What are Biofuels?

What are Biofuels?

QUESTION 

What are Biofuels?

Discuss the government’s efforts for promoting its uses. (250 words, 15 marks)

Introduction:

·   Biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels, called “biofuels,” to help meet transportation fuel needs. The two most common types of biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel, both of which represent the first generation of biofuel technology.

·     Ethanol is an alcohol used as a blending agent with gasoline to increase octane and cut down carbon monoxide and other smog-causing emissions.

·  Biodiesel is a liquid fuel produced from renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats and is a cleaner-burning replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuel.

Body:

·  The National Biofuel Policy was introduced in 2018 and is aimed at reducing dependence on imports by encouraging fuel blending. With bioethanol, biodiesel, and bio-CNG in focus, its key parts include the Ethanol Blending Programme (EPB), production of second-generation ethanol (derived from forest and agricultural residues), increasing capacity for the production of fuel additives, R&D in feedstock, which is the starting material for ethanol production, and financial incentives for achieving these goals.

·    After initially setting a 20 per cent blending target for 2030, the government has advanced by five years its target for achieving 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol. The amended National Biofuel Policy-2018 has now set the new target for 2025–26 instead of 2030.

·     The National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC), with the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas as its head, is the agency to coordinate this blending programme.

·     The policy’s goal is to enable biofuels’ availability in the market, thereby increasing their blending percentage. A target of 20 per cent blending of ethanol in petrol is proposed by the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025–26. An indicative target of 5 per cent blending of biodiesel in diesel /direct sale of biodiesel is proposed by 2030.

·         This goal is to be achieved by:

(a)  reinforcing ongoing ethanol/biodiesel supplies through increasing domestic production

(b)  setting up Second Generation (2G) biorefineries.

(c)  development of new feedstock for biofuels.

(d)  development of new technologies for conversion to biofuels.

(e)  creating a suitable environment for biofuels and their integration with the main fuels.

Conclusion:

The National Policy on Biofuel aims at promoting the production of biofuels under the “Make in India” program and was also included in the excise duty exemption to promote their production. The policy also allows the use of excess rice or damaged food grains as feedstock for ethanol production. As per a report by the government, from 38 crorelitres of ethanol procured during 2013–14, it jumped nearly eight times to 322 crorelitres in 2021–22.