Whether microporous membranes can be reused depends largely on the material composition, material structure and characteristics of the filtration or separation process involved in the membrane. In actual use, although many microporous membrane materials can be reused under the premise of ensuring effective cleaning and sterilization, some material membranes will have limitations on reuse, such as degradation, loss of integrity or restrictions on cleaning procedures due to the characteristics of the material itself. Here we make a statistical analysis of membranes of various materials. Of course, these statistics are not absolute. We summarize the commonalities of membrane materials in use, and special and single cases are not discussed.

In general, reusable membrane materials include:
1. Polyethersulfone (PES) material. Polyethersulfone has strong chemical resistance and thermal stability. In addition, it is compatible with various cleaning and sterilization methods. For example, in the application of biopharmaceutical industry and water treatment industry, the usual membrane system equipment is equipped with a complete backwashing function.
2. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) material. PVDF membrane has strong durability and chemical resistance. It can withstand harsh cleaning processes and can be reused in some applications that require high chemical compatibility and high temperature resistance.
3. Regenerated cellulose (RC). In principle, it is not recommended to reuse membranes made of regenerated cellulose. However, if large-scale production is considered from the perspective of cost control, if it can be properly cleaned and sterilized, the membrane of RC material is usually reusable, such as filtration applications in some laboratories. The process will not have much impact on the material itself and can withstand multiple cleaning cycles.
4. Polypropylene (PP). PP material membranes can usually be reused in applications with high requirements for chemical compatibility and mechanical strength. It can be reused multiple times after cleaning and sterilization.

The membrane materials that cannot be reused or have restrictions in reuse include the following:
1. Cellulose acetate (CA). CA membrane materials are more easily degraded after repeated cleaning cycles. Therefore, this type of membrane cannot be reused because it is often used in laboratories and research applications. In terms of accuracy and its own material properties, the material is ensured to be used once.
2. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), PTFE membrane has strong durability and chemical corrosion resistance. In principle, it can be reused, but due to the non-stick properties of such material membranes, there will be limitations in cleaning and sterilization. In addition, it is usually used in harsh chemical filtration applications. Reuse is not recommended.
3. Nylon (polyamide) NYLON, nylon membranes can be reused in some applications, but it must be noted that there may be limitations in chemical compatibility and resistance to degradation during reuse. The type of filtrate needs to be grasped during use to ensure that it is within a safe range.
4. Polyester (PET), PET material membranes cannot be reused during use because they will degrade or change properties after cleaning and sterilization. Therefore, it is recommended to use them once in various filtration applications.

We have summarized a list of whether single-material microporous membranes can be reused. However, from a practical point of view and manufacturer processing conditions, for some membrane materials that cannot be reused, large-scale composite or modified processes are usually used to make them meet the requirements for reuse in order to achieve cost savings. Therefore, in actual applications, we must follow manufacturer guidelines and industry best practices to clean, sterilize and reuse the membrane to ensure optimal performance and service life.