Asturian companies have joined forces to manufacture hydrogel for hand disinfection, a necessary product in the fight against COVID19. The initiative is funded by the EDP Foundation, which will contribute with more than 40,000 euros for the production of 15,000 liters of hydroalcoholic gel. The Department of Science, Innovation and University coordinates this new project in order to produce this gel as of next week.

The proposal for producing hydrogel comes from the company Metrohm DropSens, but it is a joint and altruist project in which Auxquimia has participated making its installations and ingredients available for the mixture, same as Asturquimia. The production of this disinfectant will be possible thanks to the economic support of EDP, which assumes the costs for the purchase of ethanol and isopropanol – essential for the mixture – additional materials and transport.

All the companies have aligned themselves to ensure that this product reaches the personnel who need it in a disinterested manner. At first, the hydrogel will be produced for security forces and forest rangers. The Department of Rural Development, Agro-agriculture and Fishing will be responsible for facilitating the distribution to these sectors.

However, work is being done to ensure that it can also be used by healthcare personnel. For that purpose, they are acting in two ways. On one hand, the promoters of the initiative have contacted a pharmaceutical company so that it can carry out the production at its headquarters, and thus have the product accredited for use by healthcare personnel. And on the other hand, there is the possibility to dispense the alcohol to the Pharmacy of the Central University Hospital (HUCA) so that it can directly manufacture the hydrogel that it needs

The team, coordinated by Pablo Fanjul, from Metrohm DropSens, is confident that all the necessary material will arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday, in order to have the first large-scale batch by the end of the week. In principle, the idea is to pack the gel in one-liter bottles or in 5-to-10-liter carafes. The first disinfectant tests, around 200 liters, have already been delivered to the department of Rural Development as pilot test.