{"id":19671,"date":"2023-12-16T20:33:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-16T15:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=19671"},"modified":"2023-12-16T20:33:49","modified_gmt":"2023-12-16T15:03:49","slug":"food-vs-fuel-ethanol-blending-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/16-12-2023\/food-vs-fuel-ethanol-blending-scheme","title":{"rendered":"Food vs Fuel: Ethanol Blending Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environmental Pollution &amp; Degradation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In Context<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Low stocks of sugar and uncertainties of overproduction this year have led the government to go slow on its ethanol blending programme.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ethanol Blending<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ethanol can be mixed with <strong>gasoline <\/strong>to form different blends.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This blending is done by the <strong>oil marketing companies<\/strong> in their terminals. Once blended, the ethanol <strong>cannot be separated<\/strong> from the petrol.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it <strong>allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel<\/strong>, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since ethanol is produced from plants that harness the power of the sun, <strong>ethanol is also considered a renewable fuel<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has a <strong>higher octane number <\/strong>than gasoline, hence improving the petrol octane number.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Significance of Ethanol Blending for India<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Increased energy security: <\/strong>India imports more than 70 per cent of its domestic crude requirement from abroad.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The blending reduces its dependency on foreign crude significantly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India will be more immune to geopolitics upheavals as seen recently in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or Middle-Eastern turmoil.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eco-friendly:<\/strong> The use of blended ethanol lowers carbon emissions, resulting in better air quality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicious use of otherwise wasted crops:<\/strong> Huge quantities of crops see wastage in India every year. With the blending, the wasted crops would be diverted for ethanol production thus reducing wastage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increased farmer income:<\/strong> Farmers can realise better prices for their produce. The previous policy of attaining a 10 per cent blending level has benefited the farmers significantly. The 20 per cent level has further benefited them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increased self-reliance:<\/strong> The blending has fostered the development of indigenous technologies making India self-reliant to a considerable degree<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SDG targets: <\/strong>Relatively low Emissions will help achieve SDG targets and mitigate climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Challenges<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reduced domestic availability: <\/strong>Recently, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution directed all mills and distilleries not to use sugarcane juice\/syrup for making any ethanol \u201cwith immediate effect\u201d. The Centre has also <strong>banned sugar exports<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a step towards augmenting domestic availability \u2013 restricting <strong>diversion of the sweetener for ethanol production<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low sugar production: <\/strong>The 2022-23 sugar year ended with stocks of<strong> just over 57 lakh tonnes (lt)<\/strong>, the lowest since the 39.4 lt of 2016-17 and way below the record 143.3 lt of 2018-19.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is uncertainty over production for the current 2023-24 year itself. <strong>Maharashtra and Karnataka are expected<\/strong> to record particularly sharp declines, on the back of subpar rains and low reservoir water levels in their major cane-growing areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land diverted for non-food purposes: <\/strong>A greater percentage of blending may further result in more land being diverted for crops that would be used for ethanol production threatening food security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unsustainable crop rearing:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As of now, primarily water-intensive sugar cane is being used in ethanol production which is <strong>driving down the water table swiftly<\/strong>. It is also being subsidised by the government thus nudging more farmers to grow the crop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The target would require 6 million tonnes of sugarcane and 16.5 million tonnes of grains per annum by 2025 for non-food purposes thus impacting food security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Suggestions &amp; way ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Shift Focus from 1G to next-generation Biofuels:<\/strong> It will counter the most genuine fear of loss of food security. The <strong>2018 National Policy on Biofuels <\/strong>prioritised:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>grasses and algae;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>cellulosic material such as bagasse, farm and forestry residue; and,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>items like straw from rice, wheat and corn for ethanol production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India as a global leader:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has a real opportunity here to become a global leader in sustainable biofuels policy if it chooses to refocus on ethanol made from wastes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This would bring both strong climate and air quality benefits, since these wastes are currently often burned, contributing to smog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f7e7b7\"><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What is Ethanol?<\/span><\/strong><br><br>&#8211; It is a <strong>volatile, flammable, colourless<\/strong> liquid with a characteristic wine-like odour and pungent taste.<br><br>&#8211; Ethanol can be produced from <strong>crops <\/strong>that have high starch content like <strong>sugarcane, maize, wheat<\/strong>, etc.<br>1. <strong>Bioethanol production<\/strong> is classified into different generations (as shown in the image below).<br><br>&#8211; It is primarily produced from <strong>molasses<\/strong>, a derivative of sugar production.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; It is among the most important biofuels, <strong>manufactured naturally by yeast fermentation <\/strong>or <strong>petrochemical methods<\/strong> such as ethylene hydration.<br><br>&#8211; It is the organic compound <strong>Ethyl Alcohol<\/strong>.<br><br>&#8211; It is also an ingredient in <strong>alcoholic beverages<\/strong>.<br><br><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">National Biofuel Policy<\/span><\/strong><br><br>&#8211; <strong>Aim:<\/strong><br>1. The policy is aimed at reducing dependence on imports by encouraging fuel blending.\u00a0<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Key elements: <\/strong>With<strong> bioethanol, biodiesel <\/strong>and <strong>bio-CNG<\/strong> in focus, its key parts include\u00a0<br>1. <strong>Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP)<\/strong>,\u00a0<br>2. Production of<strong> second-generation ethanol <\/strong>(derived from forest and agricultural residues),\u00a0<br>3. Increasing capacity for production of<strong> fuel additives<\/strong>, <strong>R&amp;D in feedstock<\/strong>, which is the starting material for ethanol production.<br>4. <strong>Financial incentives<\/strong> for achieving these goals.<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Ethanol Blending Petrol (EBP) programme:<\/strong><br>1. The Centre promotes the Ethanol Blending Petrol (EBP) programme with the aim of\u00a0<br>-> Enhancing energy security,\u00a0<br>-> Reducing import dependency on fuel,\u00a0<br>-> Saving foreign exchange,\u00a0<br>-> Addressing environmental issues and\u00a0<br>-> Giving a boost to agriculture.<br><br>&#8211; <strong>Accomplishments:<\/strong><br>1. The \u2018National Policy on Biofuels\u2019 notified by the government in 2018 envisaged an<strong> indicative target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol<\/strong> by 2030.<br>-> In 2014 only 1.5 per cent ethanol was blended in petrol in India.<br><br>2. Given the <strong>encouraging performance <\/strong>and<strong> various interventions <\/strong>made by the government since 2014, <strong>the 20% target was advanced to 2025-26.<\/strong><br><br>3. The ethanol-blended petrol (EBP) programme has been<strong> a significant accomplishment <\/strong>of the current government.\u00a0<br>-> The all-India average blending of ethanol with petrol has risen from 1.6% in 2013-14 to 11.8% in 2022-23.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dee2db\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dee2db;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"585\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-19673\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4.png 585w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4-300x138.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/12\/image-4-150x69.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Daily Mains Question<\/span><\/strong><br><strong>[Q] <\/strong>What is the need &amp; significance of Ethanol Blending for India? Examine the potential challenge of Food security posed by Ethanol blending in India.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Daily-Editorial-Analysis-16-12-2013.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environmental Pollution &amp; Degradation In Context Ethanol Blending Significance of Ethanol Blending for India Challenges Suggestions &amp; way ahead What is Ethanol? &#8211; It is a volatile, flammable, colourless liquid with a characteristic wine-like odour and pungent taste. &#8211; Ethanol can be produced from crops that have high starch content like sugarcane, maize, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19671"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19678,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19671\/revisions\/19678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}