The production of medical waste (MW) is a growing concern

particularly in light of the increasing annual generation and the exacerbating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditional techniques such as incineration and landfilling present significant limitations. In this study

a self-designed 50 kW arc plasma reactor was employed to conduct gasification experiments on nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) which served as a model of MW and a mixture of NBR/SiO

2

which served as a model of glass-containing MW

using CO

2

as the working gas. The CO

2

thermal plasma gasification process not only ensures the safe and efficient disposal of MW

but also facilitates its effective conversion into H

2

and CO

achieving a carbon conversion efficiency of 94.52%. The yields of H

2

and CO reached 98.52% and 81.83%

respectively

and the specific energy consumption was as low as 3.55 kW·h·k·g

-1

. Furthermore

the addition of SiO

2

was found to inhibit the gasification of NBR and cause damage to the reactor. Therefore

it is recommended that glass waste should be removed prior to the treatment of MW. The CO

2

thermal plasma gasification technology can not only eliminate environmental and health risks posed by MW

but also convert it into syngas for further utilization. This provides a promising approach to the harmless and resource disposal of MW

while also contributing to the comprehensive utilization of greenhouse gases.