THE FUTURE FUEL FOR INDIA “E-20”

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“E-20”

Mains General Studies: 3

(Issues and challenges related to Environment)

Context:

  • The struggle for crude oil is increasing worldwide. Crude oil shortage is becoming a challenge for many countries. It is interesting that many countries like America are influencing other countries regarding oil. Significantly, America is a strategic friend of India and the relationship between the two has been more positive over the years, but due to America's lack of good relations with Iran, India had to ban the import of crude oil from Iran in May 2019.
  • At present, due to high oil prices in Saudi Arabia, non-supply of oil from Russia due to Russia-Ukraine war, India has taken important steps towards the production of biofuel (green fuel) as an alternative to crude oil.

About Green Fuel:

  • Green fuel is also known as biofuel which is a type of clean (distilled) fuel obtained from plant and animal matter. It is environment friendly as compared to the widely used fossil fuels.

Types of Green fuel:

Bio-ethanol:

  • It is made from maize and sugarcane using a fermentation process.
  • A liter of ethanol contains about two-thirds the energy as compared to a liter of petrol. It reduces emissions of carbon monoxide and sulfur oxides with petrol.

Bio-diesel

  • It is obtained from vegetable oils such as soybean, palm or vegetable waste oil and animal fat, it is called "transesterification".
  • It emits very less harmful gases as compared to diesel.

Bio-Gas

  • It is formed by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter such as sewage from animals and humans.
  • Biogas consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide gas, although it also contains hydrogen sulphide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and siloxane gas in small proportions.
  • It is commonly used for heating, electricity and automobiles.

Bio-Butanol

  • It is also prepared by fermentation of starch like bioethanol.
  • Butanol has the highest energy yield among other gasoline alternatives. It can be mixed with diesel to reduce emissions.
  • It is used as a solvent in the textile industry and as a base in the perfume industry.

Bio-hydrogen

  • Bio hydrogen is like biogas. It can be produced using various processes such as pyrolysis, gasification or biological fermentation.
  • It can be a perfect substitute for fossil fuels.

About E-20 Fuel:

  • It is a fuel used in vehicles.
  • Its biggest advantage is that it will reduce the emission of toxic gases from vehicles and it will reduce pollution.
  • E20 fuel is a mixture of gasoline and ethanol (20%).
  • It is also economically beneficial for India.
  • This will reduce India's oil imports thereby saving foreign exchange and ensuring energy security.
  • Currently the permissible level of ethanol blending is 10%, however India has reached only 5.6% blending level.
  • This will help in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons etc.
  • It is an example of a green fuel.

Ethanol

  • Ethanol is a type of alcohol that can be mixed with petrol and used as fuel in vehicles.
  • It is a by-product of bio-fuel and biomass, it can be obtained from maize, sugarcane and potato etc.
  • Ethanol also reduces carbon monoxide emissions and sulfur dioxide.
  • Ethanol also reduces the emission of hydrocarbons
  • Ethanol contains 35 percent oxygen
  • Using ethanol fuel reduces nitrogen oxide emissions.
  • Ethanol is blended with gasoline to produce a variety of blending products.
  • Ethanol is a volatile, flammable and a colorless liquid.
  • Ethanol is also used as an active ingredient in alcoholic beverages.
  • Ethanol is also used as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

Gasoline

  • Gasoline is a liquid fuel that we use mainly in spark-ignited internal combustion engines.
  • It is also commonly called petrol, it is a clear petroleum-derived flammable liquid.
  • Gasoline is a light hydrocarbon mixture containing C4 to C12 atoms per molecule.
  • It is commonly used as a fuel.

Current Status:

  • India is not self-sufficient in terms of crude oil. It is able to produce only seventeen percent of its oil requirement, for the rest it is dependent on imports.
  • In such a situation, the form of E-20 fuel will help in reducing this dependence, but it cannot be called the last resort considering the speed at which the country needs crude oil.
  • At present, the production capacity of ethanol in India is around one thousand thirty seven crore litres, of which seven hundred crore liters is sugarcane based and rest is grain based.
  • In 2022-23 the requirement of fuel containing petrol and ethanol was 542 crore litres, whereas in 2023-24 it has increased to 698 crore litres.
  • As compared to 2013-14, today the production of ethanol has increased by six times, due to which foreign exchange of about fifty four thousand crore rupees has been saved.
  • Currently E-20 fuel will be made available at eighty-four petrol pumps across eleven states and union territories. It is worth mentioning that the Government of India had started 20 percent ethanol blended petrol in 'India Energy Week 2023' in February, 2023 and it was hoped that this initiative would reduce the dependence on petrol.

Significance:

  • This will help in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons etc.
  • It will also help in reducing the oil import bill, thereby saving foreign exchange and ensuring energy security.
  • Vehicle compatibility: The percentage of ethanol in the blend for vehicle compatibility shall be defined by the vehicle manufacturer and shall also be clearly displayed by affixing a sticker on the vehicle.
  • It will be easier to run vehicles with E-20 fuel, as well as the big advantage will be that cities will be free from toxic gases. There will be a comparative reduction in the purchase of crude oil, which will reduce the foreign exchange expenditure.

Government’s Initiatives to Promote Biofuels

National Green Hydrogen Mission:

  • The Union Cabinet had approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission in January 2023, which aims to make India a clean energy hub.

Ethanol Blended Petrol Program:

  • This program has been started to extract fuel from food grains such as maize, jowar, bajra, fruits, vegetable waste etc.

Pradhan MantriJee-One Yojana, 2019:

  • The objective of the scheme is to create an ecosystem for setting up commercial projects and to promote research and development in the 2G ethanol sector.

GobarDhanYojana, 2018:

  • It focuses on converting solid waste and cattle dung into compost, biogas and bio-CNG for use in farms. Thus helping in keeping the villages clean and increasing the income of the rural families.
  • It was launched under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
  • The RUCO (Response Used Cooking Oil) initiative launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil into bio-diesel.

National Policy on Biofuels, 2018

  • The policy has expanded the scope of raw materials for ethanol production by using sugarcane juice, sugar-rich materials, starch-rich materials and damaged grains such as wheat, broken rice and rotten potatoes.

Conclusion:

  • India is an agrarian economy country, where agricultural residues are available on a large scale. In such a situation, the possibility of production of bio-fuel remains high.
  • The farmer of India can make the country self-sufficient in the matter of biofuel by producing food grains. But is it possible for the government to double its income.
  • The government had set a target of doubling the income of the farmers by the year 2022, but nothing much has been known about it.
  • In view of this situation, the government has set a target of completely selling E-20 fuel in the country by 2025.
  • There is no doubt that ethanol has become a major priority of 21st century India, as it can make a better impact on the environment and the lives of farmers.

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Mains Exam Question:

“E-20” is the future fuel for India. Mention the major initiatives of the Government of India in this context.