TOC Clean Validation Swab

The working principle of the Total Organic Carbon Clean Verification Swab consists of the following main steps:
Sampling: Using a swab head made of special materials, such as double knitted polyester, the surface to be tested is gently wiped to adsorb the organic matter remaining on the surface onto the swab head. These materials have good adsorption properties and chemical stability, and can effectively collect organic contaminants without introducing additional organic carbon interference.
Dissolution and Oxidation: The swabs from which the samples were collected are placed in vials containing an acid solution, which dissolves the organic material on the swab head and oxidizes the organic carbon to carbon dioxide under certain conditions. For example, some swabs are oxidized by combustion, where the organic material is completely burned to carbon dioxide at high temperatures; others use chemical oxidants to oxidize the organic carbon.
Measurement: The carbon dioxide produced is measured by a specific instrument, such as a total organic carbon analyzer. There are various working principles of the instrument, the common one is combustion oxidation – non-dispersive infrared absorption method, that is, the use of carbon dioxide to specific wavelengths of infrared absorption characteristics, through the detection of infrared absorption degree to determine the carbon dioxide content, and then calculate the total organic carbon content.
Analysis of results: The measured TOC content is compared with a pre-set standard or limit value to determine whether the cleaning effect meets the requirements. If the measured value is lower than the specified standard, it means that the cleaning process is effective and the organic contaminants on the surface have been sufficiently removed; conversely, it indicates that the cleaning is not complete and that the cleaning process needs to be further improved.