In recent development, Indian govt announced that ethanol percentage in the petrol will increased to 20% from 8.5 % . India currently blends 8.5% ethanol in petrol which is very less compared to developed countries
The draft notification was issued in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of advancing the deadline for 20% ethanol blending by 2025 from 2030. The notification comes at a time when several cities across the country are witnessing both petrol and diesel being sold at all-time high prices.
What is Ethanol
Benefits of blending ethanol in petrol
1. Nature Friendly
With ethanol-blended petrol, the vehicular pollution level is expected to be reduced significantly. Ethanol is non-toxic, biodegradable fuel solution. It is safe to handle, store and transport as well. This oxygenated fuel contains 35% oxygen and emits fewer pollutants into the air than petrol or diesel.
2. Lesser dependency on fossil fuel
With ethanol policy implemented, Inia's fossil fuel dependency will be much lowered than now. India currently imports 80% of its fossil fuel requirement. This translates into a huge amount of fuel bill for the country. With ethanol-blended petrol, the fuel import bill would come down substantially.
3 Cheaper in cost
A litre of ethanol is currently priced at 62.65 in India, compared to nearly 100 for a litre of petrol and above 90 for a litre of diesel.
4 Stronger farming sector
India is one of the largest sugarcane producers in the world. It was the second-largest sugarcane producer globally, next to Brazil. According to Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, sugarcane production in India in 2018 was surplus by 50-60 lakh tonnes. With such significant sugarcane production capacity, a chunk of it can be diverted for ethanol production. This would help the farmers.
The major setback of ethanol use is the mileage of the car . The mileage will decrease as ethanol percentage increases. the maintenance cost will increase accordingly.