Ethanol-Blended Diesel Fails Safety Test as India's E20 Debate Sharpens

India's ethanol blending programme has run into a technical setback in diesel even as the debate over 20 percent ethanol in petrol, known as E20, intensifies. Industry groups present blending as a route to cutting crude oil import dependence, while researchers and former officials question the effects on vehicle mileage, cropping patterns, water use and food security, Jagran reported.

Ethanol-diesel blend fails flash point requirement

Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told Parliament that adding ethanol to diesel sharply reduced the fuel's flash point and that the resulting blend did not meet prescribed safety standards, according to a Press Trust of India report carried by Jagran. The flash point is the lowest temperature at which vapour released by a fuel can ignite.

State-owned oil companies ran the ethanol-diesel trials through their own research and development centres, accredited laboratories and in cooperation with vehicle manufacturers. The tests found a steep fall in flash point in the presence of ethanol. Large-scale use of such fuel is unlikely until the technical problem is resolved. Blending of isobutanol into diesel has not begun.

E20 in petrol: efficiency losses and older vehicles

The Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) argues that ethanol and electric vehicles should be treated as complementary rather than competing options, and that India needs a diversified strategy spanning ethanol, EVs, hybrids, CNG and hydrogen. Dilip Patil, regional director at IFGE, said around 300 million internal combustion engine vehicles are already on Indian roads, so ethanol can help cut petrol dependence and crude imports while EV and hybrid technologies scale up gradually.

Citing studies by ARAI, Indian Oil and SIAM, the federation said fuel efficiency under E20 can be roughly 2 to 6 percent lower than under E10. The tests did not show large-scale engine damage, and new vehicles increasingly use ethanol-compatible materials. The main concern is adapting older vehicles to E20.

• Foreign exchange savings of more than 1.97 trillion rupees since 2014-15, according to the ministry.
• About 31.6 million tonnes of crude oil replaced by ethanol over the same period.
• Isobutanol blending in diesel yet to start; ethanol use in transport remains focused on petrol.

Feedstock: maize imports, water and the Brazil comparison

D. Raghunandan, scientist and activist at the Delhi Science Forum, former agriculture and food processing secretary Siraj Hussain and former NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand called for a broad assessment of the ethanol policy's impact on the environment, cropping patterns, food security, groundwater and farm incomes. Raghunandan said rising maize use in ethanol production has changed India's position: the country previously exported maize and now has to import it to meet domestic demand, raising the risk of agriculture shifting from food to fuel and altering water use.

Ramesh Chand said the government promoted ethanol in recent years to absorb surplus rice and sugar, and argued for cutting rice acreage in favour of maize, since paddy consumes more water and generates higher methane emissions. Raghunandan recommended returning to E10 from E20. The experts also said consumers should receive price relief if E20 lowers fuel efficiency and raises vehicle maintenance costs.

Siraj Hussain said comparisons with Brazil are misplaced. Brazil produces 45 million tonnes of sugar and exports 36 million tonnes, with a smaller population and far more land available for production, while several studies indicate that climate change could cut India's output by as much as 25 percent.