Fuel Blending
Government works on isobutanol mix in diesel after ethanol trial fails
This story was originally published at 20:56 IST on 11 September 2025
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--Minister Gadkari: Govt working to blend isobutanol with diesel
--CONTEXT: Road Minister Nitin Gadkari speaking at ISMA conference
--Minister Gadkari: Ethanol blending programme boosted maize production
NEW DELHI – The government plans to blend isobutanol with diesel after trials with ethanol mixing in diesel, or ED-5, failed to deliver expected results, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
The Automotive Research Association of India, he said, is testing a 10% isobutanol blend with diesel. "We tried ethanol with diesel, but the results were not satisfactory. Isobutanol is now under trial as an alternative fuel," Gadkari said at the India Sugar and Bio-Energy Conference.
Compared to ethanol, isobutonal has higher energy density and is less corrosive.
Gadkari stressed that while ethanol may not have succeeded in diesel, its use in petrol has transformed the biofuel landscape. India has already achieved 20% ethanol blending in petrol, and the next frontier would be sustainable aviation fuel, he said. Ethanol can be converted through alcohol-to-jet process and blended with conventional jet fuel to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
Gadkari said ethanol production has created new opportunities for farmers, particularly maize growers. "Maize farmers have earned significantly because of ethanol blending," he said, adding that surplus production of foodgrains can be channelled into biofuels, supporting the rural economy.
Ethanol blending has also boosted maize cultivation as it created additional industrial demand, he said. Maize acreage has increased 12% on year to 9.5 million hectares as of Friday, according to government data.
The minister said the ethanol programme also stabilised the sugar industry, enabling mills to make timely payments to sugarcane farmers. End
Reported by Afra Abubacker and Pallavi Singhal
Edited by Avishek Dutta
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