Do you work in a lab that does autoclaving?

Peter Principle

If so, do you autoclave large-ish tubs about 9 liters volume, looks like this? If so, can you tell me what brand and type the tub is that you use that is autoclave safe? Thanks!

a penguin

Yes I do.

We use metal pans + plastic autoclave bags when we autoclave things for disposal.

I might be able to help more if you tell me what you're trying to accomplish (media sterilization, disposal, etc).

The things you linked wouldn't survive an autoclave. There are some Nalgene products we use for large liquid volume sterilization, but like I said earlier, we use metal pans for disposal.

9 liters is alot to sterilize in an autoclave. At that volume, you start running into various problems depending on what it is you're trying to sterilize (internal temperature not reaching sterilization temps, liquid medias carmelizing, etc).

Peter Principle

We're working with whole human CNS tissue, keeping tissue frozen on dry ice, the dry ice currently kept in these bins. Recently we found out company policy requires us to autoclave for prions since we're working with CNS tissue. I called the company that we bought our current buckets from and they of course told me that their buckets will die a quick death in an autoclave, so we need to replace them. The buckets need to be about the same size, they'll still need to hold the dry ice (the dry ice won't go in the autoclave, of course), and they've got to be able to survive 132 degrees for 4.5 hours.

Pheezer

I know someone who works for a company called Gettinge-Castle, and they specialize in labs and hospital environments, doing the sterilizers/lighting/doors thing. They're a rather successful company in this regard. Maybe worth looking into?

Fats

I was under the impression that prions didn't "die" in a normal autoclave. Do you use NaOH as well?

Rook

Fats wrote: »

I was under the impression that prions didn't "die" in a normal autoclave. Do you use NaOH as well?

Needs to be a steam autoclave. Dry heat doesn't really bother "them"

a penguin

4 hours is a long time in an autoclave. That'll kill alot ;-)

So, you have to autoclave the buckets you're keeping the Dry Ice in? Is that what's going on?

I guess what I'm asking is why you need to autoclave the buckets the dry ice are going in to. If it's due to concerns of cross- contamination, then you might want to line the buckets with an autoclavable bag. Or, find some other solution that has an insulating plastic outside/ autoclavable metal insert.

I don't know too many autoclavable plastics. Our test tube racks will survive, but man, they look pretty harsh after a few trips through. Usually our plastics are sterilized through either a chemical means or in a dry autoclave cycle in a bag (which won't "kill" your nasty prions).

I'll poke around the lab tommorrow and see if I can find anything.

Peter Principle

pheezer FD wrote: »

I know someone who works for a company called Gettinge-Castle, and they specialize in labs and hospital environments, doing the sterilizers/lighting/doors thing. They're a rather successful company in this regard. Maybe worth looking into?

Thanks for the tip, I'll be giving them a call tomorrow.

a penguin wrote:

then you might want to line the buckets with an autoclavable bag

Perhaps a disposable barrier of some sort might be a good idea. We'll have to look at this a little bit more carefully, too.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

DiscGrace

Our autoclave bins are pretty elderly; I think they are from Nalgene, but we've gotten a couple of them just by picking them up in "Free Stuff" piles outside other labs. Whatever you use had better be pretty heavy-duty plastic or metal, or it's a goner.

Also, you definitely need to make sure you're using the right time of autoclave to actually destroy the prions. Some temperatures and formats can actually "fix" the bonds in the prion, which just makes it all the more stable and happy to kill you.