A team of researchers at the University of Windsor has teamed up with local businesses to make and bottle hand sanitizer.
President of InnerSeasonings International Helena Racovitis first reached out to the university to offer up her bottling line where the company usually makes and bottles all of the TBQ sauces. The university put her in contact with chemist John Trant and the project got underway.
Trant and his research team have now joined forces with Wolfhead Distillery and Peak Processing, a local maker of edible and topical cannabis products to get the necessary tools and supplies to finish the job.
Trant plans to use an ethanol-based by-product of the distilling process from Wolfhead Distillery as the main ingredient of the hand sanitizer and then will have to add a product to give it a gel-like consistency and make it safe for use.
Trant said the most difficult part of the process will be adhering to social distancing protocols, forcing the researchers to take turns working in the lab.
Trant determined that the bottling process is best suited for Peak Processing in Oldcastle where they can mix up to 8,000 litres of the product at one time and bottle it using the plant’s cosmetic-filling line-up.
Racovitis is now supplying the bottles for the project and working with officials to get the proper regulatory approvals.
