Not Just EVs, Min. Nitin Gadkari Plans to Fight Pollution with Biofuels, Alt Fuels; Unveils New Green Roadmap

(FirstPost) While speaking in today's Rajya Sabha session, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, revealed a new roadmap for India's green mobility revolution, which is based not just on EVs, but also biofuels, and alt fuels -- ... Nitin Gadkari said, “It is absolutely true that the emission of CO2 in our country is from the transport sector and it is increasing day by day, this is a matter of concern. 330 metric tons of CO2 emission every year, it is a very dangerous problem. 85 percent of the fuel in our country is fossil fuel which is imported and the cost of import is Rs 16 lakh crore. This is a very serious problem from the point of view of both economics and pollution, and it is petrol and diesel which need to be made special. The Indian government has made a lot of efforts for the pollution that is talked about here and has given it priority.”

Expressing satisfaction with ongoing experiments involving various alternative fuels, Gadkari demonstrated the government’s dedication to sustainable mobility and environmental responsibility.

As the nation grapples with the dual challenge of economic growth and environmental preservation, Gadkari’s address signalled a decisive move towards a greener and more sustainable future for India’s transportation sector. READ MORE

Excerpt from Biofuels Junction/News 18: The use of biofuels reduces the nation’s reliance on foreign oil markets by providing a homegrown substitute. India can ensure a more stable and secure energy supply by increasing its energy resilience through local biofuel feedstock cultivation and the establishment of a strong biofuel production infrastructure. Further, India’s trade balance will directly benefit from a decrease in reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Harnessing its abundant agricultural residues for biofuel production will not only help the country in managing agricultural waste but will also open up economic opportunities in rural areas.

The country’s biofuel policy includes blending biofuels with conventional fossil fuels as a key component. The government has set ambitious targets for the mix of biofuels in industries like transportation, which account for a significant amount of carbon emissions. Because the blending method permits a gradual shift, it provides an achievable solution to cut emissions without requiring immediate rebuilding of the current infrastructure.

India has started the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme to blend ethyl alcohol or ethanol (C2H5OH), a biofuel naturally produced by fermenting sugar, with petrol, to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. The average percentage of ethanol blended with petrol in India was 10% in June 2022.

The government’s mandate for 5% co-firing of agricultural residue-based pellets with coal in all power plants and the promotion of CBG and biodiesel manufacturing from agri residue aligns with the global agenda for a sustainable and inclusive transition to cleaner energy sources.

With calorific values comparable to CNG, CBG is also a domestically viable alternative. This aligns with the government’s ambitious goal to increase the share of natural gas in India’s primary energy mix to 15% by 2030.

To promote this Government has initiated support under SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) scheme to fund the CBG plants. With 5% mixing of CBG with its natural gas, India could significantly reduce liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, saving approximately $1.17 bn annually, as per Indian Biogas Association (IBA)

India’s active role in the Global Biofuel Alliance has established its position as a leader in biofuel technology and policy development. This underlines the potential for international collaboration, research and technology transfer to enhance biofuel production.

The use of biofuels also aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. This makes them a promising solution in combating rising temperatures. READ MORE

Excerpt from Reuters: India is planning to discourage the diversion of sugar for ethanol production as part of efforts to ensure sufficient supplies of the sweetener in the local market, government and trade sources said on Wednesday.

Lower diversion for ethanol will help the world's second biggest sugar producer in increasing output of the sweetener, which is expected to fall because of below normal rainfall in key growing states.

The government would allow mills to produce ethanol only from C-heavy molasses, a cane by-product that has hardly any sugar content left in it, the second government official said.

The new guidelines for ethanol procurement in the 2023/24 marketing year, which commenced on November 1, will be finalised soon and oil marketing companies are likely to honour contracts already awarded, the first source said.

Patchy rains in the top sugar cane-growing western state of Maharashtra and southern Karnataka state have raised concerns about this year's sugar output.

The likely production drop has lifted local sugar prices to their highest levels in nearly 14 years. READ MORE

Excerpt from Business Standard: Some industry players said a big reason why the government has not come out with the pricing for the sugarcane-based ethanol this year, even though the season started last month, could be that there is little clarity about the impact on sugar supplies due to the ethanol programme.

But now, with sugarcane crushing entering its third month, the picture on the production front does not look extremely promising. This is why, after stopping imports and expanding the monthly release quota, the government has decided to desist mills from producing ethanol through a process that consumes most actual sugar.

So basically, ethanol is produced from multiple sources in India. It is largely through sugarcane-based molasses and grain-based sources as feedstock. In sugarcane, it is either through sugarcane juice or syrup, or B-heavy molasses and C-heavy molasses.

“The move will ensure that there is sufficient sugar in the country to meet domestic consumption demand, in light of lesser sugar production in the country. Going forward, it will be important to see how the ethanol blending target is fulfilled in the current season, with ethanol supplied mainly from B-heavy molasses, broken rice, and maize,” said Uppal Shah, co-founder and chief executive officer, AgriMandi.live Research. READ MORE