Understanding Sterile Filtration And Importance Of Prefiltration

By Joseph Baaklini, Director of SLS, Pall Laboratory

Sterile filtration may be a common laboratory activity, but it is a critical part of many workflows. If done improperly it may not prevent, and may even introduce contamination downstream. Today’s research  requires the sterile filtration of a wide range of fluids across many applications. These fluids typically contain a variety of large solids and particles that should be removed first to improve performance of the final sterile membrane.

Sterile filter manufacturers provide an array of membrane medias in a wide range of pore sizes, dimensions, surface areas, and material of construction to meet researcher’s needs, such as chemical compatibility, productivity, throughput and quality. In addition, pre-filtration has become an important step to improve sterile filtration performance. Different sterile filters often have different claims and all claims need to be validated. With so many options and claims to choose from, It can be difficult for a user to select the best sterile and prefiltration solution.

This brief provides explanation of the importance of sterile filtration and how sterile filters are validated by the manufacturer. In addition it outlines the process and value of selecting the best prefilter to improve final sterile filtration performance.