Indian Oil Corporation collaborates with domestic engine makers to develop 5% ethanol blending in diesel

6 Jun 2023 , 09:30 AM

A top executive of the largest oil company in the nation stated on Monday that Indian Oil and two domestic engine manufacturers are actively working on blending 5% ethanol in diesel. 

Experimental work is being done, according to Indian Oil Corporation Director (R&D) SSV Ramakumar, at both its laboratory and the R&D facilities of the two engine manufacturers.

He added in an event sponsored by the auto industry association SIAM that ‘two key Indian heavy-duty diesel engine makers, Indian Oil and one of the other oil marketing companies are very actively working on blending 5% of ethanol in diesel.’

One of the primary concerns, he said, is that the blending may cause some problems with the fuel injectors.

‘As a result, we are carefully investigating to determine the impacts of this ethanol mixture. You will likely hear something from us as a group in the upcoming six months, according to Ramakumar.

He pointed out that as diesel is the most common fuel utilized in the nation’s transportation industry, ethanol blending with diesel is crucial.

Therefore, Ramakumar remarked, ‘Any reduction in diesel will be fantastic for conserving precious petroleum products and tremendous steps towards pollution reduction from diesel vehicles.

He noted that although research for the use of E-20 gasoline in current cars was nearly finished, the long-duration endurance testing, which was intended, was probably going to be finished by July of this year.

By 2025, the government wants to quadruple the 10% ethanol blend that is currently added to petrol.

For us, it’s a massive undertaking since we first need to collect the additional ethanol needed to graduate from 10% to 20% blending, which will require 1,000 crore litres of ethanol by 2025, according to Ramakumar.

So, he continued, the oil business is actively seeking out alternative sources of ethanol production with a single-minded purpose.

According to Ramakumar, the only source of ethanol is sugarcane molasses, while the source of second-generation ethanol is any agricultural leftover, such as wheat straw, paddy straw, cotton straw, or any other agricultural residue.

At the Panipat refinery, a second-generation ethanol unit, according to him, has successfully been put into operation.

A second-generation ethanol facility is also being planned for completion by a number of PSU oil marketing firms, including Bharat Petroleum, HPCL, NRL, and MRPL. At least two of these facilities are almost ready for commissioning.

It will assist in increasing the country’s supply of ethanol to reach the final target of 1,000 crore litres needed to satisfy the 20% blending requirement by 2025.

Speaking at the occasion, Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said that it is now time to turn sustainability into a mass movement by fostering active involvement and increasing awareness in order to help us reach sustainability targets, such as net-zero emissions by the year 2070.

Rajesh Menon, director general of SIAM, emphasized that the Indian auto sector is working on environmentally friendly transportation options, with a focus on ethanol, electrification, hydrogen, CNG/LNG, and lastly, the circular economy through recycling.

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