20 Issue 1 2020
waste management & pollution
Pipette tip racks: less waste, 100% recyclable M
ettler Toledo’s Rainin TerraRack pipette tip racks are an innovative solution to minimising the problem of plastic tip rack waste. TerraRacks are 50 percent lighter than conventional tip racks, highly compressible when empty and completely recyclable. TerraRacks are composed largely of PETE (polyethylene terephthalate), an exceptionally strong polyester that is easy to recycle and in high demand as a post-waste commodity. The TerraRack shell, with its hinged lid and front latch, is moulded as a single PETE unit, making it exceptionally lightweight. A polypropylene tip deck snaps into the shell, adding structural support with minimal weight.
TerraRacks have less than half the weight and plastic of conventional racks and, after use, nest inside one another, significantly reducing their volume and disposal costs.
Every rack is pre-sterilised, individually wrapped and sealed for maximum purity, therefore TerraRacks do not need to be autoclaved. Between uses, the hinged lid and secure latch protect unused tips from damage and exposure. For those who like the weightier, more conventional tip rack feel there is TerraBase, a durable, reusable base for TerraRack. Made from translucent polycarbonate and with silicone feet, TerraBase is autoclavable, chemical resistant and built to give years of service. TerraRacks are available for both Rainin LTS and universal pipettes and they come in a variety of tip capacities and styles, including filters. MICROSEP (PTY) LTD Frances Renwick Tel: (011) 553 2300 Fax: (011) 553 2400 frances.renwick@microsep.co.za www.microsep.co.za
Turning wood into pharmaceutical ingredients "From Wood to Tetrahydro-2-benzazepines in Three Waste-Free Steps: Modular Synthesis of Biologically Active Lignin-Derived Scaffolds" ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE Production of hazardous waste during drug manufacturing is a serious concern for the pharmaceutical industry. Typically, large amounts of flammable solvents are used during these processes, which usally require several steps to make structurally complex drugs. Researchers now report in the journal ACS Central Science a method to produce pharmaceutically relevant compounds in just two or three steps, with water as the only waste product, using renewable woodchips as starting material. The process takes advantage of the lignin component of wood. Lignin consists of cross-linked phenolic compounds that give wood its strength. During paper production, it is removed from wood to prevent the resulting paper from yellowing, and, counterintuitively, to increase the strength
of the paper. This process generates a huge amount of unwanted lignin, so researchers have been studying ways to repurpose the material for many years. While several groups recently developed strategies for depolymerising lignin, the big question remained: What kind of useful
products could be obtained from it? Katalin Barta and colleagues realised that, coincidentally, lignin derivatives share many complex structural features with modern pharmaceuticals, making them ideal starting materials to synthesise potential drug candidates. By exploiting this natural bounty, they could skip the typically laborious and waste-generating steps traditionally needed to create these drugs from petrochemicals. The team focused on a class of pharmaceuticals known as benzazepines, which include the anti-anxiety drug diazepam. The conventional multistep synthesis using flammable solvents generates roughly equal
amounts of waste and benzazepines. But the researchers’ new process uses catalytic methods, in combination with solvents that are nontoxic, recyclable and biodegradable, to convert monomers derived from lignin into benzazepine derivatives without producing waste. Several of the new compounds show promising antibacterial or anticancer activity in bacterial and human cells. The authors acknowledge funding from the European Research Council; the Talent Scheme research program, which is partly funded by the Dutch Research Council; and the Helmholtz Association’s Initiative and Networking Fund. Note: ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicises peerreviewed scientific studies. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/ presspacs/2019/ acs-presspac-october-23-2019/turning-wood-into-pharmaceutical-ingredients.html
