Small laboratories, whether in universities, public sector institutions, or emerging biotech startups, face unique challenges. Operating with limited space, tighter budgets, and smaller teams, these facilities require the same high-quality water for research and analytical procedures as their larger counterparts. Common applications include buffer preparation, cell culture media, molecular biology procedures, and analytical techniques.
What Defines a 'Small' Laboratory?
Small laboratories represent a distinct and vital segment of the scientific community. While there's no universal definition of what constitutes a 'small' laboratory, these facilities are typically characterised by their limited physical space, modest team size, and careful resource management. Despite their scale, these facilities conduct essential work in drug development, clinical diagnostics, environmental analysis, and fundamental research.
What defines these laboratories are their operational parameters, typically working with defined budgets, limited physical space, and specific infrastructure requirements based on their specialised focus. Like any laboratory, they must meet rigorous quality standards and regulatory requirements relevant to their field, while managing their resources effectively.
Water purification presents a particular consideration for laboratories of this scale. As a fundamental resource used in virtually every aspect of laboratory work. From sample preparation and analysis to equipment maintenance, ensuring reliable access to pure water is essential. These labs must carefully evaluate their water quality requirements against their available space and budget parameters.
So, what are the options?
Packaged Water
For smaller, public sector or university labs where the water purification demands may be smaller or funding may be more limited, packaged (bottled) pure water may seem to be the best option. This is because it avoids the additional capital investment and ongoing maintenance costs of laboratory water purification systems. However, packaged water has to be managed and stored carefully to ensure the quality is maintained. There is the potential for it to be costly, wasteful and even damaging to the lab’s work if this is not done correctly. The purity of packaged water will begin to degrade as soon as the bottle is opened. This is a particular issue for ultra-pure, Type I water, which due to its very low resistivity levels, may quickly become contaminated.
Point-of-Use Lab Water Systems
An alternative is point-of-use water purification systems that offer a cost-effective solution for laboratories of all sizes and provide a number of advantages over packaged pure water. Compact benchtop or wall-mounted laboratory water purification units can produce Type I, II and III purified water from a mains water supply, and the required quantity can simply be dispensed from the unit as needed. Having purified water ‘on-tap’ makes lab work easier and helps improve productivity as less time is wasted.
Depending on the chosen water purification solution, separate units may be required to meet the lab’s demand for different types of water. From Type III general-purpose pure water, suitable for glassware rinsing and water baths, up to Type I ultra-pure water for processes such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
Economic Viability, Quality Assurance & Environmental Sustainability
It is sometimes assumed that laboratory water treatment solutions are only financially viable where very large volumes of water are required. However, when the whole life cost of the system is considered, including the initial investment, purchase of system consumables and ongoing maintenance, very low costs per litre of water can be achieved even with lower levels of demand.
These systems not only offer economic benefits but also provide comprehensive quality assurance through built-in sensors that continuously track water quality parameters and features like automatic recirculation to prevent biofilm contamination. The environmental impact adds another compelling dimension to the investment decision - laboratories globally generate approximately 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, equivalent to the weight of 67 cruise liners, with a significant portion coming from bottled pure water usage. This makes point-of-use purification systems an environmentally responsible choice that addresses both operational and sustainability needs.
Our PURELAB Quest exemplifies these advantages by delivering all three types of pure water from a single unit, making it particularly cost-effective for smaller research teams. Manufactured from more than 85% reclaimed materials, with long-life consumables such as filters, it demonstrates how modern purification systems can combine economic viability with environmental responsibility while maintaining the highest standards of water quality.
Advanced Features and Benefits:
- Compact design with wall-mounting options
- Optional UV purification
- High-speed water delivery (1.2 litres/minute)
- Automatic volumetric dispensing
- User-friendly interface
- Proven durability (tested to 150,000 dispensing cycles)
- Remote monitoring capabilities
High-quality purified laboratory water is essential to the success and accuracy of the processes carried out. Water purification systems that can produce all the pure water required represents a cost-effective alternative to the more wasteful and often less reliable option of packaged pure water.
Author | Peter Bridge
Peter has a background in analytical chemistry and has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience working for and supplying to a wide range of pharmaceutical, biotech customers and pharmaceutical companies.
