Ethanol use seen growing quickly in India

With blending of ethanol likely to be increased from 5% to 10% and to perhaps 20% the need for producing ethanol from various feedstocks will have to be increased

The Union Cabinet on 30th December approved a modified scheme to enhance ethanol distillation capacity in the country for producing first-generation ethanol from feedstocks such as rice, wheat, barley, corn, sorghum, sugarcane and sugar beet.

Union Oil Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said this is part of the government’s move to meet the demand of 1,000 crore litres of ethanol by 2030.

State-run oil marketers are required to blend 10% ethanol in petrol under the national policy on biofuels 2018 by 2022 and 20% by 2030. But so far this has not been moving at scale as surplus sugarcane was not easily available and the blending is only 5% now.

To improve supplies of ethanol-blended petrol, the government has widened the feedstock options. Accordingly, the National Biofuel Coordination Committee of the oil ministry in June allowed the conversion of surplus rice with the Food Corporation into ethanol. And on November 16 it also allowed procurement and conversion of the surplus maize into ethanol.

With this, the ethanol production happens from six feedstocks - 100% sugarcane juice/sugar syrup/sugar; B-heavy molasses which is sweeter; C-heavy molasses which is mildly sweet; damaged food grain; surplus rice from FCI and surplus maize.

More feedstocks will enable faster procurement and the resultant conversion into ethanol blending, Arun Singh, the director for refineries and marketing at BPCL said, adding surplus rice procurement process from FCI has already started for the 2020-21 cycle and very soon OMCs shall start procuring maize for making ethanol as well.