Sustainability

Sustainability in Biomedical Research

Labs

Products

R&D

Education

Advocacy

BioFuels5. Resourcing waste

4. Regulatory issues

1. Responsible manufacturing

2. Innovating change

3. Affecting responsibility

5 Missions of Mt. Baker Bio

Mt. Baker Bio Brain Trust

In Essence

• The sheer audacity and bravado of our industry.

• Real solutions readily available now. Today.

• New possibilities addressing the inherent problems involved.

• A call to arms.

ContentsWaste

Resource Recovery

Responsible Manufacturing

Green Chemistry

Refining our practices

Laboratory Waste

Waste Volume/Weight

Shoe String Budgets

Waxing Philosophical

• R&D significantly impacts the solid waste stream & emissions• No clear plan to address the future need of a field heavily

dependent on fossil fuel based consumables

• Any improvement in our practices must not come at added expense• Are we creating the very diseases we are set out to prevent/cure?

• Economic downturns and limited NIH funding• Spiraling costs of manufactured products/services• Paying through the nose for waste disposal

Our Biomedical Community

2. Limited Studies Identifying Impact Sheer volume and content of lab waste is lacking

1. Lack of Accountability EPA Describes only market sectors, not institutions Institutions not able to track labs/buildings/dept.’s

2009

2010

2011

No one is in charge

?

??

???

????

Accounting for our waste

?2008

Our Impact Sorted Out

33%Plastics

18% Paper

& Card-board

4%9%

13%

1%

19%

3%

PlasticsPaper & CardboardGlass & SharpChemicalBiologicalRadioactiveWater UsageElectronic

Based on VolumeAnnette Gagliano, University of Toronto Sustainability OfficeCentre for Environment April 2010

Single Use DisposablesSingle Use Disposables

1955 Life Magazine:Throwaway Living!

Durability

Thermoplastics

Polystyrene

Polypropylene

Polycarbonate

Repurposing Plastics

• PETE & HDPE most likely to be reused

• PP, PS and No.7 difficult to recycle

• 80% of US recycling is sent overseas

• <8% of all plastics find their way back into the lifecycle

Birth DefectsCancer

Endocrine Disruption

Central Nervous System Effects

Cadmium

Bis (2-3thylhexyl) phthalate

Di-n-Octyl phthalate (DOP)

butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Bisphenol A (BPA)

Click to add Title

Click to add Title

tris 1-chloro-2-propyl (TCPP)

hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)

Halogenated fire retardants (FRs)

Text in here

Harmful Additives

Listing just a few…

Plasticizers

Stabilizers

Blowing Agents

Not all Plastics are Equal

Repurposing?

Simply considering “recoverability”

of raw materials goes a longway in improving repurposing

Resource Recovery

Best Worst

Responsible Manufacturing

Consideration of Consequences

Degradable Plastics

Compostable Low impact

Renewable source

Positives Negatives

UnstableCostly

Carbohydrates

Fossil Fuel Sources for Plastics: Crude & Natural Gas

VirginMedical Grade

Plastic

9 months to

10 years

Identical to Industry StandardDegrades

only in landfills

Resource Recovery

Items

Rate of Degradation

Performance

Origin

Durability

Methane capture in LFGE sites

Single UseDisposables

Designed to Degrade Plastics BIO D2DTM

BioD2D

Mt. Baker Bio D2D Products

Mt. Baker Bio D2D PerformanceSterilization:Gamma irradiated

RNAse Testing:Free from RNAse contamination.

DNAse Testing:Free from DNAse contamination.

Centrifugation:No damage for 30 minutes @20K g

Boiling/Autoclaving: +90 min.

Freezing:  Conicals -80C, Microtubes -121C

Leachates:Spectrophotometric absorbance, mass spec analysis and HPLC.

Protein Binding:  No detectable differences

Phenol/Ethanol Reactivity:  None

Enzymatic Inhibition: None  

Mt. Baker Bio D2D DegradationASTM D5511 3rd Party TestingAccelerated bioreactor and real-time landfill testing

Degradation Time Estimates:9 months to 10 years predicated on the thickness of the plastic.

Conditions Required for Degradation:The BIO D2D additive causes plastic to biodegrade through a series of chemical and biological processes when disposed of in a microbe-rich environment such as a landfill. It causes the plastic to be attractive to the microbes, and allows the plastic to be consumed by the microorganisms as a source of energy.

By-Products of Degradation:When an organic material biodegrades, the byproducts are: humus, methane and carbon dioxide. When BIO D2D plastics biodegrade the byproducts are the same as any organic material.

D2D Cost

Green Chemistry

Green Chemistry

__________For Labs_________• Safer Organic Compounds

• Alternatives for Radioisotopes

• Non-mutagenic Stains

• Safe Agarose

• Low energy FBS

____For Manufacturers____• Employing Plastics No.1 & 2

• Redesign Packaging

• Responsible Manufacturing

• Responsible Shipping

• Empowering D2D

Green Chemistry: Safer Chemical Alternatives

MIT’s Green ChemicalAlternatives Wizard

http://ehs.mit.edu/greenchem/

GoGreen Nucleic Acid

Stain

Limitations of alternatives

Blue Light Transilluminator

• Limited sensitivity

• DMSO• High cost of

disposal

• Nontoxic• Comparable

sensitivity with UV

• Better sensitivity with Blue Light

• Safer than UV for sample and user

• Further enhances goGreen sensitivity

• Low cost• Conversion kit

option

Ethidium Bromide

The Problem

• Mutagenic activity• High cost of

disposal• Commonly used

with UV light

Green Chemistries

Green Chemistry:Alternatives for Radioisotopes

ZIVA-CPA 3HTdR-Free Proliferation Assay• 200x more sensitive than H-th3ymidine. • Ziva has been used to detect 1-4 proliferating cells in a background of 100,000 non-proliferating cells

ZIVA-TOX 51Cr-Free Cytotoxicity Assay• Fewer target cells required, as low as 1,000• Fewer effector cells required—significant killing at lower E:T ratios• Lower background / Higher signals— extremely low E:T ratios

Green Chemistry: Proliferation Assays

Ziva vs. 3HtdR (Stim. Index) 1-5 cell Detection (in 105 spelnocytes)

Short or Long Labeling Ziva vs. MTS (% Inhibition)

Green Chemistry: Killing Assays

Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity

Chemotoxic Effects ADCC/Apoptosis

Green Chemistry:Open for Suggestions

Replacing Guanidine Isothiocyanate?

Time dating?

Eschewing lab animals?

Opening up the books for manufacturing?

Resource Recovery

Landfill Recycling• Sequester greenhouse gasses associated with degradation

• Liability of materials• Leaching to

groundwater

• Generates energy, fuel, fatty acids, and opportunities for new green chemistries

• Driven by market value

• Concept great in principal

• Waste volume reduced >90%• Reduction of liability• Emissions• Single biggest global contributor of

dioxins• Residual toxic ash

Resource Recovery

Incineration

• Most lab plastics not manufactured with valuable material

• Third party involvement and sorting can lead to liability risk

• True end of life solution• No emissions or residual toxics• Highly efficient

Resource Recovery

Resource RecoveryGasification

• 100% conversion of waste to SynGas

• No emissions, carbon negative

• Polymers reduced to monomeric form

• Capable of pharmaceutical waste

• 90% efficiency, immensely scalable

• Port of Sacramento

SynGasUltra Pure Liquid Fuel

Fatty AcidsCarbon chain extension???

Refining Practices

Disseminate best

practices

Disseminate best

practices

Maximize participationMaximize

participation

Engage researchers

to drive innovation

Engage researchers

to drive innovation

Real change starts when you engage scientists at the bench

Making Connections:

Green Lab Program

Face-to-face consultation Metrics Videos Community engagement Seminars

AffectChange

Education – a top priority

Top 20 Things Your Lab Can Doto Reduce its Carbon Footprint

1. Reduce your Hazardous Waste Stream2. Recycle and Re-purpose your Hazardous Items3. Reduce your Non-Hazardous Waste Stream4. Recyclables

5. Energy Conservation6. Reducing Lighting7. Use Water Conservation Plumbing Fixtures8. Refurbished Lab Equipment9. Incorporate Degradable Plastic Alternatives10. Maximize the Number of Purchasing Contacts

Offering Green Solutions

11. Reconsider your Chemicals12. Clean House and Manage Samples13. Medical Supplies14. Promote Natural Resources15. Incentivize Efforts Amongst your Peers16. Education is the Key17. Green Up the Office Areas18. Locate your Nearest Recycling Center19. Reduce Transportation Costs20. Spread the Word

Energy Conservation: LEERLab Energy Efficiency Report

Limitations of truly quantifying waste problem

Centralize sustainability efforts

Ensuring regulatory compliance

Metrics ReportingGreen purchasingResource recovery

Best practices

BioWasteTrackerTM

Accountability

SEEDs Alliance

BIO D2DTM lab plasticsReduced packaging

Safer nucleic acid stains, kits, assays,

plastics

Green Lab Program Biowaste Tracker™

Education and Accountability

Clean fuel and building blocks for plastics

production

A Truly Closed-Loop System

Manufacturing

Green Chemistry

Resource Recovery

RenewableEnergy

Green is Global

Don’t Walk Away Empty Handed

Deeply consider your lab impact on the environment

Take ownership on your procedures, actions and protocols

Be Walmart

Communicate and share your progress

Notice my sleeves. They are rolled up.

"It is the responsibility of scientists today to create asustainable future for scientists of tomorrow."

©Copyright by 2012 Sustainable Labs 360 . All rights reserved