Liquid Waste Management for GMO Labs

Vigilance in waste management is essential for laboratories working with genetically modified organisms (GMOs); their unintentional spread potentially leading to environmental, biosecurity, and public perception disasters. As such, those working with GMOs are only too aware of the need to decontaminate and sterilise laboratory waste before disposal. 

The autoclave forms a stalwart defence against a GMOs outbreak from the laboratory setting, providing a trusted, time-tested method of sterilising organic material – and for equipment and solid waste their use is commonplace. Liquid waste forms a unique challenge, and chemical disinfection prior to handling, transit, and disposal is often used to minimise unintended release through spillage. Yet chemical disinfection requires time to take effect, and liquids must be temporarily stored during this process. What is more, chemical disinfectants pose health hazards to their users and the wider environment when wastewater enters waterways prior to the active elements breaking down.

The AstellBio Sink is an autoclave specifically for the purpose of sterilising liquid waste, and for reducing the requirement for chemical disinfection prior to autoclaving. The bench-height disposal point reduces the chance of spillage, after which all manual handling stages are entirely removed - the Sink holds, autoclaves, and disposes of the liquid waste automatically without manual input. What is more, each cycle is validatable using a spore test via an external biowell in the sterilisation tank. Contact AstellBio to discuss how the AstellBio Sink can enhance your GMO lab.

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