Where it fits
This is the one service of the six that is not testing. It takes used PTFE membrane and PFA filters, in both disposable and cartridge formats. Reclaimed filters are typically used four ways: down-rated for continued service, redeployed as prefilters, added as an extra filter in series, or substituted into cost-sensitive non-PTFE processes — cutting consumable and disposal costs together.
Key characteristics
Reclaim runs as a four-module, nine-step cleaning process, and the order is not arbitrary. Conditioning and pre-wet come first so the cleaning liquids can reach into the pores; organics, metals and silica are then addressed in sequence, because the chemistries they need work against one another and cleaning for all three at once cancels them out.
A ultrapure water exchange sits between every module to return the element to the aqueous phase, with pH and conductivity as the endpoint. That step is easy to underrate: run one chemistry straight into the next and the residue of the first reacts with the second inside the media, leaving fresh precipitate — cleaning that manufactures contamination.
Verification after reclaim uses the existing laboratory platform rather than a looser standard written for the occasion: metal extraction by ICP-MS / ICP-QQQ, long-chain hydrocarbons by GC-MS, plus non-volatile residue and particle counting, retention by a 5 nm gold nanoparticle challenge, and structural integrity confirmed on the integrity tester.
Choosing between options
Which filters are worth sending in, and which are not:
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| PTFE membrane or PFA build, rating inside the accepted range | In scope — send the original chemistry, time in service and nominal rating |
| Media that cannot tolerate HF and strong oxidising acids | Out of scope: the material gate rules it out, and forcing it through destroys the filter |
| Filter contains stainless-steel parts | Accepted, but tell us in advance so a split recipe is used |
| You only want to know whether a filter is still usable | Send it for performance or cleanliness testing instead — reclaim is not the question |
Operation & change-out
What to send: used PTFE / PFA filters, with the original process chemistry, time in service and nominal rating. The flow runs sample assessment (a media and chemical-compatibility gate), quotation, the reclaim process, cleanliness and retention verification, then report delivery. Turnaround is confirmed with the quotation from quantity, media and contamination level. A free trial is currently available on booking.