FAQ's-Fuel Ethanol

What is fuel ethanol?
Fuel ethanol or anhydrous alcohol is produced by dehydration of rectified spirit or extra neutral alcohol. Ethanol used as part of the fuel, by blending with petrol, for a motor vehicle is called fuel-ethanol.

How it is mixed in Petrol/Gasoline?
Ethanol could be blended in various proportions in petrol. Ethanol is usually added 5 to 10% by volume of petrol for such application. In Brazil, ethanol is added 24% by volume in gasoline (petrol).

How does it help in reducing pollution?
Use of ethanol in place of tetraethyl lead or MTBE which acts as anti-knocking agents will prevent dangerous and poisonous emissions containing lead or MTBE from petrol.

Will I have to change the engine of my Car?
Many states in the US have been using 10% ethanol blend in gasoline
(petrol) for use in their cars. Brazil has been using up to 24 % ethanol in petrol. Engines of cars do not need any change to use petrol with up to 24 % ethanol in it.

Will the engine of my vehicle get damaged?
Ethanol has, apart from carbon and hydrogen, oxygen in it. This oxygen acts as oxygenating agent during combustion in the IC engine of petrol cars, two-wheelers and three wheelers thus preventing formation of carbon monoxide. Gasoline with ethanol as anti-knocking agent will not cause any damage to the engine.

Can it be used in Two-wheelers/Three-wheelers without any change in vehicles?
Yes! Of course you can use gasoline in Two-Wheelers/Three-Wheelers as a normal fuel without changing the engine or any other things.





What are the functions of fuel ethanol?

Octane enhancement / anti-knocking agent

Oxygenating agent

Fuel extender / fuel replacement


Where it will be made available?
The oil Companies will blend the petrol/gasoline with fuel ethanol and this blended fuel will be made available through petrol/gas stations.



Can it be added in Diesel?
Ethanol is also added to diesel. Usually, 3% by volume is added. Tests have been conducted satisfactorily with up to 10% by volume addition.

Which are the other countries, which have promoted fuel ethanol?
Many states in the US have been using 10% ethanol blend in gasoline
(petrol) for use in their cars. Brazil has been using up to 24 % ethanol in petrol. Engines of cars do not need any change to use petrol with up to 24 % ethanol in it. Fuel ethanol programs have now been initiated in countries like Australia, Nepal, Columbia, Poland, Sweden etc.

What is the experience of countries who have promoted fuel ethanol?
Reduced oil imports, improved trade balance, reduced reliance on imported oil, increased ethanol production, more cane price to farmers, direct and indirect job opportunities, saving fossil fuels are some of the experiences.



What is E85? How do I know if my vehicle can use it?
E85 is fuel comprised of 85% ethanol / 15% unleaded gasoline for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles(FFVs). These vehicles are truly flexible in that their owners have a choice whether to use E85, any blend of ethanol upto 85% level, or straight unleaded gasoline. On some models this comes as an option, and on some if is a standard feature.



Can my vehicle run on E85 even if it is not an FFV?
if your vehicle is not an FFV, use of any higher ethanol percentage than 10% is not covered by warranty.



What is ethanol made from?
While 1/3rd of world ethanol production is from corn, the rest is produced from suger based raw material like sugarcane juice/molasses or beet juice/molasses. There are other grains used in the production of ethanol which is rice, wheat, rye, dorghum or tubers like cassava / tapioca.



What is cellulosic ethanol?
Cellulosic biomass, holds tremendous promise as a feedstock for ethanol production due to its widespread availability and potential for high fuel yields.

Examples of sources for celluosic ethanol include corn stover (the stalks and husks left over after harvest), wheat and barley straw, sugarcane or rice bagasse, sawdust, paper pulp, small diameter trees and dedicated energy crops such as switch grass and other fast growing grasses. Study is still going in making cellulosic ethanol more viable. Praj is engaged in preliminary study leading to lab scale R & D.





How cellulosic ethanol made?
As with producing ethanol from grain, processing cellulosic sources extracts the fermentable sugars from the feedstock for distillation into alcohol. Unlike in grain, the sugars in cellulose are locked in complex carbohydrates called polysaccharides, or long chains of simple sugars. Separating these complex structures into fermentable sugars is essential to the efficient and economical production of cellulosic ethanol.