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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Is ethanol blending in petrol really green? -Jasleen Bhatti

Is ethanol blending in petrol really green? -Jasleen Bhatti

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published Published on Jul 23, 2021   modified Modified on Jul 24, 2021

-Down to Earth

Aggressive sugarcane farming contaminates land, water

The Union government intends to increase the amount of ethanol in the energy mix to lower the country’s dependence on imported oil and carbon footprint, as well as stabilise petrol prices. 

India currently blends about 8.5 per cent ethanol in petrol. The government is targeting a 10 per cent ethanol blend by 2022 and a 20 per cent blend (E20) by 2025.

E20 can save the country Rs 30,000 crore per year, according to estimates.

Ethanol is made from molasses, a by-product of sugarcane processing. To reach the E20 goal, we will need to secure enough ethanol supplies. 

India's E20 target can be met by increasing ethanol capacity from 684 crore litres to 1,000 crore litres. For this reason, sugar mills need to increase production capacity.

Sugar mills and distilleries, however, are among the 18 most polluting industries in India, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Sugar mills rank third after pulp / paper and chemicals factories, based on wastewater generated.

Sugarcane is a water-guzzling crop. It requires 1,500-2,500 millimetres of water evenly distributed over the growing season. 

Water is used at every step of sugar processing: From growing sugarcane to releasing effluents from sugar mills. Groundwater is severely depleted by the process, with serious implications for human health, livelihoods and the ecology of local water bodies.

India is the world’s second-largest producer of sugarcane. Nearly 50 per cent of the cane is cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab. 

Uttar Pradesh, the 'sugar bowl of India', has the highest output of the crop and has 155 sugar mills. Of them, around 56 major ones discharge up to 85.7 million litres of wastewater into the rivers every day — 32 per cent of the state's total volume. 

Effluents from the mills increase the organic content in waterbodies, which are then decomposed by bacteria and other microorganisms. 

A lot of oxygen is needed for the decomposition, resulting in a reduction in the natural oxygen content of the waterbody. This phenomenon is measured by the biological oxygen demand (BOD), which refers to the amount of oxygen required by the bacteria to dissolve organic matter in polluted water.

India's environmental regulations state that industrial discharges in freshwater streams should not exceed 30 milligrams per litre (mg/l), while the limit for land disposal is 100 mg/l.

Untreated effluents from sugar mills typically have 1,000-1,500 mg/l BOD, which can become black and pungent if left standing. 

Please click here to read more. 


Down to Earth, 23 July, 2021, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/pollution/is-ethanol-blending-in-petrol-really-green--78018?fbclid=IwAR1u8CWv0g99M_FpJn4cdinfWotBlC7H-sCmuxreMW_Xu48--i9qMnGRSCg


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