Can automating DNA clean-up reduce waste in NGS library preparation workflows?

Yes. Automating DNA clean-up and size selection can significantly reduce pipette tip consumption, which lowers plastic waste in NGS library preparation workflows.

In this study, a manual magnetic bead–based clean-up workflow required 480 pipette tips per run, while the automated workflow using Microlab PuriFY required 144 tips.

This represents 336 fewer pipette tips per library preparation, equivalent to approximately 3.5 boxes of 96-tip racks. For laboratories running frequent PCR or NGS library prep workflows, reducing pipette tip consumption can decrease plastic waste generated in routine purification steps by up to 80%.