Reality of E20 Blended Petrol

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:02]Namashkar.

[00:00:05]I'm Dr. Mohan Sriram Kamble.

[00:00:09]I did my graduation in mechanical engineering from Government College of Engineering, Karad.

[00:00:17]I did my MTech in machine design and PhD in internal combustion engines.

[00:00:25]After completion of my graduation, I I had joined one of the public sector Magnesium India Limited and worked there for the substantial period of four for 5 and 1/2 years.

[00:00:38]After completion of those 5 and 1/2 years, I joined one of the academic institute at Nagpur >> [snorts] >> and worked there in the capacity of senior lecturer in mechanical engineering.

[00:00:58]In 2000, I was selected through MPSC, Maharashtra Public Service Commission, as a assistant professor. Now, it is renamed as a associate professor and elevated to the level of professor and work in the various capacity at engineering colleges.

[00:01:17]I work with the Government College of Engineering, Amravati, Chandrapur and Karad in the various capacities.

[00:01:30]I I'm here I'm here to discuss some issues related to the ethanol blending in the petrol.

[00:01:42]Our honorable minister, Mr. Nitin Gadkari, who's the transport minister of the nation, has implemented this particular policy of ethanol blending in a petrol.

[00:02:03]He has also said and it is also reported that it will be 1.5 trillion US dollar saving as far as a petroleum product, petroleum raw material imports is concerned.

[00:02:25]This oil, crude oil is imported from various countries and for which a government of the India has to pay the tremendous quantum of foreign exchange.

[00:02:43]This will save about 1.44 lakh crore rupees per annum on a oil imports.

[00:02:56]There are initially initially a 10% blending was allowed. Now that has been announced to the 20% of ethanol blending in a available petrol.

[00:03:13]Before going to the reality of this blend there are the certain properties which are associated with the ethanol and petrol.

[00:03:29]The density of a petrol is 730 to 770 kg per meter cube that to ethanol is 789 to 790 kg per meter cube.

[00:03:46]That is a density. There is a variation in the density.

[00:03:51]The octane number of petrol is 87 to 100. That to ethanol is 91 to 95.

[00:04:00]And after blending it goes up to 98 research octane number.

[00:04:10]The calorific value of a petrol is 32 to 34 megajoules per liter.

[00:04:17]And the calorific value of ethanol is 21.1 megajoules per liter.

[00:04:24]By blending a 20% it reduces it goes to the tune of 38.60 megajoules per liter or 29.75 megajoules per kg.

[00:04:43]The boiling point of a petrol is 32 to 200° C. That to the boiling point of C.

[00:04:48]That to the boiling point of ethanol is 78.37° C. That to the boiling point The melting point of petrol is 150 to 300. That to ethanol is 114° C. That to ethanol is 62° The flash point of a petrol is -43°.

[00:05:08]That to ethanol is 62° Now, this particular ethanol it undergoes a dehydration to form alkanes.

[00:05:25]And which is more susceptible when heated.

[00:05:30]When those alkanes are formed due to the heating of ethanol it reacts with the aluminum and the metal parts which are available in the fuel injection system.

[00:05:45]The various reports are available about this ethanol. Ethanol is having the hygroscopic nature, which attracts the water contents in the mixture.

[00:06:05]These water contents in the mixture of a petrol and ethanol or the ethanol blending in the petrol is responsible for damaging the rubber parts as well as the metal part, which undergo the corrosion.

[00:06:19]Because of the continuous exposure of those metal parts in this those water droplets and the alkalines which are formed due to the heating of a ethanol blended petrol it reacts with the metallic parts and due to the oxidation of the metallic parts and the chemical reaction the life of metallic part also get reduced.

[00:06:52]Regarding the authorities which are available in India are Vehicle Research Dynamics VRD Ahmedabad PCRA Petroleum Conservation and Research Association ARAI Automotive Research Association of India, Pune.

[00:07:23]These are the authorities which are validating the performance of an engine because of the inputs or in fuel as in inputs.

[00:07:37]Now, based on such all those uh research or the experimental data None of the organization, none of the agency, none of the authority like ARAI or VRDE has not validated any reports as far as the blending of ethanol in the petrol is concerned.

[00:08:00]The research and development department of uh Indian Oil Corporation then Indian Institute of Petroleum confirmed that the legacy vehicle exhibited no significant difference because of the utilization of the E20 blending of ethanol in the petrol, they have confirmed or they have only issued a statement but no technical data is being published by any of these authorities.

[00:08:39]Now as far as the total reports are concerned the calorific value of blending that get reduced and the power of engine also get reduced because of the low calorific value and a low octane number of uh fuel the total quantum of oxygen which is available during the suction is responsible for burning of the fuel not up to the mark but it substantially reduces the total quantum of oxygen which is needed for the combustion of this E20 fuel is much more higher for which our engines are not designed.

[00:09:33]Whatever the engines which are designed installed on the various vehicles are designed for the petrol with a octane number of 87 to 100 and having calorific value of 32 to 34 megajoules per liter.

[00:09:53]Because of this reduction in a calorific value and overall density of a fuel the overall performance or the volumetric efficiency of an engine get reduced.

[00:10:14]The effects of which is that there is a increase in the fuel consumption or increase in the fuel requirement for the power generation of an engine.

[00:10:29]The data which is available on the electronic media or the net that indicate that there is a reduction of a mileage of a vehicle up to the 10%.

[00:10:45]The fuel efficiency also decreases by up to the 3 to 8% and in many of the cases with the older vehicles it reduces by the 10%.

[00:11:00]The brake thermal efficiency of an engine get reduced [clears throat] by 17.21%.

[00:11:10]Almost near about 20% there is a reduction in a brake thermal efficiency.

[00:11:17]This also confirm the brake specific consumption also increases by 17.21%.

[00:11:27]As far as the power generation is concerned because of the low calorific value and higher density of uh Sorry.

[00:11:38]Uh lower density of uh ethanol-blended fuel that get reduced the overall performance of an engine also get reduced to the tune of a 10%.

[00:11:53]The emission, as far as the emission is concerned, there is increase in a carbon monoxide almost by 42.5%.

[00:12:02]And emission of nitrous oxide increase again by 17.21%.

[00:12:10]All the properties like octane number, calorific value, density, boiling point, melting point, and flash point of this fuel is responsible or the not fuel with the E20 blended fuel is responsible for deterioration of the overall performance of a of an engine.

[00:12:34]Because of the hygroscopic nature of uh fuel blended with uh 20% ethanol.

[00:12:45]Now, there is because of the there is a deviation in the density of the ethanol and the petrol when our vehicle is moving the turbulence which occurred in the fuel tank tank is responsible for proper mixing up to certain level.

[00:13:03]But when your vehicle is in the standstill condition, it separates out the ethanol which remains separated from the fuel along with uh water vapors or water droplets.

[00:13:18]These water droplets when it goes inside the fuel injection system and engine is responsible for the deterioration of the metal parts.

[00:13:32]Whatever the alkaline switch are formed because of the heating, the rubber parts which are available in the fuel injection system, like packing in the corporation or the packing in case of the fuel injector system, is responsible for deterioration of its performance.

[00:13:53]Because of all those deterioration, the many operators has reported that there is a stalling of the engine.

[00:14:05]When initially in the cold conditions when the engine is to be start, it was reported that it could not start properly.

[00:14:14]At the same time when it is put up in motion, or the when it is put up for the power generation to drive the vehicle, it was reported that the smoothness in the running or the smoothness in the combustion is also mentioned by many operators.

[00:14:41]Whatever the things which happened because of the E20 fuel, there's a reduction as far as the mileage is concerned, there is a reduction in a fuel efficiency, there is a reduction in the brake thermal efficiency, there is a reduction in the volumetric efficiency, there is a reduction in brake specific fuel consumption is responsible for the overall deterioration of performance to the tune of a 10%.

[00:15:14]Now, because of this stalling and the water vapors which are formed because of the hygroscopic nature of the ethanol, which is blended with the petrol, is responsible for deterioration of the components and deterioration of the rubber parts.

[00:15:33]Normally, the low density liquid is added to the high density fuel, high density liquid, but here the overall density of the ethanol and the overall density of the petrol is having the variable or the it is a different, so compatibility of a petrol with a blending of a ethanol is not up to the mark.

[00:16:08]As far as the its other properties are concerned, like boiling point, melting point, and flash point also not matches.

[00:16:17]And because of the utilization of this particular E20 vehicle, the life of the vehicle which was expected initially with a pure petrol was more than a 15 years, now it will be limited to 10 years only.

[00:16:39]By saying that it will reduce the foreign currency on account of the procurement of the crude oil, it was also said that this will be this blending will be responsible for reduction in the cost of the fuel, the things are not found. There is no reduction that there no reduction was noticed or it was you the benefit of a low cost of a fuel was given to the user section of the customers.

[00:17:22]On the contrary, the value, the cost of a fuel, cost of a petrol, and the cost of a ethanol is much more different.

[00:17:34]The cost of a ethanol is.5 dollar per liter in the international market.

[00:17:45]That too, a petrol is something around 108 dollars per barrel.

[00:17:55]This overall blending of E20 mixture, though the people are saying or the authorities are saying that there is no not even a single case which has been reported on account of the stalling of engine, on account of the low performance, on account of a low fuel low mileage of the vehicle, no authenticated data has been provided by any of the research institutes on this blending.

[00:18:35]This has been forcibly imposed on the citizens of this India, because of which the problem associated with E20 customers are facing, at the same time, the additional quantum of a profit is being incurred by the government.

[00:18:58]Not not only by the government, but also by the ethanol manufacturers.

[00:19:05]Now, simply by saying that it will reduce the cost of imports and the cost of our foreign trade cost of our cost of our petroleum product which is to be purchased in in in terms of our US dollar that will reduce or the foreign currency will be saved for India.

[00:19:33]But the overall performance overall performance of an engine or the vehicles apart from that when the life of vehicle which will be reduced to the tune of 10% is quite highly a matter of concern.

[00:19:51]Thank you very much.