CATBALOGAN CITY – A group of faculty-researchers of Samar State University (SSU) are strengthening SSU Bantay COVID-19 by spending their entire day formulating alcohol and hand sanitizer to counter the city’s shortage of disinfectants.
The Department of Health has already disseminated an advisory that the Alert System of COVID-19 has been raised to Code Red Level 2. In response to this, a stricter implementation of preventive measures in order to slow down and put a halt to the further spread of COVID-19 was made by the City Government of Catbalogan. SSU is one with this advocacy by initiating the formulation of ethyl alcohol for free distribution.
The use of ethyl alcohol, according to the medical authorities, is one of the ways to combat the disease for it reduces an individual’s risk of coronavirus infection.
Dr. Edelyn Echapare, Dr. Rezy Mendaño, Mr. Ruel Amascual, Mrs. Diana Shane Balindo, Mr. Rhodmar Panis, Ms. Jullien May Zartiga, and Ms. Ma. Angelica Alcantara started to make the ethyl alcohol yesterday, March 19, with the onset of the process called alcoholic fermentation.
“Alcoholic fermentation is a biotechnological process accomplished by yeast to convert sugars into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. After the fermentation process which takes 7-10 days, the ethyl alcohol is separated by using distillation or using the rotary vapor. For every 1 liter of fermented solution, about 80 grams of ethanol will be produced in the process. For 10 containers (18 liters capacity each container), we will be able to produce 14.4 kilograms,” Amascual said as he explains the process of making the alcohol.
According to the team of researchers, the process of making the ethyl alcohol will take up to 10 days due to the unavailability of ethanol. For this reason, they decided to formulate hand sanitizer as an alternative.
“We recognize the urgency of the people’s need, that is why for the mean time, we will make a hand sanitizer to be consumed by the Catbaloganons as soon as possible,” Dr. Mendaño stated.
The hand sanitizers will be made available tomorrow and they are targeting the families of Barangay Guindapunan to be the first beneficiaries.
Seven to 10 days from now, the ethyl alcohol will be freely distributed by SSU.
“We will be holding an efficient distribution of the free ethyl alcohol so everyone could avail. They’ll just provide their own containers,” Dr. Echapare said.
