Ethanol Blending

Why in the News?

Recently, Prime Minister announced that India has achieved its target of blending 10% sugarcane-extracted ethanol in petrol, ahead of schedule.

Key Points:

About Ethanol:

• • It is the organic compound Ethyl Alcohol which is produced from biomass.
  • It has a higher octane number than gasoline, hence improving the petrol octane number.
  • Ethanol has insignificant amount of water in it.
  • Source: It is an agricultural by-product that is mainly obtained from the processing of sugar from sugarcane, but also from other sources such as rice husk or maize.

• Types of ethanol:

• • • First generation ethanol or 1G: Production of ethanol utilizes feedstock such as cereals and sugarcane juice and molasses.
    • Second generation ethanol or 2G: Ethanol extracted other than molasses such as, rice straw, wheat straw, corn cobs, bamboo, etc.

• Uses: 

• • It is also an ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
  • It has medical applications as an antiseptic and disinfectant.
  • It is used as a chemical solvent and in the synthesis of organic compounds.

What is ethanol blending?

• Blending ethanol with petrol to burn less fossil fuel while running vehicles is called ethanol blending.
• It does not have any effect on vehicle. Since ethanol contains oxygen, it is supposed to help in complete combustion of fuel, resulting in lower emissions.
• Currently, 10% of the petrol that powers vehicles is ethanol.
• India’s aim is to increase this ratio to 20% by 2025.

Significance of Ethanol Blending:

• Reduce share of oil imports
• Increase farmers’ incomes
• Lesser stubble burning and therefore, lesser air pollution.
• Reduce CO2 emissions

Challenges:

• Changes in Vehicle: It requires significant changes, which may drive the price up.

• Inefficient Land and Water use: Towards more water intensive crops like sugarcane.

• Demand supply Mismatch: Bioethanol production capacity does not match present demand by oil manufacturing companies.

• Storage and Uses: Ethanol is highly flammable, demands added precaution in all stages from production, transportation and storages. Being corrosive in nature it requires addition of anti-corrosive agents.

• Food Security can also be a major concern.

Image Source: The Hindu

India’s Ethanol Blending programme:

• The government of India had launched pilot projects in 2001 wherein, 5% ethanol blended petrol was supplied to retail outlets.

• It decided to launch Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme in January 2003 for sale of 5% ethanol blended Petrol in nine States and four UTs.
• In 2006 Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, extended the 5% Ethanol Blended Petrol to twenty States and four UTs of the country.
• First National Policy on biofuels was made by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in the year 2009.
• In 2018, ‘National policy on biofuels-2018’ was notified by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

In May 2022, Union Cabinet approved amendments to the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018, to advance the ethanol blending target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol to 2025-26 from 2030