The Green Labs Program is happy to share the winners of the 2024 Green Labs Fund.
Each year the Green Labs Fund is awarded to laboratories across both UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses to generate sustainable solutions in laboratories that reduce the environmental impact of research activities.
This year, four laboratories have been awarded the Green Labs Fund for their innovative sustainable projects. Here is a quick summary of each of the winning projects:
Toward Greener Preservation: Vacuum-Based Long Term Heart Tissue Storage as an Alternative to Formaldehyde
The UBC Centre for Heart Lung Innovation received $3675 to work on reducing the biomedical footprint of the Bruce McManus Cardiovascular Biobank's (BMCB) preservation methods for explanted human heart organs by reducing chemical waste. Current standard preservation methods for explanted hearts (essential for research, education and patient engagement) make use of 10% neutral buffered formalin, a Class 1 carcinogenic agent, and produces an estimated 1,668 liters of waste annually. The project hopes to establish vacuum sealing as a sustainable method for heart tissue preservation, promoting waste reduction and a circular economy, with potential broader impacts on environmental sustainability.
Mini-Gas Chromatograph for undergraduate laboratories
The UBC Okanagan Chemistry department received $4000 for their project which aims to replace a hazardous physical chemistry experiment with a modern, zero-waste approach using a Vernier mini-Gas Chromatograph (GC). This initiative is part of a broader effort to transform chemistry education by reducing chemical usage and waste, substituting hazardous chemicals in several chemistry experiments with less harmful materials with zero waste, which also eliminates chemical storage needs and foster sustainability in UBC Labs.
Green Waste Management through Biochar Production
The Soil Res3 lab at UBC’s Department of Land and Food Systems – Applied Biology received $1,380 to enhance sustainability in labs at UBC and beyond by converting green waste (leftover biomass from experiments, landscaping residues, etc.) into biochar using a low-tech, top-lit updraft gasifier (TLUD). Biochar, a multi-functional soil amendment improves water and nutrient holding capacity leading to greater resilience to drought and crop nutrient stress, while also sequestering carbon. By utilizing local biomass, the project not only cuts costs but also supports circular resource practices. Additionally, the TLUD will have the capacity to be mobile allowing them to take the unit for demonstration field days with their research partners, the Sts'ailes First Nation.
Designing and Developing Procedures for Reuse of Nafion Membranes to Minimize Waste in Electrochemical Laboratories
The Amini Lab at UBC’s Department of Material Engineering received $4000 to address the environmental impact of Nafion membranes used in electrochemical systems. These membranes, which are perfluorinated ionomers and part of the broader category of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are high-performing but environmentally persistent. In a lab setting, their single-use nature leads to significant waste. Current cleaning methods alter membrane performance, rendering them unusable. The goal is to develop a procedure that effectively cleans Nafion membranes without compromising performance, enabling multiple reuses and drastically reducing waste in battery research labs. This initiative, which will be implemented in research on flow batteries, aims to promote sustainability across UBC and beyond, benefiting labs working on various electrochemical systems with Nafion membranes, thereby mitigating environmental impact while enhancing resource efficiency.
Congratulations to all the awardees and thank you to all the applicants. We appreciated all the innovative green ideas and wish you all the best in your ventures.