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BTEC hand sanitizer helps protect museum visitors

Published September 23, 2020

Closed for the past six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has reopened with new safety measures in place, which include timed tickets, limited capacity, and 28 new hand sanitizer stations. These stations use hand sanitizer produced at BTEC. This project, which is supported by NC State University’s Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science, will supply the museum with 800 gallons of the sanitizer for use throughout the year.

BTEC began manufacturing hand sanitizer earlier this year to assist with the university's response to COVID-19 and help ensure the health of the campus community. Since then, the hand sanitizer has been made available to select organizations. BTEC began the manufacturing process in March by registering the facility with the FDA and obtaining the required permits. The manufacturing process is based on the World Health Organization's formulation for hand sanitizer. The primary component is ethanol with additions of hydrogen peroxide, glycerol, and high purity water. The final formulation is an 80% ethanol solution that is close to the consistency of water.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, hand hygiene, which includes the use of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) or handwashing, is an important part of the U.S. response to COVID-19.