Central Glass Sterilisation Department (CGSA)

Source: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/over-de-um/andere-afdelingen/central-research-facilities-fhml-cov-fhml/central-glass-sterilisation Parent: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/

The Central Glass Sterilisation Department (CGSA) is responsible for the cleaning and sterilisation of glassware and other laboratory supplies. The CGSA is located at Universiteitssingel 50, room G4.213. Glassware from over 70 laboratories is collected and cleaned at this central location.

All staff members are trained specialists in disinfection and sterilisation procedures, with extensive experience and expertise in this field. The work is carried out according to the latest safety standards and guidelines. All equipment complies with the required regulations, standards, and validation procedures, ensuring a safe final product.

Distilled water of various purity grades is also available at this location. Continue reading to discover which sterilisation method or water quality best suits your application.

Processing Glassware

At the CGSA, all collected glassware is machine-washed and disinfected at a temperature of 70 °C.

The cleaning process removes visible or adhered dirt as well as invisible organic material. This step is crucial to prevent microorganisms from surviving, multiplying, and spreading further.

Disinfection is performed thermally, meaning microorganisms are killed or inactivated through heat. This reduces the number of microorganisms to an acceptable level, ensuring a consistently safe and disinfected final product.

Sterilisation Methods

At the CGSA, glassware, instruments, and liquids can be sterilised in different ways, depending on the needs of the researcher:

Autoclaving
121 °C: Suitable for glassware/bottles, some plastics, or instruments
134 °C: Suitable for incubator plates and instruments
Dry Sterilisation
180 °C: Suitable for glassware
Low-Temperature Plasma Sterilisation
40-55 °C (H2O2): Suitable for "thermolabile" materials that cannot withstand high pressure or temperature
Sterilisation of Contaminated Materials\ Contaminated materials such as incubator plates or contaminated liquids can be delivered separately to ensure all contamination is safely destroyed.

Unsure about the most suitable method? Feel free to ask one of our staff members for advice. All our staff are specialised and trained in disinfection and sterilisation procedures

Distilled Water

All FHML staff can also access various quality levels of distilled water at the CGSD:

RIOS Water\ This water is filtered and deionised through a reverse osmosis system. It is suitable for general laboratory applications, such as preparing buffers, cleaning glassware, and autoclaving.
Inorganics: up to 18.2 MΩ-cm
TOC (Typical): <10ppb
Bacteria (Typical): <5CFU/ml
Particles: 0.2µm filtration
UltraPure Milli-Q\ This water is of the highest purity and is produced through a combination of reverse osmosis, ion exchange, and UV treatment. It is suitable for analytical and molecular biological applications, such as PCR, HPLC, and cell culture, where maximum purity is required.

Sterilisation Lab Coats (ML-I/ML-II)

Laboratory coats from ML-I or ML-II laboratories can be submitted to the CGSA in a sealed autoclave bag. They are first sterilised in the autoclave and then sent to the laundry for cleaning.