From the disposal of samples to the wash-down of equipment, the sterilisation of liquid waste is a daily occurrence within laboratories. What is more, with a rapidly expanding biotechnologies sector, the need to find cleaner ways of sterilising liquid waste before disposal is of ever-growing importance.
Over the last century, treating wastewater with chorine-based disinfectants has been commonplace. It is only in recent years that an awareness of the hazard potential of such activity has become apparent. With only 100-300 μgL of residual chlorine shown to be toxic to aquatic life, actions aimed at removing pathogens may be resulting in destruction of life in our waterways. While tools like UV sterilisers can be an effective alternative to chemical sterilisation, they are only effective with crystal clear liquids. Murkier solutions – especially those with fragments of opaque solids in – cannot be traversed by the sterilising light.
AstellBio’s solution is different. Through using penetrative heat, AstellBio’s thermal EDS neutralise all biologically active material, no matter the clarity of the wastewater. This technique of thermal sterilisation, adopted from AstellBio’s sister company – Astell Scientific – provides a simple and effective method of decontamination, requiring only the input of electricity.
Yet this technology is not new; AstellBio Thermal EDS have operated in businesses around the globe for decades, with each unit processing thousands of litres of wastewater daily. The change comes in scale. AstellBio’s new range of products, the AstellBio Sink, Micro EDS, and AstellBio Sink & Autoclave Combo, are the Lilliputian cousins of their industrial-sized counterparts.
The Micro EDS forms the heart of the range. Capable of sterilising 9L of wastewater every 45 minutes, the diminutive unit can be plumbed into the effluent output of a wide range of appliances. The AstellBio Sink takes this concept further, providing a fitted basin and automatic tap – allowing users to wash materials down the sink with the assurance that the wastewater will be sterilised before it is dispatched to the drain. Completing the series is the AstellBio Sink & Autoclave Combo, adding an Astell top-loading autoclave alongside the Sink, allowing instruments and solid waste to be sterilised simultaneously with the wastewater.
“Sterilising wastewater has never been safer or easier” said AstellBio Sales & Marketing Director, Paul Birchmore. “These compact devices bring thermal wastewater sterilisation to a whole new audience, and we are proud to provide clean disinfection solutions research laboratories.”