@booms111,
I know you asked this to
@Go go n chill, so excuse me for butting in...
Filter papers stop at 2 microns (grade 602h) so, are you talking about using a syringe or bottle-top filter?
Bottle-top filters are similar to a Buchner funnel (see the attachment) and they typically come with filter options of 0.25 or 0.45 membranes.
The filters are part of the unit so nothing can slip under the filter like in a Buchner funnel and typically they are either sold pre-sterilized and individually wrapped.
In the case of PTFE filters, they can be autoclaved.
All bottle-top filters are meant to be single use.
Buchner funnels are meant to have small amounts of liquid poured into the center and then the resulting crystals as pushed aside and more liquid is poured into the center.
In a typical lab situation what ends up in the flask is the waste product and what is in the filter paper is the portion that is retained. So with QW filtering this process is reversed, which works fine for bulk filtering from around 100 microns to 11 microns or so.
You could try using a Hirsch funnel with a pleated filter, which will be a pain in the ass to make a seal and will filter much slower than a buchner funnel, but you will be able to fill it up.
Or you can put a #1 filter (11 microns) into a buchner funnel and then stack a paper coffee filter (around 20 microns ) on top of that which will allow you to double filter your extract at the same time. But just like the Hirsch funnel, getting the coffee filter to make a seal, not fold into itself, or rip, is going to tricky.
Not to get all nanny state on you.
But if you buy the pre-sterilized bottle-top filters, open them outside and let them air out a bit. They sterilize these with ethylene oxide and that stuff is very nasty.
If you are thinking that opening the filter outside defeats the point of it being sterilized, you are right, but name one other part of the process that is sterile besides the solvent?
Again sorry for butting in, I hope what I had to say was helpful.