Cape Town - Energy and chemical company Sasol has partnered with the government to help combat the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa by developing a unique blend of alcohol-based chemicals to be used in the manufacture of hand sanitisers to help meet market demand for these products.
Sasol is a producer and bulk supplier of high-purity ethanol (HPE), isopropanol (IPA) and n-propanol (NPA) alcohols, which are solvent chemicals used in the production of sanitisers, among other key chemicals.
“While global demand and pricing for ethanol and isopropanol alcohol has increased due to higher demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Sasol has prioritised local supply, and prices for South African sales have remained stable,” Sasol president Fleetwood Grobler said in a statement.
He said the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a run on hand sanitisers, which has in turn created excessive demand for the alcohols required to produce hand sanitisers and disinfectants.
“Over the past few weeks, Sasol has experienced an increase in demand of nearly 400% for alcohol-based products. In recent weeks we have delivered close to eight million litres to the South African market and our laboratories, production, marketing and supply chain teams are working round the clock to ensure a reliable supply of critical alcohol-based products to customers.”
In addition, the company has developed a blend of alcohols that will be sold to existing and new Sasol customers to expedite the production and availability of these products, which are critical to the health and well-being of South Africans.
Sasol said it is also collaborating with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and prioritising supply to government entities and other essential-service providers to jointly combat the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa.