Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) FAQ

Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters offer high flow rates, high protein-binding capacity, and excellent thermal stability, making them ideal for microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, and biological laboratory filtration. They are available as presterilized, individually packaged membranes, and gridded MCE membrane filters simplify microbial colony counting and quantification, making them a preferred choice for membrane filtration microbiology and water quality testing.

Yes. Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters have a limited shelf life because they contain wetting agents that maintain good wettability with water and aqueous solutions. Over time—especially after the package is opened—these wetting agents can degrade. For optimal membrane filter performance, Sterlitech recommends using MCE membrane filters within one year of receipt.

Yes. In most filtration applications, Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters can be used as direct replacements for nitrocellulose (NC) membrane filters. Most commercially available NC membrane filters are actually manufactured from a blend of nitrocellulose and cellulose acetate, making them functionally equivalent to MCE membranes in the vast majority of laboratory and microbiological filtration applications.

In most cases, Sterlitech Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters are not available in custom diameters. If your application requires a non-standard membrane size, please contact your Sterlitech sales representative to discuss your filtration requirements and explore alternative membrane filter options.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, non-sterile Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters are often more expensive than presterilized MCE membrane filters due to manufacturing volume. Sterile MCE membranes are produced in high volumes for microbiological testing, sterility testing, and other routine laboratory applications, allowing manufacturers to benefit from economies of scale and automated production. In contrast, non-sterile MCE membrane filters are produced in much smaller quantities, requiring less efficient manufacturing and packaging processes. As a result, their production costs are higher, leading to a higher selling price.

A. The presterilized 47 mm Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membrane filters feature a 3 mm × 3 mm printed grid to facilitate microbial colony counting and quantification. A typical 47 mm MCE membrane filter contains approximately 185 grid squares, making it ideal for membrane filtration microbiology, water testing, and other microbiological analyses.

Yes, in most cases. Mixed Cellulose Esters (MCE) membranes are made from a blend of cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose) and cellulose acetate. Although some manufacturers label these filters as Nitrocellulose (NC), commercially available NC membrane filters are almost always MCE membranes, since pure nitrocellulose is difficult to manufacture for filtration applications. As a result, MCE and NC syringe filters are generally considered functionally equivalent in most laboratory and microbiological filtration applications.