Partnering to Meet Hand Sanitizer Need

With the nation facing a significant shortage of hand sanitizer amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the university partnered with Nebraska’s ethanol industry to produce sanitizer for thousands of organizations and facilities nationwide.

The Food Processing Center on Nebraska Innovation Campus has donated over 200,000 gallons of hand sanitizer to health care workers, nursing homes, schools, businesses and U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service offices.

The fast-paced effort, led by Nebraska’s Hunter Flodman and the Nebraska Ethanol Board, required securing millions of dollars in donations from numerous Nebraska companies, gaining Food and Drug Administration approval and training student volunteers and staff. More than 25 organizations, including Green Plains Inc., Nebraska Forest Service, Cargill, Syngenta, Phillips 66, BASF and others supported the project.

“The partnership with the Food Processing Center is key. Without them, we would not have been able to make this happen,” said Flodman, associate professor of practice in chemical and biomolecular engineering and technical adviser to the Nebraska Ethanol Board.