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Ethanol as a fuel
· The use of ethanol as a fuel for internal combustion engines, either alone or in combination with other fuels, has been given much attention mostly because of its possible environmental and long-term economical advantages over fossil fuel.
· The use of ethanol as an automobile fuel is as old as the invention of the internal combustion engine itself. Ethanol was examined as an automotive fuel by Nikolas A Otto in 1897 during his early engine studies. Brazil has been using this fuel since 1920s.
· Ethanol can be combined with petrol in any concentration up to pure ethanol (E100). Anhydrous ethanol, that is, ethanol without water, can be blended with petrol in varying quantities to reduce the consumption of petroleum fuels, as well as to reduce air pollution.
· Ethanol is increasingly used as an oxygenate additive for standard petrol, as a replacement for methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), the latter chemical being responsible for considerable groundwater and soil contamination. Ethanol can also be used to power fuel cells and to produce bio diesel.
· Ethanol, an alcohol fuel, provides high quality, high octane for exceptional engine performance and reduced emissions. Ethanol has been used in cars since Henry Ford designed his 1908 Model T to operate on alcohol.
Some facts about ethanol as a fuel
· With a 113 octane rating, ethanol is the highest performance fuel on the market and keeps today's high-compression engines running smoothly.
· Because the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions.
· Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, ethanol is also considered a renewable fuel.
· Ethanol-blended fuel keeps the fuel system clean for optimal performance because it does not leave gummy deposits.
· Ethanol helps prevent wintertime problems by acting as a gas-line antifreeze.
Ethanol as a fuel in India
· The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) issued a notification in September 2002 for mandatory blending of 5 % ethanol in 9 major sugar producing states and four union territories from 2003.
· In 2008, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy established a National Policy on Biofuels to limit the country's future carbon footprint and dependence on foreign crude. Under this, the blending level of bio-ethanol at 5 % with petrol was proposed from October 2008, leading to a target of 20 % blending of bio-ethanol by 2017.
· It also laid down a roadmap for the phased implementation of the programme. This was taken up by the oil marketing companies (OMCs) in 20 states and 4 union territories. The government has fixed the interim refinery gate price of ethanol at Rs.27 per litre.
Challenges faced in using Ethanol as a fuel in India
· The major source for production of bio-ethanol in India is from molasses, a by-product of sugarcane. The availability is hence dependant on the cane and sugar production that are cyclical in nature.
· Ethanol has many other alternative uses such as potable alcohol and use in chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Hence its use as a fuel faces stiff competition from such uses.
National biofuel policy
In order to promote biofuels in the country, the Union Cabinet has approved National Policy on Bio fuels, 2018. The policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production,thereby aims to reduce dependency on crude oil and at the same time enhance the income of farmers, besides promoting acleaner environment and providing health benefits.
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Category of Biofuels
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1-The Policy categorises biofuels as "Basic Biofuels" and “Advanced Biofuels”.
2-Basic Biofuels comprise First Generation (1G) bioethanol and biodiesel.
3-Advanced Biofuels comprise- Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels + Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc.
4-This category has been done to enable the extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
Drop-in fuels are those renewable fuels which can be blended with petroleum products, such as gasoline, and utilized in the current infrastructure of pumps, pipelines and other existing equipment.
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Scope of rawmaterial
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The Policy expands the scope of raw material for ethanol production by allowing use of –
1- Sugarcane Juice,
2-Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet,
3-Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn,
4-Cassava,
5-Damaged food grains like wheat,broken rice,Rotten Potatoes etc. unfit for human consumption.
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Usage of Surplus food Production
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1-The policy allows the use of surplus food grains for production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
2-This measure will benefit farmers who can now get appropriate price for their produce during the surplus production phase.
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Viability gap funding
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1-With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2nd Generation ethanolbio-refineries of Rs.5000 crore in 6 years, in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price etc. as compared to 1stGeneration biofuels.
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Supply chain Mechanisms
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1-The Policy encourages setting up of supply chain mechanisms for bio diesel production from non edible oil seeds, Used Cooking Oil, short gestation crops.
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Roles and Responsibilities
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1-Roles and responsibilities of all the concerned Ministries/Departments with respect to biofuels havebeen captured in the policy document to synergise efforts.
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Benefits -
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Saving of forex
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1-The policy will entail more supply of ethanol which will reduce the pressure for importing crude oil resulting in saving of forex in the country.
2-Ethanol supply of around 150 crore liters in 2017-18 alone have saved foreign exchange worth over Rs. 4,000 crores.
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CleanerEnvironment
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1-The policy promotes the ethanol production, usage of which helps in controlling emission of CO2in the environment.
2-Further, by reducing crop burning and conversion of agricultural residues/wastes to biofuelsthere will be a further reduction in Green House Gas emissions.
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HealthBenefits
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1-Prolonged reuse of Cooking Oil for preparing food, particularly in deep-frying is a potential healthhazard and can lead to many diseases.
2-Used Cooking Oil is a potential feedstock for biodiesel and its use for making biodiesel willprevent diversion of used cooking oil in the food industry.
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Infrastructural investment in Rural Areas
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1-Addition of 2G bio refineries across the country will spur infrastructural investments especially in the rural areas.
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Employment Generation
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1- One 100 klpd 2G bio refinery can contribute 1200 jobs in plant operations, Village Level Entrepreneur sand Supply Chain Management.
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Additional Income to Farmers
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1-By adopting 2G technologies, agricultural residues/waste which otherwise are burnt by the farmers can be converted to ethanol and can fetch a price for these wastes if a market is developed for the same.
2-Also, farmers are at a risk of not getting appropriate price for their produce during the surplus production phase. Thus, conversion of surplus grains and agricultural biomass can help in price stabilization.
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Address supply-side constraints
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1-The policy primarily tries to address supply-side issues that have discouraged the production of bio fuels within the country.
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Cost reduction
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1-Availability of more raw material to be used as inputs to produce ethanol will reduce the cost ofproducing biofuels and improve affordability for consumers, particularly during times when oil prices reach discomforting levels.
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Strategic Importance
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1-Bio fuels in India are of strategic importance as it augers well with the ongoing initiatives of the Government such as Make in India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill Development and offers great opportunity to integrate with the ambitious targets of doubling of Farmers Income, Import Reduction,Employment Generation, Waste to Wealth Creation etc.
2-NBP is a step towards Energy security and reduced dependence on fossil fuel imports.
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