Controlling fumes and vapors is a critical process in laboratories of all scales. It is vital for facilities where routine experiments result in the generation of off-gases or airborne particulates that may be hazardous to personnel. Numerous laboratory instrument formats have been designed for vapor and fume control. For example, larger laboratories concerned with extremely high throughput experiments typically utilize tailor-made cleanrooms and permanent, vented fume hoods to extract and exhaust undesirable fumes from the process environment. Yet this is typically inappropriate for the budgets, workspaces, and requirements of lower yield experiments or smaller facilities.
In a previous blog post, Glas-Col compared the benefits and drawbacks of filtered versus vented fume hoods in greater detail. This week, we explore the advantages of benchtop laboratory instruments like Airfiltronix Ductless Fume Hoods in more detail.
Outlining Airfiltronix Laboratory Instruments
Airfiltronix engineers benchtop air filtration systems and enclosures for fume and vapor control in scientific applications. These high-performance laboratory instruments are low-footprint devices designed to capture and retain particulates, fumes, and vapors in a self-contained fume hood. Typically, these filters are formed from highly adsorptive activated carbon, although specialized filter media is available to optimize extraction of particularly challenging particulates or vapors.
A powerful fan draws air from inside the containment chamber through the filter where vapors and fumes are extracted and retained. Relatively clean air is then circulated out into the working environment, protecting the respiratory health of laboratory instrument operators.
These systems are a valuable and inexpensive solution for fume extraction in smaller scale environments. Each element of an Airfiltronix ductless fume hood is fully portable, from the containment hood and workstation to the powerful extraction blower. This facilitates easy adjustment of component placement and allows the device to be easily relocated from benchtop to benchtop, and even between laboratories.
Another benefit of Airfiltronix laboratory instruments that Glas-Col can provide either a positive or negative pressure working environment. Primarily, vapor and fume control requires a negative pressure to enclose materials successfully while ensuring the correct airflow to isolate and extract fumes and vapors. Positive pressure is suitable for creating a dust-free working environment for extremely sensitive sample preparation or experimentation. Airfiltronix positive pressure laboratory instruments can create a benchtop workspace that is particulate and bacteria free at a fraction of the cost of a clean room facility, providing protection from contamination with Class 100 clean air or better.
Laboratory Instruments from Glas-Col
Glas-Col is closely affiliated with Airfiltronix, supplying high-performance ductless fume hoods for sectors as stringent as the medical, pharmaceutical, analytical chemistry, and scientific research sectors.
Read our previous blog post Scientific Instruments: Filtered Vs Vented Fume Hoods if you would like to learn more. Or, contact us directly with any questions.