Autoclaving facility/service
The Biomedicum autoclaving service can be used if you want to sterilize equipment or products prior to use in an experiment.
Guidelines
For sterilization, please see section “Sterilization of materials and liquids”.
For autoclaving of contaminated materials or glass, please see section “Contaminated materials or glass for autoclaving and dishwashing”.
| Standard Autoclave programs | |
|---|---|
| Liquids | 121°C, approx. 20 min sterilization |
| Liquids | 121°C, approx. 20 min sterilization |
| Solids | 121°C, approx. 20 min sterilization |
Autoclave compatible materials:
- Biological/infectious cultures and stocks. May contain antibiotics
- Culture dishes and related items
- Discarded live and attenuated viruses/vaccines
- Items for sterilization (glassware, media, equipment, water)
- Polypropylene (PP) and Polycarbonate (PC) plastics
- Borosilicate glass
- Stainless steel
Autoclave incompatible materials:
- Materials containing solvents; volatile, toxic, corrosive or flammable chemicals
- Material contaminated with chemotherapeutic agents, cytotoxic drugs
- Radioactive chemicals
- Material containing bleach
- Carcinogens or mutagens (e.g. Ethidium bromide)
- Decontamination solutions, e.g. Virkon or other!
- Phenol and Trizol
- Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene (PE), and high density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastics
- “Household” glassware
- To prevent bottles from shattering during pressurization and to facilitate steam penetration, bottle caps and stoppers placed in the yellow autoclavable bins must be loosened before placed in the bin. If left sealed, the bottles might not be properly sterilized and could burst violently if exposed to extreme heat.
- Never mix liquids and solids to be autoclaved. These two fractions are autoclaved with different programs.
- Please follow the guidelines at all times! Autoclaving hazardous or incompatible materials may generate toxic vapors or explosive environments for the FM service personnel.
Sterilization of materials and liquids
If you want to sterilize equipment/products prior to use in an experiment;
1. Leave the solid materials or liquids you wish to have sterilized in the room for clean lab glassware. There is one room for glassware available on each floor.
2. Materials such as pipette tips, tubes, and tools etc. are placed in an autoclave bag.
3. Label with the “To be autoclaved” label and write name and quarter.
4. The autoclaved materials and liquids will be returned to the room for clean lab glassware once it has been autoclaved. Please pick up your items within two days or you risk having them removed if there is lack of space.
5. If you want to have your items autoclaved for the same day you have to leave them before 11 am. It is possible to leave items/liquids to be autoclaved at the dish washing unit at floor 2, room C0233 between 11am and 4pm. It will then be autoclaved following workday.
- No autoclave-incompatible materials or chemicals are allowed to be autoclaved! For a general overview over compatible and incompatible materials, see section “Guidelines”.
Contaminated materials or glass for autoclaving and dishwashing
Materials or glassware contaminated with infectious or biological materials need to be sent for autoclaving before dishwashing.
Note that no chemical contaminations are allowed.
1. Contaminated laboratory glass or materials are placed by the space marked “Lab Washing – contaminated, to be autoclaved” in your quarter waste room.
2. Use the yellow autoclavable bin, or on the red container (if the items don’t fit in the yellow bin) for your materials. Always put contaminated material or glass in an autoclave bag before placing it in the bin or on the container. See picture
3. Label the bin or autoclave bag with the label “contaminated materials TO BE AUTOCLAVED”. Mark the “solid” option, and fill in name, quarter and date.
These containers will be autoclaved and the materials or glass will then be sent to the dishwashing facility.
► IMPORTANT! To prevent bottles from shattering during pressurization and to facilitate steam penetration, bottle caps and stoppers placed in the yellow autoclavable bins must be loosened before placed in the bin! If left sealed, the bottles might not be properly sterilized and could burst violently if exposed to extreme heat!
► IMPORTANT! Never mix liquids and solids to be autoclaved. These two fractions are autoclaved with different programs.
- The yellow containers are autoclavable and reusable (possible to reopen). Note that these containers are not to be mixed up with the other single-use yellow containers for “Sharp and infectious” waste.
- No autoclave-incompatible materials or chemicals are allowed to be autoclaved. For a general overview over compatible and incompatible materials, see section “Guidelines”.
Waste to be autoclaved
Waste is no longer autoclaved at Biomedicum. Waste that was previously autoclaved should be placed in yellow bins labelled as sharp and infectious waste (‘Skärande/stickande och smittförande’). If you would like to keep the possibility to autoclave waste, contact FM for more information.
Lab coats to be autoclaved
If you need clean and autoclaved lab coats, send a ticket via FM Helpdesk to order autoclaved lab coats.
If you have a contaminated lab coat that needs to be autoclaved (decontaminated) prior to being washed;
- Place it in an autoclave bag and label with the label “TO BE AUTOCLAVED”.
- Place the bag in the waste room in your quarter by the space marked “Lab Washing – Contaminated”.
- Clean lab coats will be placed in the room for clean lab glassware on each floor.