Making strides towards sustainable labs

21 June 2024

In April, the Royal Society of Chemistry announced the award of 33 Sustainable Laboratories Grants to members around the world. The projects take a wide range of approaches to reduce the environmental impact of research labs. We spoke to four members that each received £10,000 to accelerate the chemical sciences community’s journey to environmentally sustainable research and innovation.

James Wilton-Ely, Imperial College London

Project title: Recycling laboratory palladium waste for (re)use in catalysis

Palladium is a very precious but also very scarce metal only found in a few places on Earth. It is one of the most widely-used metals for catalysis and palladium-catalysed reactions are used in pretty much every academic lab focusing on organic synthesis. We rely on mining to get it, which is very polluting and damaging environmentally, and still does not produce enough to meet demand.

We are looking at the waste generated in labs and want to see if we can find ways of turning used palladium back into some valuable form that can be re-used, making it more sustainable. At the moment, it is often collected but not usually recycled – it might just sit in a bottle in the corner of the lab, even though everyone knows it’s precious.

We are trying to develop an inexpensive and accessible approach that can be applied widely, in particular in countries without existing recycling pathways. It draws on work done by us already to apply palladium complexes in catalysis that can be obtained from spent catalytic converters, which each contain up to four grams of palladium.

Only 30% of palladium is typically recycled currently and mostly in high-income countries. Used catalytic converters might not necessarily be recycled in lower-income countries and so an inexpensive route to generate palladium catalysts for use in synthesis in those parts of the world would be very exciting.

This RSC grant is particularly welcome because this might be too small a project for a large grant. It allows us to try something that could make a substantial impact on the sustainability of palladium use in the laboratory. This global potential aligns with the aims of the RSC in driving sustainability in the chemical sciences worldwide.

Mihail Georgiev, University of Sofia

Project title: EcoLabs Initiative: A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainable Practices in Chemistry and Pharmacy

The EcoLabs Initiative at Sofia University's Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy is dedicated to mitigating the environmental impact of laboratory operations. By systematically analysing data related to energy consumption, water usage, and waste production, we identify inefficiencies and implement targeted sustainable interventions. Our goal is to cultivate a culture of continuous environmental assessment and improvement within the academic community.

Our project is designed as a scalable model for sustainable laboratory practices that can be adopted by academic institutions worldwide. By sharing our data, methodologies, and best practices, we aim to facilitate the implementation of similar sustainability measures in laboratories globally, setting a new standard for environmentally conscious scientific research.

The long-term benefits of this project are multifaceted. Primarily, we anticipate a substantial reduction in laboratory-generated waste. Additionally, we aim to establish a local database for consumables and ensure regular awareness among researchers about environmentally friendly practices. Ultimately, the project aspires to foster a culture of sustainability within the chemical and pharmaceutical academic community.

Grant funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry has been instrumental in enabling this project. It has provided the necessary resources for comprehensive data collection, analysis, and the execution of training sessions for faculty and students.

Hannah Briers and Richard Gammons, University of York

Project title: Sustainable Solutions for Laboratory Water Management

Two of the most obvious ways to make the biggest sustainability impact in the lab are cutting energy and water wastage. It was a hose pipe ban last year that inspired us to focus on the latter and we want to come up with best practice to share.

Everyone is looking to reduce their environmental impact so the aim of this project is come up with hard figures and a take-home message to present to key decision-makers in the science faculty and the university’s estates team. We hope to demonstrate that some particular practices will be more worthwhile in the long term and will reduce operational costs too.

We also intend to present our findings at different conferences over the next year so the knowledge we’ve gained can be shared with technical staff at different institutions and the model applied elsewhere. Two of the most obvious ways to make the biggest sustainability impact in the lab are cutting energy and water wastage. It was a hose pipe ban last year that inspired us to focus on the latter and we want to come up with best practice to share.

We have a really active Green Impact Team, made up of volunteers within the Green Chemistry Centre, but there isn’t always time to do in-depth research for this kind of project – the £10,000 from the RSC gives us this time by funding part-time student technicians to carry out the initial audits and data collection.

The fact that the RSC made this grant open to such a wide range of people is great as, from our experience, technical staff are passionate about introducing sustainable practices to labs and they are in the lab every day so are ideally placed to identify where the biggest inefficiencies are and where the biggest impact can be made.

The RSC funding allows us a unique opportunity to drive change in water use within our department and university. We believe this is an important area for lab sustainability and look forward to taking on this challenge thanks to the RSC grant.

Ojodomo Achadu, Teesside University

Project title: Recycling ambient magnetic ‘noise’ as a sustainable energy source in chemistry laboratories

Magnetic noise exists as an ambient, natural source of energy in our environment, and can come from electrical and electronic devices. This abundant source of energy is rarely tapped and utilised but can be harvested and converted into useful electricity.

Although magnetic noise is typically small and imperceptible, it can be amplified by a nanoparticle-driven system known as a nanogenerator. Through a magnetic conversion process leading to a mechano-electrical coupling in piezoelectric polymers, electricity can be collected and utilised.

Our research emphasises the significance of fabricating sustainable magnetic nanogenerators for harvesting ambient magnetic noise as an energy source. Preliminary tests and knowledge indicate this energy can power several LED bulbs and charge a smartphone. With further research and upscaling, the potential applications could significantly increase.

Laboratories generate substantial magnetic noise and by harvesting and recycling this residual magnetic energy into useful electricity, we can reduce the energy demand from other sources. In today's era of smart laboratories and the Internet of Things, this technology can make a considerable impact by productively utilising the abundant magnetic noise that would otherwise go to waste.

Sustainable Laboratories Grant funding will enable us to investigate crucial aspects of this work, including materials characterisation and magnetic noise analysis. Understanding the amount and frequency of magnetic noise generated in various spaces is essential for advancing this technology.