Our small service laboratory has recently experienced a nearly ten-fold increase in HPLC usage, which has outpaced our current waste collection setup. At present, we’re using a 5-gallon Justrite safety can connected to the system, but this capacity will soon be insufficient.
We’re looking to upgrade our waste collection and storage system to safely handle the increased volume between EH&S pickups. Specifically, we’d appreciate any practical tips on:
- Scaling up waste containers: Are larger carboys with engineered caps and vapor filters a viable step up?
- Safe transfer protocols: What’s the best way to transfer waste from collection containers to smaller storage ones (or vice versa) without risking spills or exposure?
- Secondary containment: What materials and setups are recommended to prevent leaks or accidental tipping?
Any insights or product recommendations from labs that have managed similar growth would be incredibly helpful.
thank you
Albina
Albina Mikhaylova,
Kindly connect for waste management on following email
[email protected] and Nikhil Borgaonkar Mobile number +91 9821230231
Use larger chemically resistant containers with secure caps and vapor filters, transfer waste using closed fittings and secondary containment trays to prevent spills, and ensure secondary containment holds at least 100% of the container volume for safe, compliant HPLC waste management.
Have you considered other ways to reduce your waste volume? For example...
(1) Scaling DOWN your chromatography methods to use narrow bore columns, reducing the overall flow rate, but resulting in the same retention factor(s) and separation? For example, an approximate five-fold reduction in mobile phase usage/flow rate (which also means there is a five-fold reduction in waste solution) can be obtained if the HPLC column diameter is approximately halved. Redeveloping a method optimized for a 4.6 mm ID column on a 2.1 mm ID column (same particle size and support) is one way to accomplish this. Link: "HPLC Column Cross-Sectional Area and Scaling"; [ https://hplctips.blogspot.com/2020/04/hplc-column-cross-sectional-area-and.html ]
(2) Re-developing the same method on a column with a smaller particle size. Reducing the particle size may result in the same separation in less time. Less time equals less mobile phase per analysis. Link: "HPLC to UHPLC Conversion Notes (Column Dimensions, Flow Rate, Injection Volume & System Dispersion)";[ https://hplctips.blogspot.com/2011/07/hplc-to-uhplc-conversion-notes.html ].
- In contract laboratories, these are some of the many changes we employ to analyze samples more efficiently AND save money on solvent purchase and waste disposal costs.
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