The ethanol blending initiative aims to improve environmental benefits and reduce crude oil import costs.
In May, the average proportion of ethanol in gasoline exceeded 15% for the first time. This was made possible by increased purchases from biofuel producers, who have significantly expanded their production capacity in recent years.
The government plans to lay the groundwork for mixing ethanol in diesel.
“Although blending ethanol with diesel will mean we will have to produce more of this green fuel, it will be good for the environment and reduce our fuel consumption.” crude oil imports “And save foreign currency,” an official told ToI.
The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) conducted a trial on BS-III and BS-VI buses during 2018-19 to assess the vehicle’s performance, emissions and durability using ethanol-blended diesel. The 500-hour test showed no major faults and found that fuel consumption was slightly lower than regular diesel. However, further tests are yet to be conducted on BS-VI vehicles. One of the public sector oil companies is expected to conduct a trial of the fuel in a heavy vehicle soon. Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently stated in the Rajya Sabha that the ethanol-diesel blend is currently at an experimental stage. He noted that initial tests showed formation of deposits in fuel tanks, among other implications.
“The ethanol-diesel blend was at an experimental stage and initial tests showed deposit formation in fuel tanks and other implications,” Puri said. Currently, most vehicles can run on 10% ethanol-blended gasoline, with minor component adjustments required to handle 20% ethanol-blended gasoline.
However, ethanol has about a third less energy per unit volume compared to gasoline, and 20% ethanol blend In gasoline, the result is a reduction in fuel efficiency of between 6 and 7%.
(With ToI inputs)
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