R&D ‘Cleanrooms’ Get a Sustainable Once-over

July 7, 2009

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Cleanrooms, the ubiquitious white, sterile rooms at medical and research facilities, are notorious for the amount of energy used to keep them cool and clean.

The rooms, which also rely on high-standard air filtration systems and require ample lighting, are the next candidates for R&D firms and hospitals who are looking to add sustainability to their operations, reports Life Science Leader.

Wayne McGee, president of PortaFab Corp., said he has seen an uptick in demand for energy efficiency at cleanrooms from the pharma and biotechnology sectors.

Companies are looking at the following components of their operations:

construction materials used to build the cleanroom
energy used by lights, fans, heaters, air conditioners, and other electrical equipment
energy usage and waste generated by disposable or laundered clothing
ways to produce less contaminated wastewater.

Some companies are turning to modular cleanrooms as a way to minimize costs and gain efficiencies of scale, as opposed to custom-built units.

Cleanrooms are being built with walls and ceilings that have improved thermal values to help keep heat in or out, reducing heating or cooling costs.

Some modular cleanrooms aim to reduce the possibility of dirt and particles becoming trapped in joints and corners, making the rooms easier to clean, and requiring fewer cleaning solvents.

With regard to clothing that clean room researchers have to wear,some companies are moving away form single-use and disposable garments. To reduce the number of gloves required daily, they are having employees use glove liners.

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Make sustainability part of your strategy.

Get equipped at the SAP Sustainability Resource Center. >>

Unclear about the EPA's new GHG Rule?

Learn how it could affect your business. >>

EPA mandatory emissions reporting starts Jan 1st

CSA Standards can help your organization get ready for compliance. Find out how. >>

Survey Results: Product Environmental Compliance Best Practices

How to achieve compliance at a significantly lower cost. Download the full report. >>

Join the Discussion

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

11/24/2009
11/23/2009
11/20/2009

Charts [ see all ]

Government Intervention Required to Drive “Green” Technology

62% of Firms Assign Environmental Team for Green Goals

European Paper Industry Cuts CO2 Emissions by 42% since 1990

S. America Takes Most Urgent View of Copenhagen Talks

Jobs

View All Jobs >> Post a Job >>

Comments and Discussions

Jetset1 on Energy-Savings Claims Don’t Add Up for Microsoft’s Windows 7
"This article is wrong. If your PC is less than a few years old,..."

Iain on McD’s in Germany Trades Red for Green In Logo
"Now if only their food was healthy and nutritious."

Phil on Climate Scientists Alleged to Have Manipulated Data
"After reading all the comments it seems obvious, to me, that the individuals populating..."

Marc Hudson on McD’s in Germany Trades Red for Green In Logo
"where will the stone be mined from- under what labor rights conditions? Will the..."

Clyde on Climate Scientists Alleged to Have Manipulated Data
"This just shows all the Global Warming freaks out there are a bunch of criminals cut from..."

Car Rental Singapore on News Corp. Taps Hara for Energy Efficiency, Environmental Management
"Energy reduction is a good thing. We need to save the..."

Meme Mine on WWF, WRI Make Last-Minute Pitches on Climate Change
"To the voting public, what the scientists say is irrelevant anymore for if you read..."

Environmental Leader