propolis extraction in propylene glycol

[samak]

Anybody got ideas how I can filter this propolis extract? It is propolis dissolved in propylene glycol. I think propylene glycol would be too thick to go through coffee filters.

See the picture in the link below, the stuff on the right is powdered propolis. The one on the left is propolis in propylene glycol.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/samak_2006/propolis_extraction.jpg

[nrguenth]

Propylene glycol is miscible in water, so you could thin it before filtering. Otherwise you would probably need to perform a vacuum filtration.

[samak]

Thanks for that idea. I might have to try thinning it with water for now until I figure out how to do vacuum filtration. Is there any way I can do vacuum filtration without special tools? Maybe a bicycle air pump, and a tube, and some filtering material?

[nrguenth]

If you google "vacuum filtration" the first 3 results give good pictorials of the method.

What are you actually trying to accomplish? My understanding of propolis is that it is primarily plant/tree sap. If this is the case I would tend to think that propolis will not be very soluble in propylene glycol. A more suitable solvent for extraction would be alcohol. If your end goal is a propylene glycol/propolis solution I would suggest allowing the solution to settle and either decanting the solution or using a separatory funnel.