What is 100% ethanol blending? | Explained
The story so far: On April 21, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said India should try to achieve 100% ethanol blending in
The story so far: On April 21, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said India should try to achieve 100% ethanol blending in the near future. He was speaking against the backdrop of India’s quest to become self-reliant in its energy needs. What is 100% blending? One-hundred percent blending refers to pure ethanol. It has the same chemical formula regardless of its source. One litre of petrol will supply 45-55% more energy than one litre of ethanol as the latter is less energy-dense. Centre floats another draft of CAFE-III; gives special recognition to ethanol and bio fuel cars Typical petrol engines are only certified up to E20 – meaning 20% blending. If the engine is older, the rating is also usually lower. To work with 85% or even 100% blends, i.e. E85 or E100, engines have to be fle fuel, meaning they can run on any level of blending. While fle fuel vehicles have been available in Brazil since the 2000s, such vehicles are not widely available in India at present. Toyota has introduced a version of its Hycross Innova as a fle fuel vehicle; it costs Rs 3-4 lakh more than the petrol version. Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are known to have prototypes, with new launches in the FY26 to FY28 window.
These vehicles need to have corrosion-resistant fuel systems, different sensors, and better tuned engine control units, among other modifications. In effect, one-hundred percent blending everywhere requires new vehicles, as well as new supply chains under ‘Make in India’. How does India produce ethanol for blending? In India, ethanol is currently predominantly produced from sugarcane as the feedstock. Sugarcane is a water-intensive crop that is also grown in already-water-stressed areas like parts of Maharashtra, and diverting it to make ethanol also disrupts from food prices and availability. In response, the Indian government has been pushing ‘second-generation’ ethanol made from crop residues, such as rice straw, under schemes backed by the Indian Oil Corporation. The government also hopes this diversion will reduce the amount of agricultural residue that is burnt in North India. Even as the demand for ethanol is increasing, the associated production costs are not lower than those of petrol, requiring policy support and — as is the case currently — government-administered pricing. There are indirect costs as well. Ethanol emits less carbon monoxide and particulate matter than petrol when combusted, so the health burden due to those pollutants can be expected to drop. However, sugarcane-based ethanol has to account for land use, inputs like fertilisers and pesticides, and water demand.
The BriefWire