To avoid plastic waste, reagent spills, and workplace injuries, labs should start thinking about alternative liquid dispensing solutions to maximize lab efficiency

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Rebecca Lampert, Product Manager at BrandTech

Efficiency is vital for any lab to function at its best. Running an efficient lab will be a challenging and complex task for just about any lab manager – with continuous pressure placed on staff to ensure operations run as smoothly as possible. Nevertheless, despite such challenges, it is usually vital that scientists working within the lab are able in order to perform tasks as efficiently and as safely as you possibly can. The majority of lab work requires the particular scientist/technician to work long hours, conduct repetitive tasks, such as pipetting, plus stand on their feet for extended periods associated with time. This means that workplace incidents, fatigue, stress, and increased human error are more likely in order to occur. It  is important that will each operator is able to perform each of their many routine jobs as securely as you can, whilst preventing injury.  

For instance, pipettes are one of the most commonly used tools in modern laboratories. Pipetting and dispensing liquids are highly repetitive laboratory tasks, which are conducted routinely. Operators who spend extended periods associated with time pipetting can develop a number of fatigue-related issues, such as joint pain, repetitive strain injury (RSI), tendinitis, plus back stress – relating to poor posture. Notably, many of these issues can be related to the skill and expertise of the user, however , this is not always the case. Fortunately, technological advancements have now enabled operators to use cutting-edge technology in order to help protect them from injury and improve their posture, without compromising upon accuracy – so users can work as safely because possible.  

Plus, it is important that labs put in place the correct productive processes and resources to optimize quality results and effectiveness, while also minimizing wasted time plus promoting safety. To improve safety and protect the particular environment, it may only require a few simple changes to create big and impactful results. As labs strive to boost throughput and shrink research timelines, a fast-emerging issue is becoming more apparent – the sheer volume of waste being generated within research settings. Many labs are now driven in order to create greener working environments by adopting more eco-friendly products plus processes. For instance, consumables and pipettes using disposable tips quickly fill up waste bins, so that as busy scientists handle large reagent bottles, splatters and wastage become more frequent and hazardous.  

In this exclusive interview, we speak along with Rebecca Lampert, Product Manager at BrandTech ^® Scientific, while she shares actionable steps that can help labs reduce waste materials, while promoting safety and convenience by providing customers with instruments to build a more lasting and safer workplace.

Scientists around the world are becoming more aware of the volume of waste becoming generated in the lab daily. What are usually some ways to minimize waste?

RL: Waste is definitely, unfortunately, a big part associated with the research industry. The research workflow contributes to waste of both consumables and chemicals. Therefore, any kind of efforts we can take to minimize waste materials and maintain security standards are imperative. Even a small replacement associated with plastic consumables goes a long way. For example , simply by using the bottle top dispenser instead of numerous plastic tips, it’s possible to eliminate one part of the particular workflow that would normally require several plastic suggestions. Quality bottle top dispensers are furthermore long-lasting, so waste reduction compounds over time.  

Why would someone want in order to use the Dispensette ^® S container top dispenser in their lab, and are they a safe option for the lab?  

RL: Dispensette S bottle top dispensers contribute to waste reduction by dispensing accurate volumes of reagents without having requiring new plastic ideas every time. Additionally, throwing out contaminated reagent bottles can be often a wasteful expenditure for labs. By limiting the regular opening plus closing associated with reagent bottles, contamination can be prevented. Moreover, precious, and expensive materials could be correctly dispensed each time, so volumes remain precise across experiments and the results are reproducible. In turn, this means fewer repeats.

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Labs are reliant on disposable and sterile equipment, which has resulted in an increase of plastic waste, along with high-cost outgoings.

Another concern for labs is certainly safety. The particular lab environment can be a hazardous place to work both in terms of workers being exposed to numerous hazardous chemical substances as well as musculoskeletal stresses through incessant pipetting.  

Incorporating a simple bottle best dispenser resolves both these problems – it protects the particular user from accidental container spills, and also relieves them from having to go back and forth between the reagent bottle and test tubes or microplates.

Regularly opening bottles to aliquot reagent quantities can also lead to leaks and contamination. If material is spilled, it can be financially wasteful. If the chemical is dangerous, it may affect the consumer. The laboratory will then end up wasting time restoring the atmosphere to protection.

Can you share a couple of examples where bottle top dispensers were utilized as the sustainable, safe, or easy-to-use dispensing option for a lab?  

RL: Two interesting applications come to mind. One is attaching the Dispensette S to the large reagent drum. So, instead of trying to lift heavy liquid or buying an costly apparatus in order to work with a huge volume, the Dispensette S dispenses straight from the particular drum. This can furthermore help to reduce place of work injuries. An additional interesting use of the Dispensette H has been extracting samples inside the cannabis industry. Scientists have taken advantage of the particular flexible discharge tube in order to easily fill racks of tubes rather than having to bring each tube to the dispenser. Plus, the Dispensette S is designed to be utilized by one hand, so the other is available to navigate that flexible discharge tube.

Can you share some design features that labs need to consider when selecting container top dispensers?

RL: With regard to some ‘good to have’ features associated with bottle top dispensers, in general, it’s recommended that you choose an easy-to-use dispenser with a simple, effective, and ergonomic design.

Regarding example, our Dispensette T and Dispensette ^® S Organic bottle best dispensers can be used with one hand while maintaining the highest safety standards, therefore the other hand is free with regard to other experimental steps. Within particular, the floating piston design forms a zero-wear sealing system to prevent spills, plus the integrated recirculation valve allows priming without wasting any chemical substances. Additionally, the hinged and threaded basic safety cap is built into both analog plus digital versions so that will the release tube is covered to prevent unintentional dishing out while not really in active use. In terms of making pipetting more ergonomic desk, BrandTech supports the design associated with high-quality products that reduce manual strain from the repeated tasks that scientists are usually burdened along with every day in the lab.

Whenever a new water handling apparatus is purchased, there is one question on everyone’s mind: How much period (or effort) will this need for maintenance?

RL: I think that the readers will be happy in order to hear that will BRAND™ products are mindfully made to last a long time within the lab and to be servicing friendly. Which means that our jar top dispensers are as easy as possible to clean and autoclave. They can be easily taken apart for cleaning. Each product’s operating manual comes with recommended cleaning procedures that labs can simply follow.

Because the liquid handling business has progressed, both high throughput and scale have become the emphasis. However, this also means improved waste. So , what steps are companies taking to make liquid handling more environmentally friendly and environmentally friendly?

RL: That’s a great question. There will continue to be an emphasis on environmentally friendly automated options for liquid handling. We work diligently to safeguard the environment. Our manufacturing process focuses on reducing waste plus recycles the particular remaining waste materials that can’t be avoided. We’ve also set our sustainability goal to reduce our carbon footprint simply by 70% by the year 2030.