Can Biofuels Be The Solution For Achieving Carbon-Neutrality?

Automotive industry experts, academia, stakeholders and followers of best practices debated and disseminated learnings on renewable biofuels, especially ethanol, at the SIAM Conference in New Delhi.

Apex industry body SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) recently hosted a global conference on 'Biofuels - A Pathway Towards A Sustainable Future' in New Delhi. As part of SIAM's programme to promote ethanol, the event saw participation from automotive industry experts, government officials, academia and other stakeholder associations including the ambassador and several experts from Brazil.

Brazil is considered one of the pioneering countries that has successfully transitioned to using ethanol in vehicles. Biofuels produced from biomass such as plants are among the promising alternative renewable fuel sources for use in vehicles.

Ethanol, the world's most widely produced biofuel is made from sugarcane or starchy plants and produces around 65 percent to 70 percent lower CO2 emissions than fossil fuels.

This fuel adoption makes sense for India especially as the country is sugarcane-surplus. Experts reckon that this aspect has an eco-friendly approach and cost-saving opportunity waiting to be tapped to its full potential.

In 2021, India imported 185 million tonnes of petroleum at a cost of $551 billion (Rs 4,401,388 crore), which constituted about 85 percent of oil imports.

A 20 percent blending of ethanol has the potential to save forex worth $4 billion (Rs 30,000 crore) a year for the country. This will help not only reduce greenhouse emissions but also improve farmers' income besides contributing to the emission goals.

Driving towards a biofuel economy