Why Did the Govt Step Back From Blending Ethanol With Diesel?

The government of India has been actively progressing with the procedure of blending ethanol with petrol, despite the complaints that are being raised from public.

Now the petroleum ministry is starting to contemplate the idea of blending ethanol with diesel as well. However, this did not result in a positive outcome and the concerned authorities had to drop this plan.

The government has told Parliament that tests found ethanol-blended diesel did not meet the required flash-point specification because ethanol sharply lowered its flash point. There is a dangerous safety concern if ethanol is blended with diesel, and this is the reason why this plan has been dropped off for the time being.

Commercial usage of diesel that has been blended with ethanol can raise serious concerns for the vehicle and also the handler, so the government has dropped this plan for now.

As of now, the government is sticking to blending ethanol with petrol at a ratio of 20% to 80%. This is marginally bringing down the vehicle mileage but this is being promoted as an economic and eco friendly alternative to the conventional petrol fueling system.

But at the same time, the authorities are contemplating the idea of introducing ethanol as cooking fuel. This is in order to cope with the possible LPG shortage that could be coming up based on the global trade situation. Related progress will determine the possible introduction of ethanol as cooking fuel.