Germany's Verbio boosts sanitiser output as bioethanol demand drops

Germany's Verbio is undertaking a major expansion of hand sanitizer and disinfectant production to meet huge demand created by the coronavirus pandemic while sales bioethanol falters, its CEO said on Friday. "We are currently in a position to substantially compensate for the reduction in demand for bioethanol in the fuel market for our company through production for disinfectants," CEO Claus Sauter told Reuters, without providing detailed figures.

"We can currently produce about 80,000 liters of disinfectants per week. We could in the short term expand this capacity into the million-litre sector." The company has received rapid approval from German authorities to produce finished disinfectants for both hand and area cleaning using bioethanol and glycerine from its own output.

"Our customers already include many pharmacies, hospitals, care services, ambulance services, public sector institutions, and hospitals throughout Germany," Sauter said. Germany and other EU countries blend gasoline and bioethanol as part of programs to protect the environment.

But lockdowns in Germany and across Europe have greatly reduced driving and hit demand for both gasoline and bioethanol.