Lablogic has revealed that its Model 5 Beta-RAM radio-HPLC on-line flow detector and Laura 4 radio-chromatography software can reduce the environmental impact of radio-chromatography.
There is much disagreement about what exactly reduces the environmental impact of the process, but there is no disputing the general principle that less is better - less solvent or scintillant, reduced length and internal diameter of LC columns, smaller particle sizes within them, and so on.
These objectives (and more) are said to be achieved with the combination of the Model 5 Beta-RAM radio-HPLC on-line flow detector and Laura 4 radio-chromatography software.
Low dead-volume fittings and flow cells, a scintillant cocktail pump accurately delivering low flow rates and the Active Counting Mode (which adjusts run conditions dynamically for the best results) all contribute to a package that is fully optimised for low-flow applications and therefore offers 'greener' performance.
Taking the example of solvent and scintillant use, if your usual flow rate is 1ml/min of eluate with 3ml/min of cocktail and your run is 40minutes, you produce 160ml of total waste each time.
If there are five runs per day for five days a week, that is four litres per week and 200 litres in a 50-week year.
Reduce flow rates by 50 per cent and users can save 100 litres in a year for each workstation.
