(59d) Promoting Resource Management in Teaching Laboratories: A Case Study for Effective Implementation of Sustainable Practices

Sustainability is on the agenda for organisations with growing public demand to address carbon emissions. Over the last three decades, the UK has reduced its emissions by 44% and is the first G7 to legislate the target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 [1]. A recent report by The Royal Society of Chemistry [2] states that laboratories are responsible for 60 – 65% of electricity consumption within research institutes. In contrast, some research laboratories produce large amounts of waste, which accounts for 1.8% of the world's plastic production. Hence, teaching laboratories are energy and resource-intensive by nature, and one must take a holistic approach to alleviate the environmental impact while maintaining the teaching activities' objectives.

We present a case study of a teaching laboratory accommodating over 40 experimental and characterisation facilities and auxiliary equipment serving three core undergraduate modules. The equipment operates over 600 hours annually, leading to high energy, water and solvent consumption. We adopted a three-step innovative approach to reduce the environmental footprint of the teaching laboratory by decreasing the energy, water and solvent consumption.

First, we utilised a hybrid Photovoltaic/Fuel cell microgrid system to generate 16 kW and a closed-loop heating/cooling system that serves the entire laboratory. Secondly, a pilot-scale ion exchange facility recycles wastewater and produces demineralised water. Finally, an experimental ecosystem is employed to recirculate the solvents and significantly reduce solvent purchases. The ecosystem will substantially aid in reducing fresh solvent usage from non-sustainable sources while achieving the learning outcome of practical education in an authentic setting.

The results of incorporating the three vital sustainable practices into teaching laboratory operations show the potential for significant reductions in energy, water, and solvent consumption and enhancing the learning outcomes.

References

[1] Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (2022) Net zero strategy: Build back greener, GOV.UK. GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy (Accessed: April 2, 2023).

[2] "Sustainable Laboratories - Practices to Reduce the Environmental Effects of Research." n.d. Royal Society of Chemistry. Accessed April 2, 2023. https://www.rsc.org/new-perspectives/sustainability/sustainable-laboratories/.