Tag: My Green Lab

Why Labs Are Looking to More Environmentally Responsible Instruments

Laboratories, often associated with high energy consumption and waste production, are under pressure to adopt more sustainable practices. As the world increasingly focuses on sustainability, the scientific community has a significant role to play. It’s not only about the research to help guide the world on how to be more environmentally conscious, it’s also about labs themselves being more environmentally responsible and setting the example.

Agilent Technologies, a leader in life sciences and diagnostics, has been at the forefront of the movement in the scientific community. Recently, Agilent won two sustainability awards, underscoring their commitment to environmentally friendly lab instruments. This recognition raises an important question:

Why are sustainable lab instruments important, and how can we verify their environmental friendliness?

 

How sustainable is your lab

It’s no surprise that high energy consumption, extensive use of water and chemicals, and generation of hazardous waste gives labs a significant environmental impact. Labs can consume three to ten times more energy than office buildings due to the operation of energy-intensive equipment and the need for stringent climate control. This substantial environmental footprint underscores the importance of adopting sustainable practices and technologies to mitigate these impacts and promote a more eco-friendly approach to scientific research.

There are regulatory compliance, legislative and business operation reasons why labs are trying to change their environmental impact. A sustainable lab can reduce its operating costs and optimise its resources. Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability can enhance a lab’s reputation and fulfil corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals. Finally, sustainable practices often involve the use of safer materials and chemicals, reducing potential health risks for lab personnel.

Look at your lab’s instruments

One area of lab operations that needs focus for sustainability is the analytical instruments. Environmentally conscious product design is a central feature of Agilent’s business. Their instruments are engineered to improve sustainability in a holistic way — from product design and manufacturing to usage and disposal.

At the 2023 Sustainability Scientists’ Choice awards, Agilent won Sustainable Supplier of the Year and Sustainable Product of the Year. The Agilent Cary 3500 Flexible UV-Vis Spectrophotometer also received the award for Sustainable Product of the Year in the reducing consumables and reagents category. The Cary 3500 Flexible UV-Vis is a double-beam spectrophotometer with superior photometric performance. This instrument is also ACT label accredited, demonstrating a commitment to environmentally responsible practices and adherence to sustainability standards.

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Agilent Cary 3500 UV-Vis

 

The ACT label

The ACT (Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency) Label is a recognised standard for evaluating the environmental impact of laboratory products. Managed by My Green Lab, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the sustainability of scientific research, the ACT Label provides transparent information on the environmental impact of lab products throughout their lifecycle. The ACT Label assesses factors such as energy consumption, water usage, end-of-life disposal, packaging, and manufacturing impact. By providing detailed information on a product’s environmental impact, the ACT Label helps labs choose products that align with their sustainability goals.

Quick note: Agilent’s My Green Lab initiative is another significant effort to promote sustainability in laboratories. This program focuses on integrating sustainable practices into everyday lab operations and product design.

Making an eco-choice

At Chemetrix, we are asked why labs should choose sustainable instruments and consumables. It’s because sustainable products offer:

  • Durability and reliability: Sustainable products are often designed for longevity, reducing the frequency of replacements and associated waste.
  • Future-proofing: As regulations become stricter, investing in sustainable products ensures compliance with future environmental standards, protecting labs from potential legal and financial penalties.
  • Enhanced performance: Sustainable products often incorporate the latest technologies and innovations, leading to improved performance and efficiency.

Download the eBook on how to Maintain Sustainability While Meeting your GC and GC/MS Efficiency and Productivity Goals >

Reducing the environmental impact of labs is going beyond turning down the air-conditioning and switching to recyclable consumables. It’s a paradigm shift for the lab as a whole, with the employees committing to do as much as possible to achieve the lab’s sustainability goals. As the scientific community continues to prioritise sustainability, the adoption of environmentally friendly lab instruments will be integral to advancing both scientific research and environmental stewardship.

 

Nuclear Fusion: A Vision for Clean Energy

On 13 December 2022, the U.S. Secretary of Energy announced a major scientific breakthrough from a Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratory: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California has carried out the first nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain in the context of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) project.

 

What is nuclear fusion?

Nuclear fusion is a reaction that powers our main source of light and energy: the sun, as well as other stars. In the reaction, two (or more) atomic nuclei – encompassing protons and neutrons – fuse to form larger nuclei while releasing energy. This energy release occurs because the total mass of the resulting nuclei is less than the mass of the original nuclei that were fused. The leftover mass becomes energy that can be used to run a turbine-electrical power generator.

 

Making a star on Earth to create energy

Research scientists are attempting to recreate nuclear fusion – the reaction in which stars of our universe are generated – on Earth because the reaction can create enormous amounts of energy.
For nuclear fusion to occur, stellar-like temperatures (i.e., 100 million+ degrees) must be achieved. This process forces the positively charged nuclei to form plasma within a contained vector, overcome their repulsion by moving independently at speeds of around 1,000 km/s, and fuse.

Theoretically, if the energy generated from lab-controlled nuclear fusion could be harnessed and effectively stored on a global scale, this technology could transform how we fuel our homes, businesses, and vehicle transportation. The reaction is so efficient that 1 kg of fusion fuel could provide the same amount of energy as 10 million kg of fossil fuel.

 

Urgent demand for clean energy

Since the 19th century, Earth’s temperature has increased by approximately 1.1 °C. The amount of carbon dioxide has risen by 50% because greenhouse gases have been released from fossil fuels burnt for energy.

Average temperature increases should not exceed 1.5 °C by the start of the 22nd century, scientists are warning. However, there is an urgent demand for clean energy implementation on a global scale, as a UN report from October 2022 predicts Earth’s temperature will rise by at least 2.4 °C by 2100.4

 

An emerging solution for clean energy

Research scientists in this field highlight the fact that nuclear fusion may be the solution for generating clean energy while mitigating the effects of global warming. The process does not rely on using energy sourced from fossil fuels and does not produce greenhouse gas pollutants or long-lived radioactive waste. Fusion reactor materials can also be recycled or re-used within 100 years.

In essence, nuclear fusion provides a vision toward clean and low-price energy that is within our grasp, and which one day may be able to support our daily lives, economies, and technological evolutions.

 

A milestone achievement at LLNL

On 5 December 2022, the LLNL team at its National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted a nuclear fusion experiment that resulted in a milestone achievement to date: energy breakeven – meaning that the experiment produced more energy than required to initiate the process.
The breakthrough represents a historic moment; it comes at a much-needed time, as the world faces high and unstable energy prices and unprecedented effects of global warming due to continual, global fossil-fueled energy use.

NIF development and testing spans over 50 years, and the facility leads the international laser fusion scientific community where other experiments operate, such as the Japanese FIREX and SG-III in China.

 

Advancing the research field

Now that LLNL’s research team has successfully demonstrated net-energy gain from a nuclear fusion experiment, there are still some technical challenges to overcome, such as:

  1. Replicating the experiment – if the conditions of the reaction are not favourable, it halts
  2. Further optimisation of all reaction conditions while ensuring that all components are robust enough to withstand the extreme environment necessary for nuclear fusion to occur
  3. Yielding and extracting an even higher energy output from the nuclear fusion reaction

The next R&D phase at LLNL – as well as associated research labs – will most likely involve replication and method development to achieve higher energy gains, and make advancements toward longer-term commercial viability. When it comes to vacuum technology support, Agilent products and expertise will continue to play an important role in advancing this research field.

 

In the meantime, sustainable lab solutions

While work continues to produce clean energy, what we can do now is make better choices that are in line with sustainability goals. Partnered with My Green Lab, Agilent supports scientists in achieving their lab sustainability goals. Several Agilent instruments also carry My Green Lab certification.

The opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of labs through smarter purchases is tremendous. By procuring instruments and products that will reduce waste, reduce energy consumption, reduce solvent/consumable consumption, and last longer (reducing the need to buy and discard more instruments), laboratories can operate in a more environmentally sustainable way.

Speak to a consultant at Chemetrix to learn more about sustainable instruments with technology that can help your lab achieve its sustainability goals. View our products to learn more about technology that’ll save energy and other resources for a more efficient lab.