Social Awareness
6. Potential Recyclability
7. Space sensibility due to constraint of indoor enclosure
8. Minimal Interaction
9. Commercial Viability and High footfall/ usage volume
10.That 1 % ; The few who won’t practise as signified
11. Maintenance and handling requirements
12. Operating and Maintenance costs
13. Capital Costs
14. B2B (Business model only matters more)
15. Domestic vs Industrial level electricity input.
16. CE certification requirement – only one electrical input for a do-
mestic appliance (one motor driven)
17. WHO, USEPA norms clearance and certification.
DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Design considerations

-Categorising this product as a product for the“HYGIENE”market. 27%
growth P.A.
-Marketing it with the tags of“Hygiene”“Female Hygiene” “ Preventing
infection”, not as diapers and sanitary napkins. Because afterall, most peo-
ple aren’t interested in the product or its functions, what they are willing
to invest in is the emotional and psychological benefits they will indirectly
acquire; i.e. the security of their well being because of innocuous disposal
and the comfort of the confidentiality of disposal
-Theproblemisthehygieneandpotentialinfection,notthepadanddiaper.
-Addressing at as a comparative costing. Cost of treating this waste Vs.
cost of not treating (ill health) + cost of absenteeism and)
-Don’tgotothegovernmenttosellit,sellitelsewhereandthegovernment
will come calling. This is because if you target it for the government di-
rectly, they’ll consider it a potential of their market and will try squeeze it
to the extent of making it less feasible and break the potential of a success
as a business.
-To sell, requirement of approval of Ministry of health, to sell for hos-
pitals, for educational institutions, Ministry of Education, for Railways,
Ministry of Railways, for airports, Ministry of Aviation respectively.
-Uniqueness and patenting (process patent/ machinery patent).
-Business model priority since it will be a B2B product (as of
now)
BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS
Business considerations

The first probable system flow was derived and ideated on the basis of the
normsandregulationsprovidedbythegovernmentofIndiaondisposalof
sanitary waste and also considering the financial viability of the process.
PRELIMNARY SYSTEM FLOW
Prelimnary system flow

Existing mechanisms on breakdown of plastic waste and sterilisation of
sanitarywastewastakenintoconsiderationduringtheprocessofideating
the system flow.The following are a brief explanation on the existing pro-
cesses and mechanisms of the same:
Autoclaving:
Autoclaving is the most commonly used process to sterilize materials that
had a contact with the inner human body. This process uses pressurized
steam as the sterilizing agent. Autoclaving is the use of pressurized steam
and high temperature to kill microbes, spores, or viruses that are hard to
destroy using conventional disinfection methods.The basic concept of
an autoclave is to have each item sterilized -whether it is a liquid, plastic
ware, or glassware- come in direct contact with steam at a specific tem-
peratureandpressureforaspecificamountoftime.Time,steam,tempera-
ture, and pressure are the four main parameters required for a successful
sterilization using an autoclave.
Ultrasonic cleaning:
Ultrasonic cleaning is a process in which contaminated materials are put
in a solution ( water ) and the container holding the solution is attached to
a vibrator which produces vibration on high frequencies. The vibrations
generated by the machine are experienced throughout the solution. The
vibration is also experienced by the contaminated material submerged in
the solution. The dirt on the surface of the contaminated material is free
to move once its detached from the contaminated material due to im-
mense vibrations throughout the solution the dirt particle is dispersed in
thesolutionsterilizingourcontaminatedmaterial.Theprocesscompletely
removes the dirt for the required material within a certain span of time.
Paper Shredder:
Shreddershavemetalblockswithsharpedgesinside,orsometimesblades,
that are placed close together but staggered front and back. When the
machineisturnedon,onecanfeedapieceofpaperintothetop.Themetal
grabs the paper and pulls it through the shredder, cutting as it goes. The
paper comes out the other end as strips.
Chipper:
A gearbox uses pulleys and v-belts to connect the engine to a set of
knives—thepulleyenablestheenginetocontrolthespeedatwhichthese
bladesrotate,andthev-belttransmitsthepowerfromtheengine.Internal
gearswithinthegearboxalsohelpcontrolspeedandpower.Woodchippers
typically have two separate chutes for processing wood. The first chute,
thesmallerofthetwo,shredsbranchesintochips.Thesecond,largerchute
features blades and additional devices, such as hammers, to turn excess
plant material (such as leaves) into mulch.Based on the kind of wood
chipperbladedesign,ausercandeterminethetypeandthicknessofwood
the chipper is capable of handling.Typically, the larger the wood chipping
machine, the larger the load it can handle. Blades can either function on
separateshaftsorintermesh.Ifseveralbladesarerotatingonindependent
shafts, the wood will be repeatedly cut down the branches as they are
passedthroughthebladesatafastpace.Intermeshedbladesaresomewhat
slower, but are somewhat self-feeding as they draw the branches into the
bladesthemselves.Additionally,intermeshedbladesensurethatthewood
chipper chip size is consistent.
EXISTING MECHANISMS
Existing mechanisms

Hammer mills:
Thegangedhammersorchoppingkniveshitthematerialseverally.Theses
knives or hammers rotate at a high speed reducing materials to a desired
size.Only particles whose diameter conform to that of the screen size will
pass through. Otherwise, the hammer will continue to hit these materials
until they are reduced to the required size.Basically, within this chamber,
the material is hit by a repeated combination of knives/hammer impact
and collision with the wall of the milling chamber. Moreover, collision
between particles to particles play an instrumental role in this size reduc-
tionprocess.Inshort,thisamechanicalprocesswhereparticlesarehitwith
high speed knives. Therefore, you need to wear all the necessary safety
gears.Again, don’t open the crushing chamber when the machine is oper-
ating.This is because you may be hit by particles flying at very high speed
or crushing hammers/knives.
PLASTIC GRANULATOR
A plastic granulator, used for cutting plastic into smaller pieces, is prob-
ably one of the most popular types of plastic recycling machinery. With
its robust, yet carefully tuned cutting blades, plastic granulators have the
unique ability to cut rigid plastics such as water and milk bottles, crates,
drums, and plastic films at high capacities into small uniform regrinds,
usually between 10-20mm.
While granulators are very simple in theory, manufacturing a good granu-
latorrequiresprecision,innovativecuttingdesign,andhighqualitymateri-
als. In a plastic granulator, robust cutting knives are mounted in a specific
pattern on a open rotor that is spun at high speeds. Stationary knives are
mounted within a cutting chamber at precise locations where they are
allowed to come in contact with the rotary knives. As the knives come into
contact, plastic scrap within the cutting chamber are cut in a scissor-like
motion.
Directly below this cutting chamber lies a mesh screen. This mesh screen
is used for sizing the regrinds exiting the granulator. The plastic material
will be continuously cut within the granulator’s cutting chamber until the
thematerialissmallenoughtofallthrough,themeshscreensizeisusually
set between 20mm-30mm based on our customer’s specifications.
Existing mechanisms

A series of tests were performed on the sanitary napkins and diapers to in-
specttheprocessofdisinfectationandtofurtheriterateontheprelimnary
systemflow.Followingaretheobservationsandtheinferencesofthetests
performed.
CHEMICAL TESTING
Chemical testing

Experiment 1:
Aim :To understand the shredding and compression process of a wet sani-
tary napkin (SAP), using the principles of a meat mincer
Apparatus : Meat mincer [manual (cast iron)], Whispers XL (SAP), Col-
lection tray (plastic)
Procedure :
- Water is poured over the sanitary napkin, making it partially saturated.
- The meat mincer was clamped to the side of a table.
- A collection tray was placed at the front end (mouth) of the mincer.
- The pad was inserted into the mincer from the top opening.
- The lever was rotated
Observations :
- The napkin was observed to move forward in the mincer (towards the
mouth) as lever was rotated.
- There was a slurry forming at the bottom in the mincer.
- The lever was harder to rotate as the napkin kept getting closer to the
filter and blades (at the mouth).
- The slurry was oozing out of the pores of filter.
- The lever was stuck, couldn’t move anymore, and the slurry kept oozing
out (slower rate).
Inference :
- The screw-like structure, in the mincer, connected to the lever, when
rotated pushed the
napkinforward in a swirl like motion
- When nearing the mouth of the mincer, the napkin was compressed,
causing it to squeeze out the SAP
mixture (SAP +Water + Cellulose fragments) and deposited at the bottom
of container.
-When the napkin reached the mouth, at the blades and filter, it was com-
pressed enough to squeeze
out most of the SAP mixture.
-The sanitary napkin got twirled and stuck at the blade, restricting move-
ment of the screw/ shaft that
was connected to the lever for rotation.
MEAT MINCER EXPERIMENT
Meat Mincer Experiment

Experiment 2:
tary napkin (SAP), using the
principles of a meat mincer, without the blade and filter plate
Apparatus : Meat mincer [manual (cast iron)], Whispers XL (SAP), Col-
lection tray (plastic)
Procedure :
-The blade and filter plate of mincer were removed
Observations :
- It moved forward for a couple of seconds.
- The machine abruptly malfunctioned.
- The napkin wouldn’t move any further.
- The lever wasn’t stuck, but it wasn’t rotating as required anymore
Inference :
rotated pushed the napkin
forward in a swirl like motion.
-Butsincethebladeandthefilterplatewasremoved(theyheldthescrew/
shaft connected to lever in
place) the lever was too free to move, and the axial position wasn’t con-
trolled anymore.
- The mincer malfunctioned as there was more freedom of movement of
the screw.
- The sanitary napkin didn’t compress due to too much of space, freedom
of movement, and was stuck.- The machine abruptly malfunctioned.
- The napkin wouldn’t move any further.
- The lever wasn’t stuck, but it wasn’t rotating as required anymore

Experiment 3:
tary napkin (Non-SAP), using
improvised blades in a meat mincer.
Apparatus : Meat mincer [manual (cast iron)], Whispers XL (Non-SAP),
Collection tray (plastic)
Procedure :
- The existing blade of the mincer was improvised;
thecuttingsurfacesweresharpened,andthesurfacefacingthefilterplate,
was made more flat.
Observations :
mouth) as lever was rotated..
- At a certain point the sanitary napkin was completely stuck.
-There was water pouring out of the mincer (from the mouth/ filter plate).
- The lever was stuck, couldn’t move anymore, and on application of ex-
cessive force, a loud snapping
noise was heard (that of something breaking).
- The pad had reduced to almost 1/5th of its size.
Inference :
forward in a swirl like motion
causing it to squeeze out
theWater + Cellulose fragments out of the mincer through the filter plate.
pressed enough to twirl at the
base of the blade and jam the entire apparatus.
- As it got twirled and stuck at the blade, the napkin restricted movement
of the screw/ shaft that was
connected to the lever for rotation.
- Due to this, the blade broke into two different pieces.

Experiment 4 :
tary napkin (Non-SAP), using
improvised blades in a meat mincer.
Apparatus : Meat mincer [manual (cast iron)], Washers, Whispers XL
(Non-SAP), Collection tray
(plastic)
Procedure :
- A new blade was fabricated for this experiment;
there was a change in shape, change in thickness, change in number of
cutting surfaces (double edged)
-Twovariationsofthetestwerecarriedout;onewiththewasher(between
the screw and base of
blade) [A] and one without the washer [B].
Observations :
With Washer [A] :
mouth) as lever was rotated..
- At a certain point the sanitary napkin was completely stuck.
-The lever was stuck, couldn’t move anymore, and the napkin didn’t reach
the filter plate.
Without Washer [B]
-Themotionwasmuchsmootherascomparedto[A]asthenapkinmoved
further towards the filter
plate of mincer.
Inference :
With Washer [A] :
forward in a swirl like motion
causing it to squeeze out the
water out of the mincer through the filter plate.
pressed enough to twirl at the
baseofthebladeandwasher,andjamtheentireapparatusthusnotreach-
ing the filter plate.
- As it got twirled and stuck at the blade, the napkin restricted movement
of the screw/ shaft that was
connected to the lever for rotation.
-This caused the blade to bend a little, possibly in the direction of rotation

Without Washer [B] :
forward in a swirl like motion.
causing it to squeeze out the
water out of the mincer through the filter plate.
pressed enough to fit between
the walls of the mincer and blade.
- This allowed the blade to cut through the sanitary napkin.
-Thenapkindidgetstuckatthebaseofthebladeandthescrew,andsome
of it was stuck between the
blade and filter plate due to compression.

IMPROVISATIONS BASED ON THE
MEAT MINCER EXPERIMENTS
Basic principle behind the set up :
-The chamber will be like that of a sharp tapered cone, open on
both ends.
- There will be central shaft, with a screw like structure taper-
ing down along with it (for setting
the sanitary napkin/ diapers in motion).
-The back end of the shaft (the bigger opening) is connected to
a motor.
-The front end (smaller opening) is where the compressed nap-
kin/ diaper will accumulate, and
a blade attached to the opening (swiveling to and fro) will slice
it into fine pieces.
An improvised version of this set up;
-Asobservedinthemeatmincerexperiments,acoupleofinfer-
ences were made that helped in
developing these solutions.
- Keeping the basic structure and internal components same, a
sliding structure was created to
extract SAPs from the container (main body of the mincer).
- The sliding plate has pores in it, for extracting SAP on com-
pression.
Improvisation phase

CLAMP COMPRESSION
EXPERIMENT
Experiment 1 :
Aim : To understand the extraction of SAPs from sanitary napkins, using
metal clamps, mimicking the
functioning of a hydraulic press.
Apparatus : Metal clamp (8 no.), 2 x metal plates (7-inch X 7-inch),
Whispers XL (SAP)
Procedure :
- Pouring water over the sanitary napkin till it’s saturated.
- Placing the sanitary napkin between the two metal plates (centered).
- Using the metal clamp upside-down, i.e. placing the flat surface (usually
used on the underside) on the
topofthemetalplates,andthepinchpoint(roundedoff)ontheunderside
of the table.
- The clamp is adjusted to be aligned with the napkin.
- And the clamp was tightened to the maximum.
Observation :
- In the initial instances of pressure applied, most of the water seeped out
from the pad.
- In the later stages of applying pressure, SAP mixture (SAP + Water +
Cellulose fibres) seeped out from
the pad (from the middle of the metal plates).
- After a certain point, the clamp reached its limit, and no more pressure
could be applied.
Inference :
-Thepressurewasenoughtodrainoutmostofthewater(absorbedbythe
SAPs).
-ExcesspressureallowedonlythesaturatedSAPstobesqueezedoutfrom
the napkin.
- It’s possible to extract‘water’from the SAPs, and to extract SAPs from
the sanitary napkin without
disturbingthestructuralintegrityofthenapkin,byapplyingconcentrated
excessive pressure; once the
SAPsinthesanitarynapkinshavereached/almostreachedtheirsaturation
point (of absorption).
Clamp Compression Experiment

Experiment 2
Aim : To understand the extraction of SAPs from sanitary napkins, using
‘two’metal clamps (2 pinch
points), mimicking the functioning of a hydraulic press.
APPARATUS: 2 x Metal clamp (8 no.), 2 x metal plates (7-inch X 7-inch),
Whispers XL (SAP)
Procedure :
- Pouring water over the sanitary napkin till it’s saturated.
- Using the metal clamps upside-down, i.e. placing the flat surface (usually
used on the underside) on
thetopofthemetalplates,andthepinchpoint(roundedoff)ontheunder-
side of the table.
-Thetwoclampsareplacefacingeachother,ontheoppositesides(diago-
nally on the plates).
- The clamps are adjusted to be aligned with the napkin (on the edges of
the napkin).
- And the clamps were tightened to the maximum.
Observation :
- In the initial instances of pressure applied, most of the water seeped out
from the pad.
- In the later stages of applying pressure, very little SAP mixture (SAP +
Water) seeped out from the pad
(from the middle of the metal plates).
could be applied.
- Nothing much was extracted.
Inference :
-Thepressurewasenoughtodrainoutmostofthewater(absorbedbythe
SAPs).
- But the pressure wasn’t enough to extract the SAPs.
-The pressure applied by the clamps was from two different point sources,
thus there wasn’t enough
pressurethatcouldbeevenlytransferredtothenapkinfortheextractionof
SAPs.
- It’s possible to extract‘water’from the SAPs, but not extract SAPs from
the sanitary napkin through
this process, thus its not effective or efficient enough.

Experiment 3
Aim: To understand the extraction of SAPs from sanitary napkins (with
minimum water), using a metal clamp, mimicking the functioning of a
hydraulic press.
Apparatus : Metal clamp (8 no.), 2 x metal plates (7-inch X 7-inch),
Whispers XL (SAP)
Procedure :
-Adding just 15ml of water (equivalent to average heavy flow of a female,
during menstruation) to the
sanitary napkin, and letting it settle.
of the table.
Observation :
- In the initial instances of pressure applied, minimal/ negligible water
seeped out from the pad.
- But the quantity of water wasn’t so much that it could be seen seeping
out or over the metal plates.
- Even in the later stages of applying pressure, there weren’t any results.
could be applied.
- Nothing much was extracted.
Inference :
- The pressure was enough to drain out any fluid (water in this case), but
the SAPs had not acquired their
saturation of absorption.
- Thus, the water that was extracted from the SAPs, the concentration of
water being too low, caused it
toresidewithintheunaffectedregion(surroundingSAP+Celluloselayer).
- It’s possible to extract‘water’from the SAPs, but not extract SAPs from
the sanitary napkin or even the
water through it, unless the sanitary napkin is saturated with a fluid).
-Thus,thisisnotaneffectiveorefficientenoughmethodfortheextraction
of either, SAP or water.

Experiment 4
Aim :To understand the most efficient method for extraction of SAPs from
sanitary napkins (at
saturation), using a metal clamp (mimicking the functioning of a hydraulic
press);
[A] Shred & then Compress OR [B] Compress & then Shred.
Apparatus : Metal clamp (8 no.), 2 x metal plates (7-inch X 7-inch), 2 x
Whispers XL (SAP), Cutter
Procedure :
[A] Shred & Compress
- Pouring water over the sanitary napkin, until it reaches saturation (maxi-
mum absorption),
and allowing it to settle.
-Shredding(cutting)thesanitarynapkinusingacutter,intoinchsizepiec-
es (estimated size of each
piece = 1/1.5 cm x 2/3 cm).
-Placingthesaturatedcutdownpiecesofsanitarynapkinbetweenthetwo
metal plates (centered).
of the table.
[B] Compress and Shred
- Pouring water over the sanitary napkin, until it reaches saturation (maxi-
mum absorption),
and allowing it to settle.
-Placingthesaturatedsanitarynapkinbetweenthetwometalplates(cen-
tered).
of the table.
-Shredding(cutting)thecompressed(dehydratedtocertainlevel)sanitary
napkin using a cutter, into
inch size pieces (estimated size of each piece = 1/1.5 cm x 2/3 cm).
OBSERVATION:
[A] Shred and then Compress
- During the shredding (cutting) of the napkin, some of the (negligible
amount) of water was lost.
- In the initial instances of pressure applied, most of the SAP mixture (SAP
+ Water + Cellulose fibre) was
extracted, and this didn’t take more than a couple of tries.
- It was observed, that almost all of the SAP and water had been extracted.
could be applied.

[B] Compress & then Shred
- In the initial instances of pressure applied, most of the SAP mixture (SAP
+ Water + Cellulose fibres)
seeped out from the pad, and out from the metal plates.
- In the later stages of applying pressure, very little SAP mixture (SAP +
Water) seeped out from the pad
(from the middle of the metal plates).
could be applied.
- During shredding (cutting) of the compressed napkin, it was observed
that the napkin still had some of
SAP within it (some of it had not been completely dehydrated).
Inference :
[A] Shred and then Compress
- Since the saturated sanitary napkin was cut down to small pieces, on
compression it allowed more of
SAP mixture to be extracted, because this provided more space (an easy
escape to SAP) to be extracted
from the polymer casing.
-The process was fast, as the pressure distributed to all the pieces equally,
and the SAP didnot have to
force their way out, i.e. break the seams of the napkin.
[B] Compress and then Shred
- Once the napkin was compressed, it was expected to be completely free
of SAP or at least be
completely dehydrated.
- It did drain out most of the absorbed water, but not as efectively as com-
pared to [A].
- The napkin wasn't free of SAP, as in the intervals of tightening the
clamp, that short interval of time
that was provided to the extracted water and SAP, allowed the SAP to
reabsorb a fraction of it, and the pressure caused it to be stuck onto the
polymers and get compressed, rather than get extracted with
water.

[A] [B]

IDEATION
PROCESS I
ANALYSIS OF EXISTENT PRODUCTS
BLADE 1 [no. of samples tested using the blade : 4]
- This blade was used for dry and wet testing on sanitary napkins and dia-
pers.
- The rate of efficiency of this blade, and the rate at which it shreds the
polymer sheets is low.
- The structure of blade is not suitable for shredding a material like this
and causes the fibres
and sheets of polymer to tangle at rotors.
- Does not provide sufficient surface contact area.
BLADE #2 [ no. of samples tested using this blade: 3]
- The blade was used for wet testing on diapers (saturated using water).
- The rate of efficiency of this blade, and the rate at which it shreds the
polymer sheets is low.
- The structure of blade is not suitable for shredding a material like this
and causes the fibres
and sheets of polymer to tangle at rotors.
- Does not provide sufficient surface contact area.
Ideation

New Blade 1 :
- During the experiments that were conducted using the mixer grinder, it
was inferred that the
bladespresentintheapparatuswerenotonlyefficientbutwerenotmeant
for a process
involving shredding materials like non-woven polymer sheets.
- The polymer fibres as well as the cellulose fibres were getting tangled
onto the rotor causing
a restriction in motion.
- So, this blade was developed keeping in mind that the purpose of the
blade is to prevent the
tangling of fibres, and the function is to slice through and rip apart the
polymer sheets.
- The lower (secondary) set of the blade will remain stationary to prevent
the fibres from
twirling around the motor.
-The concept wasn’t viable because, this set up could’ve caused the fibres
to not just have
higherchancesoftwirlingaround,butitcouldalsoabruptlystoptherotor,
since the polymer
sheets would’ve had a larger surface area to hold on to, and seize the mo-
tion of upper blade.
Ideation

New Blade 2 :
for a process
polymer sheets.
-The middle (secondary) set of the blade will remain stationary to prevent
the fibres from
twirlingaroundthemotor,andtheupperandlowersetofblades(primary)
are movable.
to not just have
since the polymer
-Itcouldhavecausedbothmovablebladestojamandcausemotortotake
excessive load.

New Blade 3 :
-During the experiments that were conducted using the mixer grinder, it
for a process
polymer sheets.
-The middle (secondary) set of the blade will remain stationary to prevent
the fibres from
twirlingaroundthemotor,andtheupperandlowersetofblades(primary)
are movable.
to not just have
since the polymer
-Itcouldhavecausedbothmovablebladestojamandcausemotortotake
excessive load.

PROCESS II :
CONCEPT 1 :
was inferred that it
would be easier to shred/ breakdown the sanitary napkins and diapers,
after they are saturated
with a solution (water in experimental cases, but a disinfectant solution in
the final process).
- On intake of the napkin/ diaper, a shredder will breakdown the sanitary
products and set
them in the required downward motion.
- The chamber will consist of two set of blades facing each other, separat-
ed by a wall-like
structure providing direction to the debris that is taken in from the shred-
der.
- The debris will then be further broken down into finer particles by the
blades and will be sent
through an outlet underneath.
- The process isn’t viable due to the space occupied by the structure, and
the fabrication
process of the type of blades will be time-taking, and the SAP mixture will
cause problems.

CONCEPT 2 :
the final process).
products and set
-The chamber will consist of one set of blades, surrounded by a sloping in
(basin like) surface.
-There will be small jet sprays introduced from under the surface, to solve
the problem of SAP
mixture sticking onto the blades or sidewalls and will also provide for
lubrication.
blades, the SAP mixture
and other debris too will be washed off and will be sent through an outlet
underneath.
the fabrication
process of the type of blades will be time-taking, and the process of intro-
ducing a basin-like
surface with water jets is too intricate and expensive of a process for an
affordable product.

CONCEPT 3 :
the final process).
products and set
- There will be an automated flap present, controlling the outlet of the
napkins/ diapers.
- The chamber will consist of a set of blades, surrounded by a wall-like
structure that consists of
small suction enabled slits for sucking out all the SAP mixture.
- This set up too has small jet sprays that spray out disinfectant solution/
water.
the fabrication
processofthetypeofbladeswillbetime-taking,andthesuctionapparatus
too will be too
intricate of a process for an affordable product.

CONCEPT 4 :
the final process).
-Onintakeofthenapkin/diaper,twoinvertedconicalshredders(tiltedand
facing each other)
willbreakdown(finelysliceandmincethem)thesanitaryproductsandset
them in the required
downward motion.
- The chamber will consist of a set of blades, surrounded by a wall-like
structure that consists of
small suction enabled slits for sucking out all the SAP mixture.
the fabrication
processofthetypeofbladeswillbetime-taking,thesuctionapparatustoo
will be too intricate
of a process, and the conical shredders will be too expensive to develop
and fabricate for an
affordable product.

CONCEPT 5 :
the final process).
- On intake of the napkin/ diaper, the chamber consists of a set of‘disc’
like blades attached to
a single shaft, surround by a wall like structure with suction implants, to
suck in SAP mixture.
- These blades will rip apart the sanitary products, and in this set up too,
like the others, there
will be a set jet sprays.
- The debris will then be sent through an outlet underneath.
the fabrication
processofthetypeofbladeswillbetime-taking,thesuctionapparatustoo
will be too intricate
of a process, and the disc shredders will be too expensive to develop and
fabricate for an
affordable product.

[A] Concept for INTAKE
- On intake, the sanitary products arrive in a container for disinfection/
sterilization.
- Just like a washing machine, there will be an agitator (in form of a flat
surfaced propeller)
that’ll help agitate the solution.
- After the disinfection process is complete, the contaminated solution is
drained out from the
chamber, and the bottom flap housing the agitator opens up.
- The stature of the machine is inclined at an angle, taking help of gravity
to move the sanitary
matter (sanitary napkins and diapers) further.

Sanitary Health

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Sanitary Health

Similar to Sanitary Health (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Sanitary Health