Media report on hand sanitizer production effort 

WMTW (Channel 8 in Portland) and the Portland Press Herald reported on a University of Maine-led initiative to produce hospital-grade sanitizer for hospitals across the state as part of a partnership between the University of Maine System and the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). UMaine’s Process Development Center (PDC) and faculty in chemical and biomedical engineering have been producing FDA-compliant 80% ethanol hand sanitizer since March 23 using university supplies and ethanol supplied by area distillers. Continuous PDC production is expected to be at 400 gallons a day, given the available supply of components. PDC is able to produce a single 55-gallon batch in 30 minutes. The Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel mentioned the effort in its report “Central Maine distillers turn from spirits to sanitizer,” and the Sun Journal also reported on the effort.