Carbon Footprint Modeling of a Clinical Lab

Kai Ni, Yihua Hu, Xianming Ye, Hamzah S AlZubi, Phil Goddard and Mohammed Alkahtani
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Kai Ni: Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, L69 3GJ Liverpool, UK
Yihua Hu: Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, L69 3GJ Liverpool, UK
Xianming Ye: Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0084, South Africa
Hamzah S AlZubi: Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, L69 3GJ Liverpool, UK
Phil Goddard: CSols Ltd., The Health, WA7 4QX Runcorn, Cheshire, UK
Mohammed Alkahtani: Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, L69 3GJ Liverpool, UK

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Modeling of a clinical lab carbon footprint is performed in this study from the aspects of electricity, water, gas consumption and waste production from lab instruments. These environmental impact indicators can be expressed in the form of the CO 2 equivalent. For each type of clinical test, the corresponding consumption of energy resources and the production of plastics and papers are taken into consideration. In addition, the basic lab infrastructures such as heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, lights, and computers also contribute to the environmental impact. Human comfort is to be taken into account when optimizing the operation of lab instruments, and is related to the operation of HVAC and lighting systems. The detailed modeling takes into consideration the types of clinical tests, operating times, and instrument specifications. Two ways of disposing waste are classified. Moreover, the indoor environment is modeled. A case study of the Biochrom 30+ amino acid analyzer physiological system in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital is carried out, and the methods of mitigating the overall environmental impacts are discussed. Furthermore, the influence of climate on the results is investigated by using the climate data in Liverpool and Athens in October.

Keywords: clinical lab; carbon footprint modeling; CO 2 equivalent; lab instrument; environmental impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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