New & Used Filters For Sale

What is an industrial filter?

An industrial filter is a piece of process equipment that removes solids, contaminants or specific components from a fluid stream (liquid or gas) using a porous medium. Filtration is one of the most widely used unit operations in industry, with applications ranging from polishing finished pharmaceutical products to dewatering sludge, removing particulates from compressed air, separating catalysts from reaction mixtures, and clarifying food and beverage products. Industrial filters are typically specified by filtration rating (micron size), throughput (m³/hr or kg/hr of solids handled), operating pressure, materials of construction and the cleanability of the filter medium.

How long do industrial filters last?

The filter housing and structural components typically last 20-30+ years with appropriate maintenance and corrosion protection. Filter media (cloths, cartridges, bags, plates) are consumables replaced on cycles ranging from days to years depending on duty. Mechanical components like hydraulic systems on filter presses, drives on rotary vacuum filters and pneumatic systems on bag filters require periodic overhaul.

Why choose an industrial filter?

Filtration is essential to process integrity, product quality and equipment protection across virtually every process industry.

• Product quality and clarity: filtration removes haze, particulates and contaminants that affect appearance, taste, stability and regulatory compliance.
• Process protection: upstream filters protect pumps, heat exchangers, spray nozzles and other downstream equipment from damage by particulates.
• Solids recovery and dewatering: filter presses, vacuum filters and centrifugal filters reduce sludge volume by 50-90%, cutting disposal costs and recovering valuable solids.
• Environmental compliance: filtration meets discharge consent limits for total suspended solids (TSS), helps with COSHH compliance for dust and supports DSEAR requirements for explosive dusts.
• Catalyst recovery: fine filtration recovers expensive catalysts from reaction mixtures, providing a major operating cost saving in chemical and pharmaceutical production.

Why buy a used industrial filter?

Industrial filters are well-suited to second-hand purchase because the structural components last decades and replacement media is widely available.

• Significant cost savings: used filters typically cost 40-60% less than new equivalents, particularly on large filter presses and rotary vacuum filters.
• Immediate availability: new specialist filters can have lead times of 12-24 weeks. Used stock is often available within days or weeks.
• Refurbishment-friendly: plates, frames, hydraulic systems and drives can all be serviced or replaced. A refurbished filter often performs identically to new.
• Proven performance: filters with documented operating history offer evidence of throughput, cake quality and reliability.

Types of industrial filters for sale

Filter presses

Plate-and-frame filter presses are the workhorse of solids dewatering, processing slurries from chemical, mining, food, water treatment and pharmaceutical applications. Membrane filter presses add high-pressure squeeze for further dewatering. Typical filter areas range from a few m² up to 1,500m² on large units, with manufacturers including Andritz, BHS-Sonthofen, Diemme, Larox and Lasta.

Bag and cartridge filters

Bag filter housings hold replaceable filter bags rated from 1 micron up to 200 microns, used widely for liquid clarification, particulate removal and process protection. Cartridge filter housings hold pleated cartridges for finer filtration (down to 0.1 micron) in pharmaceutical, beverage and electronics applications. Both are typically constructed in 304 or 316L stainless steel for chemical and food compatibility.

Rotary vacuum and pressure filters

Rotary drum vacuum filters provide continuous solids dewatering for high-volume applications including kaolin, calcium carbonate, paper sludge, sugar processing and mineral concentrates. Rotary pressure filters offer enhanced dewatering for sticky and fine-particle products. Common manufacturers include Andritz, BHS, Komline-Sanderson and Outotec.

Self-cleaning and back-flushing filters

Self-cleaning filters use mechanical scrapers, brushes or backwash systems to clear filter media without manual intervention, supporting continuous operation in cooling water, irrigation, pre-filtration and process protection duties. Common in heat exchanger protection and cooling tower side-stream filtration.

Bag filters and dust collectors

Reverse-jet bag filters and pulse-jet dust collectors handle particulate removal from process gases and pneumatic conveying systems. Used in cement, food, pharmaceutical, plastics and woodworking industries to control dust emissions, recover product and meet COSHH and DSEAR standards.

Key features to consider when buying an industrial filter

• Filtration rating: specify the required micron rating (typically from 0.1 micron for sterile pharmaceutical work up to 100+ microns for coarse particulate removal).
• Throughput and filter area: match filter area or flow capacity to your process load with sensible margin. Under-specifying causes excessive media changes; over-specifying wastes capital.
• Materials of construction: 316L stainless for most chemical, food and pharmaceutical duty; carbon steel for water and benign service; alloy or polymer linings for aggressive chemicals.
• Operating pressure and temperature: filter housings are pressure-rated under PED/UKCA. Verify the design envelope against your operating conditions.
• Cleaning method: manual change-out for low-frequency batches; automatic backwash, pulse jet or self-cleaning for continuous operations. Match cleaning to your operating pattern.
• Hygiene and certification: food, dairy and pharmaceutical filters need 3A, EHEDG or FDA-aligned design with sanitary fittings and documented cleaning validation.
• ATEX rating: essential for solvents, flammable powders and explosive dust collection. Always verify current certification.

Industries and use cases for industrial filters

• Water and wastewater treatment: sludge dewatering, polishing of treated water, pre-filtration ahead of membranes, chemical handling protection.
• Food and beverage: clarification of beer, wine, juice and dairy products, syrup polishing, edible oil filtration and sterile filtration of liquid foods.
• Pharmaceutical and biotech: sterile filtration of liquids and gases, catalyst recovery, fermentation broth clarification and API isolation.
• Chemical and petrochemical: catalyst filtration, product polishing, resin and crystal recovery, plus protection of downstream equipment from particulates.
• Mining and minerals: dewatering of mineral concentrates, kaolin and pigment filtration, plus tailings management.
• Industrial gas and dust collection: particulate removal from process exhausts, pneumatic conveying systems and ambient air for cement, food, plastics and woodworking.

What locations do we serve for industrial filters?

As a buyer-to-seller marketplace, we feature industrial filters from sellers across the UK and beyond. Use our location and distance filters to find equipment near your facility, which can significantly reduce transport costs on heavy filter presses and large vacuum filter installations.

Can I return an industrial filter?

As we operate as a buyer-to-seller marketplace, any returns policy must be agreed directly with the seller before purchase. We strongly recommend pre-purchase inspection wherever possible, including a review of any pressure certification, hydraulic operation tests on filter presses and inspection of plates, drums, frames and seals.

Browse other industrial machinery categories

This category forms one part of our wider industrial machinery marketplace. Browse the full range of New and Used Industrial Machinery, or jump into a specific sub-category below:

• New and Used Industrial Autoclaves
• New and Used Industrial Automatic Lines
• New and Used Industrial Belt Coolers
• New and Used Industrial Blowers
• New and Used Industrial Breakers
• New and Used Industrial Capping Machinery
• New and Used Industrial Centrifuges
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• New and Used Industrial Presses
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• New and Used Industrial Reactors
• New and Used Industrial Rotary Valves
• New and Used Industrial Sieves
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• New and Used Other Industrial Machinery