De La Salle University (DLSU) has developed a groundbreaking method for recycling paper cups into pipette tips for dispensing liquids and offering a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic waste management in laboratory science education.
In August 2024, DLSU announced its new patent from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for this invention, stating it “presents an enabling framework for more ways to recycle paper cups.”
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The patent, granted on June 27, 2023, will remain in effect for 17 years, until May 7, 2040. The invention, a rollable pipette tip material, was created by Dr. Jose Isagani Janairo of the Department of Biology and Brandon Cyril Lira, a part-time faculty member from the Department of Chemistry.
The research, first published in November 2021 and presented at the 2022 DLSU Research Congress, addresses the challenge of recycling paper cups lined with a thin polyethylene film, also known as paper plastic laminates (PPL). The study suggests creating pipette tips from disposed coffee cups as a viable way to reduce pollution from single-use items.
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“Recycling PPL cups can decrease the adverse effects of plastic accumulation in the environment and reduce PPL cups’ environmental footprint by 40%,” notes the researchers.
The study shows that fabricated PPL pipette tips are comparable in accuracy to standard polypropylene pipette tips for drawing and dispensing liquids.
The research suggests that the “created PPL pipette tips have promising potential to be used in lower-level science experiments that do not require research-grade laboratory consumables. As an example, these PPL pipette tips are ideal in introductory skill-building activity on how to properly use a pipette wherein food-colored water is used as the specimen.”
These PPL pipette tips promote sustainability in research and teaching labs that consume large quantities of plastic products.
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