BIOFUELS IN INDIA

The level of ethanol blending in petrol in India has reached 9.99%.
It is one of the principal biofuels, which is naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical processes such as ethylene hydration.
It is aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on crude oil imports cutting carbon emissions and boosting farmers’ incomes.
The Government of India has advanced the target for 20% ethanol blending in petrol (also called E20) to 2025 from 2030.

Significance of Ethanol Blending

By blending ethanol into gasoline, it can reduce the amount of petrol required to run a car, thereby reducing dependence on imported, expensive, and polluting petroleum.
Today, India imports 85% of its oil requirements.
India’s net import of petroleum was 185 million tonnes in 2020-21 at a cost of USD551 billion.
Most of the petroleum products are used in transportation and therefore, the E20 programme can save the countryUSD4 billion annually.
Ethanol is a less polluting fuel and offers equivalent efficiency at a lower cost than petrol.
Availability of large arable land, rising production of foodgrains and sugarcane leading to surpluses, availability of technology to produce ethanol from plant-based sources, and the feasibility of making vehicles compliant to ethanol blended petrol (EBP) are some of the supporting arguments used in the roadmap for E20, which refers to the target as “not only a national imperative, but also an important strategic requirement”.

Related Issues

The new ethanol blending target primarily focuses on food-based feedstocks, in light of grain surpluses and wide availability of technologies.
The blueprint is a departure from the 2018 National Policy on Biofuels, which prioritized grasses and algae; cellulosic material such as bagasse, farm and forestry residue; and, items like straw from rice, wheat and corn.
The food grains meant for the impoverished are being sold to distilleries at prices cheaper than what states pay for their public distribution networks.
Competition between the distilleries and the public distribution system for subsidized food grains could have adverse consequences for the rural poor and expose them to enhanced risk of hunger.
India ranked 101st of 116 countries on the World Hunger Index 2021.
Production of biofuels requires land, this impacts the cost of biofuels as well as that of food crops.
Massive quantities of water are required for proper irrigation of biofuel crops as well as to manufacture the fuel, which could strain local and regional water resources.
Fossil Fuels produce more energy than some of the biofuels. E.g. 1 gallon of ethanol produces less energy as compared to 1 gallon of gasoline (a fossil fuel).

Way Forward

India has a real opportunity here to become a global leader in sustainable biofuels policy if it chooses to refocus on ethanol made from wastes.
This would bring both strong climate and air quality benefits, since these wastes are currently often burned, contributing to smog.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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