Shellab BACTRONEZ - Manual (Page 42)

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OPERATION (CONTINUED)
L OADING THE W ORKSTATION
Sheldon Manufacturing recommends waiting 24 hours after establishing an anaerobic atmosphere
before loading samples into the unit.
Airtight containers can introduce significant amounts of oxygen into the anaerobic environment of
the BACTRONEZ. Whenever possible, closed containers placed in the pass box should be loose-
capped or ventilated to allow the pass box cycles to draw oxygen from the containers. Syringes
should be loosened and sealed containers partly opened, if permitted by your laboratory or
production protocol.
The pass box sliding shelf can hold and transport up to 90 plates. Place samples and other media
containers on the shelves inside each incubator as evenly spaced as possible. Good spacing
allows for atmosphere circulation and a higher degree of temperature uniformity. If the anaerobes
sensitive to heat are being cultivated, it may be necessary to place an empty petri dish or plate at
the bottom of each stack.
This concludes the Setting up the BACTRONEZ portion of the Operation Section.
R EACTIVATING THE C ATALYST C ARTRIDGE
An active catalyst cartridge must be installed to maintain anaerobic conditions. A spare cartridge
should be purchased so that cartridges can be swapped out for reactivation. For optimum
performance, reactivate a catalyst cartridge after every 24 hours of use. To reactivate a cartridge,
perform the following:
1. Heat the catalyst cartridge at 200°C overnight prior to installing in the BACTRONEZ.
a. The handle of the cartridge can be removed prior to heating, and reinstalled
afterwards. Use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to prevent
burns.
2. A quality control test should be performed on each cartridge once per month.
Note: A flow of AMG for testing can be obtained by disconnecting the foot pedal gas / vacuum line
from an arm port while the door is closed, and then depressing the Gas pedal.
a. Flow anaerobic mixed gas with hydrogen over a reactivated catalyst cartridge
in a normal aerobic atmosphere. Or place the reactivated catalyst cartridge in
the pass box and run a full auto cycle.
b. The palladium coated pellets inside the catalyst cartridge should grow warm in
the presence of oxygen and hydrogen, indicating that cartridge is ready for
use.
c. If the cartridge does not heat up when exposed to AMG and oxygen, reheat to
200°C. While the cartridge is still hot, flow AMG over the cartridge in an oxygen
environment. This should help remove any buildup of hydrogen sulfides or
other contaminants that might interfere with the cartridge
’ s effectiveness.
d. Test the room temperature reactivated cartridge again with another flow of
AMG in an aerobic environment.