LMS Volume 33 Issue 3 | Page 26

26  LMS  Issue 3 | 2014 Food & Beverage Expand the Lifespan of your Filter U se prefiltration to remove larger particles (>10µ diameter) from fluid, so that one can perform subsequent finer filtration without clogging that downstream filter. Pre-filters can be made of fibrous media or membrane filters, and have a larger pore size than the final filter. Add an upstream pre-filter to extend the lifespan and throughput of a filter. Organic solvents are most often prefiltered through polypropylene pre-filters. Aqueous solutions are most widely clarified with glass-fibre prefilters with binder resin, which have superior wet strength and can collect dirt from heavily contaminated liquids. Merck Millipore offers a variety of prefiltration media to suit any application needs. MF-Millipore filters are made from mixed cellulose esters (MCE) and have pore sizes up to 5µm. They are mainly used for air monitoring and contamination analysis for fuels and hydraulic fluids and sterilisation buffers. Nylon membrane and net filters are low in organic extractables and have a broad chemical compatibility. They are mainly used for particle analysis, large particle filtration and prefiltration of solvents. Glass and quartz fibre filters have a high dirtloading capacity, a binder-less option and low heavy metal content. These are mainly used for pre