How To -Freezer Storage Documentation
Freezer sample storage documentation is crucial as it not only saves energy by reducing freezer opening times, it also safeguards samples. Given the high turnover of people in science, having a reliable tracing system is key. Here are the basic steps on creating an outline (as simple as an Excel Sheet): Create The Basic Outline Enhance The Design Optional: Create a Visual Box Map Ensure Easy Access
Science & Sustianability
| The scientific instruments market, including all its innovations, was estimated at an astonishing $40 billion in 2023. When it comes to sustainability, approximately 50% of a laboratory’s electricity consumption is attributable to their instrumentation Similarly, billions of liters of reagents are required annually to run instruments. Surprisingly, even in the high-performance segment, significant efficiency differences exist. That means you can become more sustainable by saving reagents, reducing maintenance, and optimizing time when choosing the right instruments. Let us review some inspiring examples to provide you with a sense of what could be of help to you: Mass Spectrometry Some MS systems use nitrogen to remove solvent from ions in the ionization source. More efficient source designs and optimized desolvation processes can reduce this consumption. For instance, Waters’ ESI mass spectrometers require a gas flow of 20–23 L/min, compared to other systems that use up to 77 L/min. In fact, older instruments consume liquid nitrogen even in “standby” mode. At first glance, these numbers might seem negligible, but consider that in core facilities, instruments typically run for 8 hours each working day, 200 workdays à year (=48000 hours): > Traditional Operation: 77 L/min × 48,000 min = 3,696,000 L > Sustainable Operation: 23 L/min × 48,000 min = 1,140,800 L In many industrial settings, instruments operate 24/7, enabling more than 23 Million liters of Nitrogen savings! On Top, modern instrument come with vacuum pumps that achieve comparable pumping capacities at only 500 watts, whereas traditional oil pumps consume between 1,500 and 3,000 watts. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) In HPLC, several innovations have emerged. For example, solid-core particles or halving column length and particle size enable more efficient separations, reducing run times by up to 50%. = This also means 50% less solvent use and energy consumption compared to conventional machines. However, one of the most exciting advancements exists in column diameter. While conventional LC-UV instruments still use 4.6-mm inner diameter (i.d.) columns, switching to 2.1-mm i.d. columns can reduce solvent consumption by up to 80%. Although extra column dispersion or internal backpressure can become a challenge, even more forgiving alternatives with 3.0-mm i.d. columns save about 60% of mobile phase use. Considering that approximately 150 million kilograms of methanol and acetonitrile are used annually, these changes could save 50 million kilograms—the equivalent weight of 10 Eiffel Towers! Investigating Protein Interactions – SPR Beyond time and reagents use, efficient handling of samples is key. Older SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) instruments that enable the study of affinity of two ligands require approximately 150 µL of sample. Newer models, such as the Alto, reduce this amount to just 2 µL while requiring lower protein concentrations overall. Although the concrete sustainability of this innovation has to be judged based on Life Cycle Analysis data, this instrument runs on DMF-powered cartridges, meaning it has no internal fluidics. As a result, maintenance and repair requirements for this part are eliminated altogether. Imagine the reduced stress when less sample volume is needed, and expensive service calls are avoided—not to mention the lower carbon footprint associated with fewer service expert visits. How This Knowledge Helps You: Reagent use, running time, and sample preparation requirements are often undervalued when searching for new instruments. Importantly, faster processing speeds have compounding effects: reduced energy use, less heat generation, and therefore lower HVAC demands. To evaluate the sustainability of equipment, consider these 5 core factors: A personal tip: think outside the box. Don’t opt for the standard, instead choose what benefits you. For example, nowadays, very short 10×2.1 mm cartridge columns in HPLC systems are available. They save up to 88% of running time and 70% of solvent. However, they come with a lower resolution. If you need peaks as sharp as possible this is nothing for you. If you use an LC-MS system, broader peaks are not an issue, however, saving time, money and waste is. | Ultimately, the question is whether we want to embrace optimization or stick with the conventional. You want to learn more about how to make laboratories sustainable by enhancing workflows?Then sign up for our weekly “Sustainability Snack” that outlines case studies, helpful tools and step-by-step guides for free.
Saving >62% Plastic Waste in SDS-PAGEs
Imagine you could save the weight of a chocolate bar in plastic every time you conduct an experiment! Today I want to convince you that this is certainly possible. Let us discover how much waste we can save every time we prepare an SDS-PAGE, a rather short and straightforward protocol – nevertheless, there is a lot of potential for optimization! Work Smart, Not Hard Always create as many gels as possible and as few as necessary. This means that if you are planning to run multiple SDS-PAGEs within the next week, prepare 2 or 4 gels at a time.-> Advantage: This will halve or reduce to a quarter the amount of waste and time used. Following The Right Order Use the following pipetting order from dedicated stocks to reuse one serological pipette instead of three (cutting your waste by one-third): Ensure the volumes for each are large enough to pipette conveniently.-> You cut your waste by one-third and save the time required to exchange pipettes. Note: Be sure to use best practices and expel the liquid completely. The risk of contamination is minimal since you only take up fluid (without mixing), and this wouldn’t be a concern anyway, as you use dedicated stocks. However, we still aim to work as carefully as possible. For SDS, 10% | N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) | Ammonium persulfate (APS), you use a single tip for each. Traditional Approach Sustainable Approach 28.323 g vs. 10.383 g -> 63% reduction Keep Them With You Each time you reuse your Falcon tubes (Tris buffers, acrylamide – SDS is often stored in a single 15 mL tube, APS and TEMED in smaller tubes), you cut down your waste even further. For us, reusing them for half a year has never caused any issues. However, for simplicity, let’s assume you reuse them 10 times: Traditional Approach Sustainable Approach 384.9 g vs. 38.5 g -> 90% savings = Combined, these measures save more than 350 g of plastic, equivalent to the weight of 3.5 chocolate bars – just in plastic waste! Note: We need 2x 50 mL tubes to mix our gels, so for each approach, add 25.66 g of waste to the total. Bonus TipHow do you know when your gel has polymerized sufficiently?Since it is advisable to prepare a bit of excess solution in case you spill something or your apparatus is not entirely sealed, keep this remainder in your preparation tube. You will know the gel has polymerized when the leftover solution sets.(Of note, polymerized gel is much less toxic than the liquid form, so never discard it into the sink!) You can then leave the gel in the tube or throw it out later and reuse the tube. If you remove the gel, just be gentle and ensure no clumps are left behind. If in doubt, it’s better to discard the tube! Weight of Items We Used (varies by manufacturer)
Reducing Energy Consumption In Laboratories
The university of Cambridge spent approximately 19 million pounds on energy in 2018. On average, about 60-75% of all energy is consumed by laboratories. Therefore, these steps, can significantly cut down on energy consumption while maintaining high standards of research and operation: 1. Develop a Comprehensive Energy Plan Pro Tip: Optimize Equipment Readiness: Measure how long it takes for your equipment to get ready and share this information in a collaborative Excel sheet with your team. This will help you plan better and avoid leaving equipment running longer than necessary. 2. Smart Purchasing Decisions 3. Optimize Settings Pic energy consumption from last time pdf with S-labs consumption of HVAC vs others 4. Efficient Equipment Usage 5. Regular Maintenance 6. Collaborative Sharing 7. Optimize Equipment