Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme
Ethanol is a biofuel. This means that ethanol is produced by processing organic matter. On the other hand, the fuels like petrol and diesel are produced through fossilization. Basically, they are fossil fuels. Ethanol is rich in oxygen. This allows the engines to combust fuel easily. Also, ethanol emits less pollutants. For these reasons ethanol is mixed with petrol and such petrol is called Ethanol blended petrol.
What is Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme?
The Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP) was launched in 2003. It aims to blend ethanol with petrol to reduce pollution, increase value addition to sugar industry and conserve foreign exchange. In India, ethanol is produced from fermentation of sugar and thus the EBP will increase value addition to sugar industry. With the success of EBP, India’s dependence on fuel imports will decrease. This will conserve the foreign exchange.
What are the challenges in Ethanol Blending?
- The production of bioethanol is not sufficient to fulfil the demands. The sugar mills that are the key domestic suppliers of bio – ethanol is supplying only 57.6% of the total demand. The financial stability of the sugar mills in India is poor.
- The prices of bioethanol and sugarcane are fixed by the central government. Therefore, there are possibilities of uncertainties on the prices of bioethanol.
- The water footprint to produce ethanol in India is challenging. India has become a top producer of ethanol. However, it remains inefficient in terms of water usage in the production of ethanol.
- The availability of sugarcane is limited. In order to achieve 20% blending rate, India has to divert one – tenth of the net sown area for sugarcane production. If this is done, it will put stress on other crops.
What is Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India?
The Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India by 2025 was launched by the Government of India (GoI) in June 2021. Under the roadmap, the GoI plans to achieve E10 fuel supply by April 2022 and E20 by April 2025. This means that the petrol used will have 10% of ethanol in E10 fuel and 20% of ethanol in E20 fuel. As of November 2021, India is using 8.5% of ethanol.
