Captured CO2 used to make hand sanitiser

Air Co., which launched a carbon-negative vodka last year, is using the same approach to make hand sanitiser during the coronavirus outbreak

Spotted: After launching its carbon-negative vodka last year, New York City-based technology and lifestyle company, Air Co., has shifted its production to hand sanitiser, in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The company captures CO2 pollution, combines it with water to make alcohol, and then distils the final product using solar-powered equipment.

Hand sanitiser needs to be made up of at least 60 per cent alcohol to work properly, and most are usually comprised of 80 per cent ethanol, which is the main output of Air Co.’s technology. The process of creating the alcohol is inspired by photosynthesis; heated water splits into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then combined with the CO2. This mixture creates alcohol and water, which is then distilled to the point where the alcohol reaches the desired strength. This method ensures that the entire fermentation process can be skipped, and no farming required to produce the grain, saving all agricultural-related expenditures.

The company aims to produce “goods that do good”, and so, in response to the current health crisis, is working with local officials to donate its bottles of hand sanitiser to the industries most in need of it.

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