Evaluation of Environmental Impacts from a Molecular Evolution Laboratory’s Waste Management System—A Brazilian Case Study

This study proposes an integrated waste management system to a university laboratory aiming: (i) waste prevention as the precursor activity; (ii) to distinguish not hazardous chemicals waste and enable recycling, and; (iii) to recycle solvents. The main objective is to decrease negative environmental impacts caused by studies conducted in this type of laboratory. A life cycle assessment was conducted to infer these impacts. Material consumption data were collected on site while recent studies were used for environmental impacts. Two scenarios were evaluated: (1) the current situation, where ethyl alcohol is recycled, chemical waste is incinerated and non-hazardous waste is landfilled; (2) a future scenario, where waste prevention is implemented; ethyl alcohol, gloves, plastic pipette tips and tubes are recycled; chemical waste is incinerated, and; paper waste is composted. The second scenario decreased considerably the environmental impacts and suggested that there is a potential for plastic waste recycling, yet it is necessary an economic evaluation to determine its feasibility. The pursue of waste prevention through new initiatives (e.g. electrical hand dryers) may also represent another gain on environmental and economic impacts. This methodology proved to be effective in achieving its purpose and it can be used to improve waste management in similar situations. Yet, the importance of this study relies on the inclusion of waste prevention as a first step to improve the current waste management system and also by including the assessment of its environmental impacts as a way to effectively decrease them. It important to highlight that is a type of waste common in most of the universities.