The system uses a dry 52 mm electret filter as the collection media. Electret filters are made with a combination of positively and negatively charged fibers which substantially increases the collection efficiency and allows for the use of lower pressure drop filters which, in turn, allows for higher sampling rates for extended periods using battery power. Because no fluids are used in the system, it can operate at low temperatures; a limitation for most wet-wall cyclone type collectors.

Rapid sample recovery from the filter

The single-use filter and elution kit comes with everything you need for rapid sample recovery including: sample cup and lid, elutor cap, and elution foam canister.

Following aerosol collection, the filter is removed from the collector, snapped onto the sample cup and fitted with the elutor cap. To extract the captured particles from the filter, the user presses the canister containing the elution foam into a fitting on the elutor cap. The elution foam is released from the canister evenly through the filter. The wet foam passes through the interstitial spaces of the filter to efficiently extract any captured particles. Sample elution takes approximately 5 seconds and produces 6 to 7 milliliters of liquid sample. The foam immediately collapses back to a liquid in the sample cup, making it available for sample processing and analysis.