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Bentonite Clay: A Potential Natural Sanitizer for Preventing

Neurological Disorders
Partha Das and Bharat Venkata Tadikonda*

Cite This: https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00609 Read Online

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ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 is a positive stranded-RNA human viral pathogen that attacks the central nervous system (CNS),
causing interminable diseases. Although alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) control the widespread transmission of such
pathogens through dermal contact, excessive exposure to alcohol mists and vapors causes CNS disorders, apart from skin infections
and negative impacts on the useful microbiome. Herein, we propose bentonite paste, which interacts strongly with different +RNA
viruses such as SARS-CoV-2/poliovirus, for dermal sanitization. Repeated hand cleansing with bentonite paste not only provides
complete protection against any viruses but also improves the skin condition. The proposed method is useful for contact isolation
and as a strict infection control tool in hospital settings and in public.
KEYWORDS: Central nervous system, SARS-CoV-2, polio, hand sanitizers, dermal contact, bentonite

S ARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), a newly discovered human viral

pathogen, is found to induce acute neurologic disorder in
humans by attacking the central nervous system (CNS). This
contagious human pathogen belongs to the family of
coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and enters the human CNS through
the olfactory-hematogenous pathway.1 SARS-CoV leads to
neurodegenerative effects on human nerve and brain cells,
causing loss of olfactory functions and severe ischemic stroke.2
Poliomyelitis or the poliovirus is also a morphologically similar
human pathogen, which also has the potential to cause CNS
disorders in humans. The poliovirus reaches the CNS through
a peripheral nerve or through the blood-brain barrier and
contributes to the damage of motor neurons leading to muscle
weakness and sometimes complete paralysis of limbs.3
The world is currently reeling under a human health and
economic crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has
reached the stage of global pandemic. Moreover, no clinically
proven vaccine for the novel coronavirus is available yet. On
the other hand, the local outbreak of the poliovirus within the
unvaccinated and under-vaccinated population coverage is
common. The cessation of human−human transmission of
both viruses is essential, as they are contagious and have
potential to cause infection in the human CNS.
The virus transmission occurs through hand−hand contact,
contact to oral and nasal discharges, and dermal contact of
contaminated surfaces as the viruses survive for several hours
on human skin and other surfaces under the ambient
conditions. Thus, frequent hand sanitization is required for
interruption of the virus transmission chain. The current
practice of hand cleansing mostly relies on using alcohol-based
hand-sanitizers (ABHSs), which contain nearly 70% ethanol or
isopropanol (Figure 1a). Excessive dermal exposure and nasal
inhalation of the highly concentrated alcoholic mists and
vapors lead to severe damage to the CNS, which results in
memory disorders, nausea, slurred speech, and hypothermia.4
Accidental ingestion of the solution causes alcohol poisoning,
leading to several liver diseases and death in extreme
conditions. Further, irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) and
allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are often reported due to
ABHS use. And, a negative impact of ABHSs on the skin
microbiota by a significant reduction in bacterial cell counts
deters ABHS application as the skin microbiota is vital for
maintaining the immune homeostasis in skin.
Herein, we propose bentonite paste, which is a natural and
environmentally friendly material, to effectively control the
transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other human viral pathogens
through dermal contact. The bentonite clays are rich in
montmorillonite mineral and are characterized by a very high
specific surface area and cation exchange capacity.5 The clay
platelets carry a net negative charge due to the isomorphous
substitution in the crystal lattice and positive charge on the
edges to become an excellent adsorbent for SARS-CoV and
other human viral pathogens. SARS-CoV and polioviruses are a
positive-stranded (+) RNA pathogens with an outer protein
coat (Figure. 1b). The association of the protein spike with the
charged clay mineral due to different clay−virus interactions6,7
leads to a very high cohesive energy density between the virus
and clay surface.8 As both the SARS-CoV and poliovirus
pathogens have a similar surface morphology, the sorption data
match for these viruses on the clay minerals (Figure 1b). The
sorption isotherm presents the relation between equilibrium
liquid-phase virus concentration (log ce) and adsorbed virus
Received: September 21, 2020
Accepted: September 23, 2020

© XXXX American Chemical Society https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00609

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ACS Chemical Neuroscience
Figure 1. (a) Usual practice of hand cleansing with an alcohol-based sanitizer, (b) virus adsorption by clay particles, and (c) proposed technique
for hand cleansing.
per mass of the soil (log qe) for both SARS-CoV and
polioviruses. The percent adsorption of coronavirus and
poliovirus on the bentonite soil was nearly 99.99% and 95%,
respectively, where the adsorbent dosage was in the range of
0.1−0.2 mg/5 mL of the virus. Such a high affinity of bentonite
clay for the viruses, where the number of adsorption sites was
minimal, indicates a complete (100%) adsorption of the virus
in the presence of a higher amount of bentonite. Thus, a very
high interaction energy density of 28 J/cm3 is theoretically
estimated for the protein spike of SARS-CoV-2 to the
montmorillonite surface,8 which is abundant in bentonite
clay. On the other hand, the affinity of SARS-CoV-2 for human
enzymes is negligible (0.4 J/cm3) in comparison to the
bentonite clay. The expected binding energy density of these
viruses for the skin is likely to be ≤0.4 J/cm3. Thus, the
proposed technique of using a bentonite clay paste for
sanitization is a natural replacement to the existing hand
sanitizers for infection control. And, the ill effects associated
with ABHS on the skin can be avoided. The bentonite paste
adsorbs all the available virus strain from the skin, and washing
with fresh water removes the bentonite clay with the sorbed
viruses (Figure. 1c).
The bentonites show several medicinal benefits besides
being an effective natural sanitizer for removing the virus from
the skin. The application of bentonite paste aids in treating
skin infections and shedding the dead skin layers. Further,
accidental consumption of bentonite clay does not lead to any
side effects; rather, it would help in alleviating any digestive
complications and detoxifying the body. Due to the virtues of
bentonite paste as discussed above, it is a potential deterrent to
SARS-CoV-2 transmission arising from the improper disposal
of contaminated medical gear. Spraying with bentonite slurry
and subsequent washing with water would cater to the
problems associated with the disposal of the contaminated
pubs.acs.org/chemneuro Viewpoint
medical gear. The application of bentonite slurry would not
only make the medical gear reusable and prevent the spread of
the contagious virus but also safeguard the environment by
maintaining sustainability goals.
■ AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
Bharat Venkata Tadikonda − Department of Civil Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039,
Assam, India; orcid.org/0000-0003-4283-7274;
Phone: +3612582417; Email: tvb@iitg.ac.in, tvbharat@
gmail.com
Author
Partha Das − Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute
of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati 781039, Assam, India
Complete contact information is available at:
https://pubs.acs.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00609
Author Contributions
T.V.B. envisaged the conception, P.D. reviewed the literature
and prepared the first draft of the manuscript, and T.V.B.
finalized the manuscript. Both authors contributed equally to
the manuscript and will act as guarantors.
Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
■
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