by admin_xw3245oj | May 17, 2024 | In the news
Insights from the U.S.-India Biofuels Summit 2024
On 23 April 2024, the U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum organized the U.S. – India Biofuels Summit 2024 in New Delhi. The Summit brought together key stakeholders to explore the production of ethanol, which has the potential to shape the future energy landscape. Attended by global and Indian industry leaders, policymakers, and experts, the summit facilitated discussions on crucial topics such as market trends, emerging ethanol use cases, and the potential for enhanced US-India collaboration on biofuels.
Giving the opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador to India Mr. Eric Garcetti emphasized that the partnership between the U.S. and India on biofuels had the potential to be historic and help achieve sustainable development goals to protect populations vulnerable to climate risks.
India’s Ethanol Blending Program (EBP) has witnessed substantial growth, with the blending rate rising from a mere 1.53 percent in 2013-14 to an impressive 10.17 percent by 2022. Having achieved its 10 percent ethanol blending target (E10) five months ahead of schedule in June 2022, India now aims to achieve a 20 percent blend (E20) by the end of 2025. To achieve E20, India will need substantial quantities of ethanol. According to a report by Arcus Policy Research, by 2026, India will need an estimated 13.5 billion liters of ethanol, with 10.16 billion liters for fuel blending alone.
Diversifying feedstocks for ethanol production emerged as an important discussion item, which is essential if India were to achieve the required ethanol demand. While the country’s ethanol production has heavily relied on sugarcane, crops such as maize emerged as an alternative feedstock due to advantages like requiring less water, making it a more resource-efficient option. Utilizing agricultural, forestry, and industrial waste for ethanol production was also discussed, given the urgent need for waste management in India. Maximizing ethanol production while minimizing the environmental footprint is crucial, and byproducts from bioprocessing can help support a circular economy model for increased sustainability.
As the world looks to new solutions for decarbonization, Sustainable Aviation Fuel or SAF has achieved global support as a non-fossil derived fuel. The alcohol-to-jet or ATJ technology relies on abundantly available and low-carbon ethanol as a raw material to generate SAF. To successfully meet local and global SAF blending targets, India needs to develop a robust supply chain and ensure consistent, year-round availability of ethanol.
The summit also focused discussions around the immense potential for a U.S.-India partnership in enhancing climate change resilience and sustainability. The United States, with its extensive experience in improving the efficiency and sustainability of its biofuel industry, can share its experience and insights with India to support the transition to cleaner fuels.
Participants at the summit applauded India’s role in the establishment of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) and added that for India, the GBA marks a significant step towards a more sustainable energy future. However, speakers highlighted that challenges such as technology transfer and geopolitical complexities continue to pose constraints for the GBA. Addressing these concerns will be crucial to ensuring the alliance’s long-term sustainability.
The U.S. – India Biofuels Summit 2024 highlighted the immense potential for a U.S.-India partnership in promoting sustainable development goals and mitigating climate risks. By leveraging their respective strengths and collaborating on innovative solutions, the two countries can lead the way in transitioning to a more sustainable energy future, benefiting both their populations and the global community.
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by admin_xw3245oj | Jul 23, 2023 | In the news
Having achieved its 10 percent ethanol blending target, also known as E10, five months ahead of schedule in June 2022, India now sets its sights on an even more ambitious objective: achieving a 20 percent blend, or E20, by the end of 2025.
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by admin_xw3245oj | Jan 30, 2023 | In the news
By Rudra Saxena and Jiyen Khullar, 27 January 2023
In June 2022, India was able to achieve its ethanol blending target of 10 percent, also called E10, five months ahead of schedule. The government’s next target is to achieve a 20 percent blend or E20 by the end of 2025. To lessen India’s reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, ethanol has been identified as an essential biofuel.
Ethanol is a renewable fuel and burns cleaner than petrol1 , resulting in lower particulate matter (PM 2.4 and 10) and tailpipe emissions, contributing to reducing air pollution. According to a NITI Aayog report, an E20 blend leads to greater reductions in carbon monoxide emissions, which were 50 percent lower in two-wheelers and 30 percent lower in four-wheelers. Compared to regular petrol, ethanol blends have a 20 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions at a 20 percent blend rate.
In addition to contributing to the environment, ethanol has several other benefits. For instance, it provides additional income to farmers, reduces dependence on oil imports and benefits consumers as it naturally has a high-octane number.
Ethanol blends well with petrol and can be used in most gasoline engines without any alterations, at the current 10 percent blend levels. However, to achieve the ambitious blending of 20 percent, there are two key areas India will need to achieve – to increase ethanol production capacity from the current 700 to 1500 million liters and to ensure new and existing vehicles are compatible with a 20 percent blend.
Similar to Brazil, the Indian government plans to introduce FFVs, or Flex Fuel Vehicles, which can run on zero to E85 blended fuel (an ethanol-petrol blend that contains 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petrol). This will go a long way in reducing emissions and saving on India’s crude import bill. Once the country achieves 20 percent ethanol blending, India will be the second-highest ethanol blending country behind only Brazil – which currently blends at 27 percent.
Rudra and Jiyen are students at the Ashoka University, majoring in Economics and Finance, and Computer Science.
by admin_xw3245oj | Jan 30, 2023 | In the news
By Arnav Mehra and Manav Sharma, 25 January 2023
Biennially held in India, the Auto Expo is one of the largest automotive trade fairs in Asia which sees participation from automobile manufacturers, OEMs and stakeholders of the automobile industry from India and around the world. This year, the Expo featured a wide range of automobiles including cars, two-wheelers, trucks and buses, and new fuel technologies like electric, hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles.
Given the Indian Government’s focus towards higher ethanol blending, for the first time this year the Expo featured an Ethanol Pavilion to create awareness about ethanol as a renewable and reliable fuel for automobiles and promote its adoption and use. The Pavilion saw participation from stakeholders like The Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Praj Industries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), the U.S. Grains Council (USGC), UNICA – The Union of the Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry of Brazil, Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association of the U.S.
Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, visited the pavilion and spoke about the benefits of ethanol, and reiterated India’s commitment to achieving a 20 percent blending mandate by 2025. Mr. Puri said that India had advanced from ethanol blending of 1.53 percent in 2013-14 to a 10.17 percent blending in 2022. That, this increased use of ethanol had translated into savings of ₹41,500 crore of forex (Over USD 5 billion), reduced greenhouse emissions by 27 lakh million tonnes and helped farmers with payments worth ₹40,600 crores (Approx. USD 5 billion) in the last 8 years.
In the Minister’s presence, Mr Vinod Aggarwal from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Mr Josh Miller from The U.S. Grains Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an objective to support higher domestic ethanol blending by creating awareness about its use, increase domestic production, ensure automotive compatibility, and create a favourable policy environment.
Ethanol is a biofuel that is made primarily from sources such as sugar cane, corn, and other food grains. It is a renewable fuel source that is domestically produced in the country and helps to reduce dependence on foreign oil as well as fossil fuels. Using ethanol as a blend with gasoline, in varying quantities like E10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline), E15, E27 and E85 is a common practice in several countries like Brazil and the United States. One of the key benefits of using ethanol is that it reduces emissions and smog-forming pollutants, making it an environmentally friendly option.
With climate change being a priority globally, significance of ethanol has increased as it lowers the carbon content in petrol and helps reduce particulate matter emissions, contributing to better air quality. As Ethanol has a high-octane number of 113, it reduces engine knocking and helps improve fuel and engine efficiency. The high-octane rating of ethanol allows for higher compression ratios in engines, which potentially results in efficient combustion and more power.
Today many countries, such as Brazil, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, China and France, have integrated ethanol into their fuels. For instance, Brazil has a high ethanol blend of 27 percent with petrol while the U.S. has a mandate of 10 percent blend and provides consumers to choose from a variety of different blends like E15, E30 and E85 at the fuel stations. The Indian government achieved its 10 percent blending in June 2022, five months ahead of its November 2022 target, and aims to achieve a 20 percent blend by 2025.
Increased use of ethanol and India moving towards a 20 percent blend will not only contribute to India reducing its oil import bill but will also go a long way in reducing our carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Arnav and Manav are students at the Ashoka University, majoring in Economics and Psychology.
