Better science with improved efficiency

Can laboratories really perform better science with improved efficiency and lower environmental impact? The results of the 2015 S-Lab Awards suggests that they can – but doing so requires a rethink of traditional design and operation

This has been done by the winner of the Refurbished Laboratory category, the Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory (MCL) at the University of Glasgow. This has combined a sympathetic restoration of a grade A listed building with high energy efficiency and advanced science, in the form of poly-thematic approaches to drug discovery, bio-molecular markers, and translational medicine. The MCL fosters and facilitates collaboration by combining organo-synthesis, peptide synthesis, and tissue/cell culture/microbiology assays within a single facility. Close links with the MRC Centre for Virus Research, The Beatson Cancer Research Unit, and Stratified Medicine Scotland now means that new drugs can be developed from concept to patient delivery entirely within the Glasgow city limits.

The capital cost (of plant) and the energy consumption associated with fume cupboards has been halved by installing VAV fume cupboards and controlling supply air volumes based on average sash heights; reducing their face velocity from 0.5m/s to 0.3m/s; restricting sash height opening to 400mm rather than 500mm; a PIR sash auto closing system (with local override controls); and a fume extract heat recovery coil. Initial payback calculations indicated a simple payback period of 3-4 years compared with traditional designs.

Water use is also greatly reduced through use of ‘Findensers’ (which remove heat from reflux reactions with an air cooled heat sink and have a payback of only 2.1 years) and re-circulating chillers for rotary evaporators. The latter cool very quickly so that less heat is needed to evaporate solvents.

Graham Tobasnick, Head of Technical Services in the School of Chemistry, believes that “the transformed laboratory and office environment has had a very positive impact on staff, students and visitors that has greatly aided recruitment and the development of internal and external collaborations.”

Collaboration, efficiency and environmental performance have also been achieved by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (Maine, USA) and the University of New South Wales Tyree Energy Technologies Building (Australia), winners of the New Laboratory category for Research and Teaching/Mixed Use categories respectively. The Bigelow achieved the top Platinum status in the US LEED green building assessment scheme (equivalent to BREEAM in the UK) and has three ‘laboratory wings’ that are funded by different agencies and which merge within a shared ‘Commons’ to encourage collaboration. This is also supported by a core Single Cell Genomics Centre that can sequence DNA from uncultured microorganisms - the first of its kind in the world.

The Tyree Building provides a gateway to the UNSW campus and is an educational hub for undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students. It also provides a space where research, education and industry can collaborate in the development and implementation of sustainable energy technologies. Fittingly, the building was rated as the ‘greenest’ in Australia when it opened. The University of Michigan – winner of the Laboratory Environmental Improvement category – demonstrates how much can be done to reduce use of energy, chemicals and water at an operational level. It has developed a Sustainable Laboratory Certification Program and audited 110 labs. Achievements include a ‘Shut the Sash’ campaign that has saved $1.2 million pa of energy; local PIAB vacuum systems that have eliminated 200 water aspirators and created water savings of $280,000 pa; and recycling of 1500 gallons, and 500 lbs of surplus and unopened chemicals, annually saving $120,000 and $25,000 respectively on annual purchase and disposal costs.

Two other winners also combine efficiency with environmental improvement. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency won the Laboratory Informatics category for its work on advanced checking, analysis and visualisation of the millions of air, waste and, especially, water samples that it collects each year. To ensure that this data is used well it has developed automated QA and analysis processes embedded within its LIMS and database systems, and developed easy to use web based informatics tools and reports – using advanced visualisation techniques – for staff, stakeholders and the public.

Genano (Finland) won the Best New Laboratory Product category with its proprietary air purifiers which can remove all particles down to nanometer size. Rather than simply collecting unwanted particles, the technology also kills organic particles such as viruses and bacteria. It uses no filters and so does not lose cleaning and energy efficiency from clogging up, and is silent in operation. The synergies between efficiency and environment is best exemplified by ultracold freezers. At a fundamental level, Wageningen University (Netherlands) Plant Sciences Group – winner of the Laboratory Effectiveness Award – has rethought the concept to develop a new -80°C storage system with much longer freezer compartments than normal. The system has lowered energy use and storage costs and greatly reduced icing of samples and risk of damage to them in case of power cut or malfunction. Wageningen is now installing two similar storage systems and a local company Berg is offering them as a commercial product, Radix Polaris.

For conventional freezer technology, Allison Hunter – winner of the Making a Difference category – exemplifies the growing number of universities who are taking a systematic approach to their management and use. When at King’s College Allison first established an evidence base of how many freezers were in use (which turned out to be a lot more than anticipated), their age and their energy consumption. Armed with this, she worked with lab users and Estates to improve maintenance and sample tracking (so that unwanted samples were not being stored); raise operating temperatures to -80°C wherever possible; install Savawatt devices on older units; and ensure that new purchases were energy efficient. She is now repeating the experience in a new post at Imperial College. S-Lab has also distilled the learning of these and other universities into a four step ‘STEM’ approach that can be applied to all types of equipment as well as freezers (see box).

The author:

Peter James is Director of S-Lab, a not for profit initiative to support improved laboratory efficiency and effectiveness.

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All the examples mentioned will be the subject of presentations at S-Lab’s 2015 Conference on ‘Supporting World Class Science’, at the University of Leeds on September 16-17. See www.effectivelab.org.uk for more details of this, and the full 2015 Awards shortlist.