DUT manufactures its own hand sanitisers

SIMANGELE ZUMA

(L-R): Gaositwe Makolomakwa, Dr Adarsh Puri, Prof Suren Singh (Exec Dean: FAS), Prof Kugen Permaul, Siphiwengesihle Mbamali, Prof Feroz Swalaha (HOD: Biotechnology and Food Technology).

Durban University of Technology (DUT) produced 1000 litres of hand sanitiser, FastSan 80, which was distributed for free to staff and students when the university re-opened.

The project forms part of the university’s various initiatives driven by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Thandwa Mthembu, to curb the spread of COVID-19 among the DUT community.

Professor Suren Singh, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences, stated that the faculty has a wide array of expertise that could play a significant role in the fight against COVID-19.

The project was spearheaded by Professor Kugen Permaul, one of the university’s leading molecular biologists, and Director of the BRICS consortium on Biomass Utilization (one of only three globally). Professor Permaul drove this project with a highly technical skilled team from the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology at DUT comprising of three staff members: Dr Adarsh Puri, Mr Gaositwe Makolomakwa and Mrs Siphiwengesihle Mbamali.

“The first batch of 1000 litres of hand sanitiser was produced, bottled and labelled in four days. A competition was held within the department to come up with a name for the hand sanitiser. FastSan was proposed by the Head of Department, Prof Feroz Swalaha, and chosen as it includes the Faculty name and the “80” designates the alcohol concentration,” said Permaul. He further stated that the hand sanitiser was formed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) specifications.

Elaborating on its effectiveness, Permaul said the FastSan 80 hand sanitiser uses 80% ethanol, as opposed to most of the sanitisers that use 70% or lower ethanol.

“While 70% of ethanol is an effective concentration for inactivating coronaviruses and other micro-organisms, 80% ethanol is more effective. Besides the active ingredient, alcohol, a humectant has been added to moisturize hands and prevent drying out with frequent use. Hydrogen peroxide is added to sterilise the bottles and sanitiser,” said Permaul.