Carbon footprint of the analytical laboratory and the three-dimensional approach to its reduction

What is the carbon footprint of a common HPLC instrument per one measurement? How much will it increase when we use a mass detector instead of a spectrophotometer? What is the carbon footprint of an average laboratory in comparison to a household, petrol and electric cars, and group of people breathing simultaneously? How much do these results depend on the specifics of energy production in a given country? Is it possible to ensure the carbon neutrality of an advanced analytical method by using dedicated solar and wind farms? How large infrastructure is needed to supply the entire laboratory with green energy? What are the most reasonable activities which should be realized in the near future to reduce the environmental impact of analytical laboratories? This article attempts to answer these questions. The predictions are based on the simple measurements of the electricity consumption for selected laboratory instruments (separation techniques) and the commonly available statistical reports. The presented outcomes allow to imagine the magnitude of laboratory-related emissions. A future perspective is shown and discussed, embracing the three-dimensional space of possible efforts and the inclusion of energy consumption and associated carbon footprint as a mandatory validation criterion of new analytical methods

Developed and validated capillary isotachophoresis method for the rapid determining organic acids in childrens saliva

One of the current challenges facing researchers is the search for alternative biological material, as opposed to routinely and invasively collected (such as blood), as the analysis of the former would provide information about the state of human health, allowing for the diagnosis of diseases in their early stages. With the search for disease biomarkers in alternative materials, the development of newer analytical solutions has been observed. This study aims to develop a reliable analytical method using the capillary isotachophoresis technique for the determination of organic acids in children’s saliva, the presence/elevation of which can be used in the future for diagnostic purposes. Organic acids such as formic, lactic, acetic, propionic, and butyric acid, were determined in the saliva of healthy children without carious lesions. The limit of quantification determined in the validation process was found to vary from 0.05 to 1.56 mg/L, the recoveries at the two levels were determined to vary between 90% and 110% for level I, while for level II the corresponding values of 75% and 106% were found; the presentation, expressed as relative standard deviation values (RSD), did not exceed 5%. The parameters determined while validating the results method indicated that the obtained are reliable. The Red–Green–Blue (RGB) additive color model was used for the evaluation of the method. This comparative analysis allowed us to define the color of the method, which expresses whether it meets the given assumptions and requirements. According to the RGB model, the isotachophoresis method developed requires less reagent input, shorter sample preparation times, and results with lower energy consumption. Thus, the subject procedure may provide an alternative, routine tool for determining organic acids in human saliva, to be applied in the diagnosing of diseases of various etiological origins

Development of a method for the preparation of human milk samples for the determination of oligosaccharides by capillary electrophoresis with a laser-induced fluorescence detector

Mleko matki jest niezwykle ważnym (często jedynym) elementem pożywienia w pierwszych miesiącach życia niemowlęcia – zapewnia ono składniki odżywcze niezbędne do prawidłowego wzrostu i funkcjonowania rozwijającego się organizmu. Mleko kobiece jest roztworem, który zawiera w swoim składzie lipidy, białka, węglowodany, składniki mineralne i witaminy oraz czynniki wzrostu. Należy tutaj również wspomnieć o istotnym składniku jakim są oligosacharydy. Oligosacharydy mleka ludzkiego (HMOs) są jednym z głównych składników mleka matki, których sumaryczne stężenie może sięgać wartości rzędu 20 – 23 g/L w pierwszym mleku po porodzie – siarze. HMOs spełniają szereg istotnych zadań, m.in. pełnią funkcje prebiotyczne, bifidogenne oraz ochronne w walce z patogenami.Celem niniejszej pracy było opracowanie metody przygotowania próbek mleka ludzkiego pod kątem oznaczania oligosacharydów z wykorzystaniem techniki elektroforezy kapilarnej z detektorem wzbudzonej laserowo fluorescencji (CE-LIF). W tym celu zoptymalizowano proces derywatyzacji, poszukiwano optymalnego buforu separacyjnego oraz opracowano procedury przygotowania próbek mleka, które ostatecznie poddano analizie CE.Uzyskane podczas badań wyniki pozwoliły na wybranie odpowiedniego odczynnika redukującego wykorzystywanego w procesie derywatyzacji oraz buforów separacyjnych umożliwiających analizę próbek mleka. Przeprowadzono również identyfikację większości wybranych oligosacharydów oraz części cukrów prostych w badanym mleku kobiecym. Dowiedziono, że rodzaj stosowanej procedury przygotowania próbek mleka nie miał wpływu na separację oligosacharydów.Mother's milk is an extremely important (often the only one) element of nutrition in the first months of an infant's life - it provides the nutrients necessary for the proper growth and functioning of the developing organism. Human milk is a solution that contains lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins and growth factors. It should also be mentioned about the important components which oligosaccharides are. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are one of the most abundant ingredients of breast milk, whose total concentration can reach values of 20 – 23 g/L in the first milk after delivery – colostrum. HMOs fulfil a numerous important tasks, including prebiotic, bifidogenic and protective functions in the fight against pathogens.The aim of this research was to develop a method of preparing human milk samples for the determination of oligosaccharides using the capillary electrophoresis technique with a laser-induced fluorescence detector (CE-LIF). For this purpose, the derivatization process was optimized, the optimal separation buffer was searched and the procedures for the preparation of milk samples were developed, which were finally analyzed with CE.The results received during the research allowed for the selection of an appropriate reducing agent used in the derivatization process and separation buffers for the analysis of milk samples. The identification of the majority of selected oligosaccharides and a part of simple sugars in the tested human milk was also performed. It was proved that the type of used milk sample preparation procedure had no effect on the oligosaccharide separation

Raw data for the paper: "Carbon footprint of the analytical laboratory and the three-dimensional approach to its reduction"

What is the carbon footprint of a common HPLC instrument per one measurement? How much will it increase when we use a mass detector instead of a spectrophotometer? What is the carbon footprint of an average laboratory in comparison to a household, petrol and electric cars, and group of people breathing simultaneously? How much do these results depend on the specifics of energy production in a given country? Is it possible to ensure the carbon neutrality of an advanced analytical method by using dedicated solar and wind farms? How large infrastructure is needed to supply the entire laboratory with green energy? What are the most reasonable activities which should be realized in the near future to reduce the environmental impact of analytical laboratories? This article attempts to answer these questions. The predictions are based on the simple measurements of the electricity consumption for selected laboratory instruments (separation techniques) and the commonly available statistical reports. The presented outcomes allow to imagine the magnitude of laboratory-related emissions. A future perspective is shown and discussed, embracing the three-dimensional space of possible efforts and the inclusion of energy consumption and associated carbon footprint as a mandatory validation criterion of new analytical methods