E20 ethanol blend has no major technical issues, benefits farmers and economy: ICT Vice-Chancellor
Mumbai, July 28
The E20 ethanol-blended fuel policy is technically sound, economically beneficial and expected to support Indian farmers while reducing the country's dependence on imported petroleum, Institute of Chemical Technology Vice-Chancellor Prof. Aniruddh B. Pandit said, on Tuesday.
Speaking to IANS on the impact of E20 fuel, Prof. Pandit said the initiative is expected to significantly reduce India's dependence on imported petroleum, leading to substantial savings in foreign exchange. He also said the policy would create greater demand for ethanol, providing a boost to the agricultural sector and benefiting farmers.
"From an overall point of view, this type of ethanol blending is likely to be extremely beneficial to Indian farmers. It is likely to save significant amount of foreign exchange because we are heavily dependent on petroleum," he said.
"Whatever complaints which people are making and there appears to be some sort of a campaign to go against ethanol blending, I do not know the reasons for that. But there are no technical difficulties as far as 20 per cent ethanol blend is concerned," he told IANS.
According to him, newer vehicles are fully compatible with E20 fuel and do not face any issues with its use.
However, he acknowledged that certain older vehicles could experience problems because some rubber and polymer-based components used in their fuel systems may deteriorate over time when exposed to ethanol-blended petrol.
Prof. Pandit said these compatibility issues are largely limited to older vehicle models and stressed that extensive scientific studies and technical evaluations had been conducted before the E20 policy was introduced.
"A couple of other things which are there where there are certain rubber and polymeric components which are there where ethanol containing petrol passes through that as a result of which these polymeric materials are likely to get affected because of the blend of ethanol and petrol," he stated.
Highlighting the history of ethanol as an automotive fuel, he said India had vehicles running on 100 per cent ethanol during the 1940s and 1950s, indicating that a 20 per cent ethanol blend should not pose a significant challenge from an engineering perspective.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but I'm concerned about older cars like my 2012 WagonR. The VC admits some rubber components may deteriorate. Who will bear the replacement costs? The government or us common people? Need more clarity on transition plans for old vehicles.
Excellent move! 🎯 This reduces our reliance on Middle East oil and helps our sugar mills too. The historical reference about 100% ethanol vehicles in 1940s is fascinating. India was ahead of its time even then. Kudos to ICT for the technical validation.
As someone working in the auto industry, I can confirm E20 is technically feasible for modern engines. My only concern is ethanol production competing with food crops for water. Hope the government ensures sustainable sourcing from sugarcane waste or other non-food biomass.
Finally some common sense in energy policy! The campaign against ethanol blending seems like paid propaganda by oil import lobbies. Our farmers deserve better prices for their produce, and this policy directly helps them. Let's support this wholeheartedly. 💚
Reasonable analysis from the VC. But I'm a farmer from Maharashtra and want to know - will this actually increase ethanol procurement price for us? Or will sugar mills continue to exploit us? Policy looks good on paper but implementation needs teeth to benefit real kisans.
A We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.