Despite being at the forefront of awareness regarding climate change and non-sustainable growth, analytical laboratories have a significant environmental footprint. This footprint results from a combination of factors necessary to maintain day-to-day operations, including high energy and water consumption rates, waste generation, and pollution. For laboratories performing gas or liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS and LC-MS), the compressed gas cylinders required to support these instruments also contribute to the lab’s environmental footprint. In an effort to support laboratories in their sustainability efforts, Peak Scientific offers a range of gas generators designed to support environmentally friendly lab practices, and deliver high purity gases for mission-critical applications.
Eliminate recurring deliveries
Busy laboratories require frequent compressed gas cylinder or dewar deliveries to ensure uninterrupted workflows, and transporting these containers contributes to the lab’s total carbon footprint. For example, a lab that requires nitrogen gas at a rate of 32 L/min for eight hours a day, five days a week, may require up to 450 compressed gas cylinders to be delivered each year. Alternatively, a Peak gas generator requires a single delivery and installation, and provides high purity gas on-demand, eliminating the environmental costs of recurring deliveries.
As a result of COVID-19, laboratories face the added challenges of ensuring staff safety, as well as a consistent gas supply in the event of transport restrictions. A gas generator eliminates the risk of COVID-19 exposure associated with third parties delivering and handling compressed gas cylinders, and ensures a consistent supply of high-purity gas to maintain productivity.
Reduce waste with laboratory gas on-demand
Gas generators are also a more sustainable option than compressed gas cylinders because they operate on-demand, matching gas production with instrument requirements. This is a much less wasteful approach than relying on compressed gas cylinders, which often contain leftover gas as a result of differential pressure. This leftover gas may also be of poor quality, and is unsuitable for analytical applications that require high purity gases.
The Precision Hydrogen Trace generator supplies high purity hydrogen gas (99.99999% purity) on demand to support GC, GC-MS, and ICP-MS applications, and the Genius XE nitrogen generator supports LC-MS/ MS applications with analytical grade nitrogen gas up to 99.5% purity.
Generating laboratory gases on-demand also eliminates the challenges and safety risks associated with bulk storage. As the gas is generated, it fills a small delivery tank which ensures that it is supplied to the instrument at a constant flow and pressure.
Produce high purity gas from renewable resources
Industrial gas manufacture and extraction is highly-energy intensive, as is the process of filling compressed gas cylinders for storage. Peak gas generators offer a much more sustainable, longterm solution, using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) and Carbon Molecular Sieve technology to produce high purity gases from readily available, renewable resources. The Precision generator produces hydrogen on-demand from de-ionized water, and the Genius XE generator produces nitrogen on demand from atmospheric air.
Peak commitment to green practices
In addition to supporting laboratory sustainability efforts by providing environmentally friendly equipment, Peak is committed to implementing green practices in their manufacturing facilities and offices around the world. From adopting waste prevention measures during production, to using recyclable materials, and focusing on office recycling and plastic reduction, the Peak team is actively working toward a more sustainable future.
Implementing a Peak gas generator is a small change that can have a big impact on sustainability.
