The government has proposed the adoption of E20 fuel as an automobile fuel.
E20 fuel:
-
E20 fuel is a blend of 20% of ethanol and gasoline.
-
Ethanol is a biofuel and a common by-product of biomass left by agricultural feedstock such as corn, sugarcane, hemp, potato, etc.
-
It is produced mainly from molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacture.
-
Ethanol is basically alcohol of 99%-plus purity, which can be used for blending with petrol.
Significance:
-
The notification facilitates the development of E20-compliant vehicles.
-
Adoption of E20 fuel will be instrumental in cutting down vehicular emissions.
-
It will help in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, etc.
-
-
It will also help in cutting down the country’s oil import bill, thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security.
-
It would extend support to the agricultural sector as well as provide additional income to farmers.
Details:
-
The current permissible level of blending is 10% of ethanol.
-
India reached only 5.6% of blending in 2019.
-
The proposal also called for the display of compatibility of vehicles with the percentage of ethanol (to be defined by the vehicle manufacturer) in the blend with a sticker.
Note:
The National Policy on Bio-fuels has set a target of 20% blending of biofuels, both for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol.