POET Biorefining-Alexandria broke ground Thursday on an expansion to accommodate the production of purified alcohol, which is a plant-based, fundamental ingredient in hand sanitizer and other cleaning products.

“At POET, our mission is to be good stewards of the Earth by converting renewable resources into bio-based alternatives to fossil fuel,” said Matt Braun, Senior Vice President and General Manager at POET. “With this in mind, a team at POET got together and worked around the clock to create a brand new, plant-based purified alcohol product. Purified alcohol is a fundamental component of hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies, which saw unprecedented shortages earlier this year.”

The $25 million expansion project will provide for 30-35 million gallons annual production of purified alcohol.
The project is slated for completion in early 2021.