Trace analysis lab: residue and contaminant analysis in the industrial sector

In industry, the presence of residues or contaminants at trace levels can compromise product compliance, disrupt a process, trigger a customer non-conformity, or accelerate material failure. A Trace Analysis Lab makes it possible to investigate these situations across a wide range of matrices: process water, treatment baths, raw materials, polymers, alloys, cleaned surfaces, packaging, technical devices, or formulations. The goal is to detect, identify, and quantify organic, inorganic, and particulate compounds that may affect quality, safe use, or industrial performance. This approach applies equally to routine quality control, post-incident investigation, cleanliness assessment, cleaning validation, and studies of migration and leachables. To explore other areas of application, see our Business Sector page.

Organic analysis focus on hydrocarbons, volatile, semi-volatile or non-volatile compounds, additives, extractables, and leachables. Depending on the need, the laboratory uses techniques such as GC-FID, GC/MS, HS-GC/MS, LC/HRMS, HPLC, or pyrolysis GC/MS. These approaches make it possible, for example, to assess product purity, look for a surface contaminant, study container-content migration, or document cleaning validation.

The choice of technical resources depends on the nature of the contaminant, the expected concentration level, and the matrix to be analyzed. The laboratory has a broad analytical platform enabling in-house analysis by GC-FID, GC/MS, HS-GC/MS, LC-MS/MS, LC/HRMS, ICP-MS, ICP-AES, ion chromatography, optical microscopy, as well as other characterization tools such as SEM or FTIR depending on the issue. This complementarity is particularly useful in failure investigations, adhesion problems, corrosion, oxidation, or color change.

Filab is positioned on Trace Analysis Lab issues with dedicated expertise in the analysis of cleaning residues and contaminants according to ISO 19227. Services are performed in-house under COFRAC ISO 17025 accreditation, with a high-capacity analytical platform that helps limit interfaces and secure turnaround times. This organization promotes consistency between sampling, sample preparation, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of results.

The laboratory carries out residue and contaminant analysis according to recognized standards, with services performed in-house under ISO 17025 accreditation. Organic analysis include the search for total hydrocarbon residues (THC) by GC-FID according to NF EN ISO 9377-2 and the measurement of total organic carbon (TOC) according to NF EN 1484. Inorganic investigations cover heavy metals, detergent residues, and mineral acid residues by ICP-AES, ICP-MS, and ion chromatography. Particulate contaminants can be characterized by optical microscopy according to dedicated standards. For targeted needs, it is possible to go further with approaches for inorganic residues according to ISO 19227 or particulate contaminants ISO 19227.

Inorganic contaminants include heavy metals, elemental impurities, detergent residues, mineral acids, and certain ionic species. Quantification is carried out by ICP-AES, ICP-MS, and ion chromatography depending on the nature of the sample and the target thresholds. These analysis address common industrial challenges: bath control, process water monitoring, raw material qualification, corrosion investigation, trace metal detection, or material compliance assessment.

When standard methods are not enough, the laboratory can define a study plan, develop a suitable analytical method, and then validate it according to the intended industrial objective. This approach is suitable for complex matrices, low thresholds, specific compounds, or investigations combining several contaminant families. It is relevant for studies of extractables and leachables, stability, chemical compatibility, material degradation, or the characterization of nanoparticles and nanomaterials.

Beyond measurement, the support is aimed at solving your issue: confirming a contamination hypothesis, comparing several batches, identifying the source of a deposit, qualifying a cleanliness level, documenting a non-conformity, or building a control plan. The laboratory works on recurring needs such as heavy metal quantification in process water, trace analysis in polymers, purity analysis, leachables studies, or expert assessment following material failure.

To start a study, it is necessary to specify the matrix, the industrial context, the suspected type of contamination, the expected sensitivity level, and the applicable standard, if there is one. The laboratory can then propose a suitable analytical strategy: define the test plan, submit the samples or arrange on-site support, analyze organic, inorganic, or particulate residues, then interpret the results in light of your technical requirements. This approach can be integrated into a cleaning validation, a failure investigation, a purity check, a contamination investigation, or an assessment of chemical compatibility.