COVID-19: IIT-KGP researchers develop hand sanitisers

Researchers from IIT Kharagpur have developed two different alcohol-based hand sanitisers based on WHO guidelines amid the coronavirus outbreak, the institute said in a statement. A team from the School of Medical Science and Technology of the institute manufactured a hand sanitiser containing isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, glycerol and water, it said.

The team comprises research scholars Atul Kumar Ojha, Ayan Gope, Anurup Mukhopadhyay, Lopamudra Das, Akashlina Basu, a few of whom have studied pharmaceutical technology, the statement said. Another team led by Prof Mihir Sarangi of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has developed a hand sanitiser based on 70 per cent ethanol and 30 per cent aloe vera gel, it said. 

Both the teams have made the hand sanitisers available to employees of the institute who are providing essential services to students and staff on the campus. "The hand sanitisers have been made only for non-commercial purposes," researcher Atul Kumar Ojha said.