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India’s effort to blend ethanol with gasoline reflects the benefits and challenges of sustainable fuel efforts being showcased at global climate talks this week.
Earlier this year, the Indian government announced that it had achieved its goal of blending 20% plant-based fuels with gasoline five years ahead of schedule. The world’s most populous country is joining brazil, Japan And Italy Promoting ethanol and other biofuels as part of the Belém 4x initiative.
The initiative, being unveiled at the COP30 climate summit on Friday, provides political support for the expansion of biofuels and relatively low-emission hydrogen-based fuels. Brazil, long a leader in biofuels, typically sells a 27% ethanol blend and its government recently announced plans to raise the percentage.
The rapid ethanol transition in India shows the challenges other countries may face. While the Indian government said the use of ethanol reduces pollution, some users said it was affecting their mileage and damaging old engines. Most fuel pumps in India now sell 20% ethanol blend or unblended gasoline which is almost twice as expensive. Low ethanol blends are being phased out.
Environmental experts also said producing grain for ethanol could displace food crops and sometimes generate more planet-warming gases than it saves.
Indian car owners say ethanol reduces mileage
Ethanol made from corn, sugarcane or rice is generally considered cleaner than petroleum-based gasoline. The Indian government said its blending program has already cut carbon emissions by 74 billion kilograms (163 billion pounds) – the equivalent of planting 300 million trees – and saved more than $12 billion in oil imports over the past decade.
“I think it’s good for the environment,” said Vijay Ramakrishnan, a Chennai businessman. “But I have noticed a decline in my vehicle’s mileage in recent months. Given how expensive fuel already is, this further decline is only adding to my costs.”
Ramakrishnan, who travels more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) a day, wants the government to provide more fuel options.
Amit Khare, who runs a popular YouTube channel on automobiles, said that many followers complain about a significant drop in the mileage of the E20. Some owners of old cars have told him that they are having engine problems.
“E5 is the best fuel, E10 is manageable, but E20 has given a lot of trouble,” he said.
Ramya Natarajan of the Bengaluru-based Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy said ethanol could be good for some engines if they are compatible, but agreed that it could reduce mileage.
Indian farmers want clarity on crops required for ethanol
Farmers said they needed clarity on government procurement schemes for ethanol production. Ramandeep Mann, a farmer in India’s northern Punjab state, said farmers had significantly increased the acreage of corn last year in hopes of selling it for fuel, but prices dropped after the government allocated large amounts of rice to ethanol makers.
The amount of ethanol blended with gasoline in India has increased from 8% to 20% in the last five years. Most ethanol now comes from grain rather than sugarcane, its traditional source.
Mann said that sugarcane prices have also declined this year. He said it is good that the government is tackling climate change, but it should put farmers and their prices before ethanol.
Previously, surplus crops needed for food were India’s primary source of ethanol, but that has begun to change, according to CSTEP’s Natarajan. “With the push for E20 blends or even higher, a lot more area will have to be cultivated which means it will displace other crops,” he said.
Balancing India’s needs
Climate experts said the environmental impact of biofuel production can be minimal when it is made from waste or inedible vegetation and processed in facilities that run on clean energy. But when crops are grown explicitly for biofuels, the carbon footprint is higher because of the fertilizers and fuel involved.
India’s ethanol strategy is part of a broader effort to reduce emissions, cut oil imports and boost agriculture, said Purva Jain, an energy expert at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
But he said a faster transition to infrastructure for electric vehicles could be better. A 2022 study from his organization found that installing solar power for EV charging could be a far more efficient land use than growing crops for biofuels.
However, CK Jain, president of the Grain Ethanol Manufacturers Association, said ethanol producers have invested significant sums in manufacturing and now need a stable, growing market for their product. He said India should increase the percentage of ethanol blended with gas and encourage the sale of compatible vehicles.
“We need higher mix as soon as possible, otherwise the industry will fall into deep financial trouble,” Jain said.
Other experts advocated adopting a middle path.
CSTEP’s Natarajan said 10% blending of ethanol with gasoline could be a “win-win” solution. He said this would allow the use of existing crops without putting too much pressure on increased farming.
Khare, a YouTube influencer, said keeping less mix available would help older vehicles.
He said, “The government can bring the program up to E20 or even E85, that is completely fine. But consumers need to be given options.”
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