Specialty chemicals company Clariant is currently repurposing available infrastructure at its Gendorf facilities in Germany to produce disinfectant.
The disinfectant is being provided to regional hospitals and other vital institutions in Bavaria. Shortages of this critical product on the frontlines led the German state of Bavaria to call for the production of 10 million litres of disinfectant over the next three months.
The Bavarian authorities have established a crisis fund to cover the costs of the programme. Clariant has said it will contribute 2 million litres on a monthly basis at cost price.
“We at Clariant have the capability to support those working the hardest to protect all of us. Therefore, our employees acted decisively to ensure it was done”, said Clariant’s COO, Hans Bohnen.
At short notice, the company has successfully established a stable supply chain for the production of large volumes of disinfectant. Clariant is collaborating with CropEnergies AG in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, a major producer of renewable ethanol, on the production of the disinfectant. CropEnergies ships the ethanol to Clariant, who mixes this with other ingredients to produce the disinfectant, after which it is discharged into tank containers.
Packaging companies repackage the product into containers sized from one to 1,000 litres, after which it is distributed to regional hospitals and other vital institutions.