BIOETHANOL – A VIABLE OPTIONS TO REDUCE AIR POLLUTION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Blending ethanol with petrol products most toxic air pollutants decrease. More specially, reductions in the values of CO, hydrocarbons, particulate, SOX x, and NOX have been found.
many countries have approved the use of ethanol produced from sugarcane and agricultural residues as an additive to motor fuels to reduce vehicular emissions. With bagasse being used as the desirable feedstock for ethanol production, the potential benefits of using it as a fuel additive for India will be a reduction in the net emissions of carbon dioxide, improved air quality in cities, spurred rural economic development, and improvement in the country’s energy security by reducing reliance on imported oil.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
- 10% ethanol blends reduce CO better than any other reformulated gasoline blend-more than 25%.
- Ethanol low in reactivity and high in oxygen content, thus reducing ozone pollution.
- Ethanol is a safe replacement for toxic octane enhances in gasoline such as benzene, toluene and xylene.
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PROPOSE AN ACTION PLAN TO CONDUCT
- Timely and efficient conclusion of pilot plant trials by using 5% v/v ethanol in gasoline.
- Flexibility to oil companies to use 0 – 10% v/v ethanol blended with gasoline depending on location and period so as to take care of logistics and seasonality (so long as the average usage of ethanol over the year is 5%).
- A law should be promulgated to provide for the use of only oxygenated gasoline. Ethanol should be used as the preferred oxygenate, with some tax concessions for oil companies as an incentive.
- Incentives may be provided from the savings in expenditure on public health, as the replacement of hazardous chemicals by ethanol will reduce pollution and consequent health problems.
- Central and State Government support in terms of policies, exemptions, and incentives. A uniform set of policies is desired across all States.
- Oil industry to accept bio-ethanol, prepares guidelines for preparing, handling, storing, and distributing gasoline-ethanol blends including logistics.
- Automobile industry to extend warranty to ethanol-based fuels.
- Tax benefits such as exemption for road tax must be given to ethanol fuel-based vehicles by the government.