India’s plan for a clean energy initiative (E20 petrol) is taking a new hit as the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) raised alarms about fuel quality. The industry body warned that with E20 petrol having high chloride contamination and moisture levels it might lead to corrosion, irreversible engine damage and increased vehicle maintenance costs.
However, it has created debate among automakers, oil marketing companies (OMCs) and the government. The government, in turn, increased surveillance of fuel quality nationwide.
What Is E20 Petrol?
E20 petrol is a mixture containing 20% ethanol with 80% petrol. The Government of India has been encouraging Ethanol blending so as to reduce reliance on imported crude oil, to cut down on carbon emissions and to support farmers growing sugarcane in the country.
The nationwide launch of E20 fuel is seen as a big step forward in India’s green mobility plan. But quality assurance of fuel needs to be monitored diligently to guarantee vehicle performance.
Why Has SIAM Raised an Alert?
SIAM has intimated Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that auto manufacturers are seeing an increase in failures of fuel system and exhaust related components post the implementation of E20 petrol.
The industry body has also stated investigations show that chloride contamination was a leading cause of corrosion in vehicle components such as:
Fuel injectors
Fuel pumps
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves
Exhaust system components
Some other engine components that are exposed to the fuel-
Accumulation of chloride will lead to metal corrosion which can cause either instantaneous failure or slower degradation over time.
Excessive Moisture Adds to the Problem
In addition to chloride contamination, SIAM detected unusually high moisture content in several of the samples of E20 fuel.
Although the mandated limit of moisture is 3,000 mg/kg, the moisture measurement in certain samples of fuel was found to be more than 10,000 mg/kg.
Excess moisture present in ethanol blended fuel can cause phase separation at which point the ethanol and petrol each separate into different layers. This can result in a drop in engine performance and, in extreme cases, may cause vehicles to be unable to restart immediately after refuelling.
SIAM’s Recommendations to the Government
SIAM suggested more stringent fuel quality standards.
The automobile industry body has recommended:
A required chloride limit of under 1 mg/kg for commercial E20 and E85.
A chloride threshold of below 3 mg/kg for anhydrous ethanol blended into fuel.
Adding the compulsory parameter of chloride as per BIS fuel specifications.
ISOCL2019104Identification of contamination sources by Oil Marketing Companies.
More robust oversight of the entire fuel supply process.
Even though SIAM has been bringing this issue up with the BIS committee for over two years, mandatory standards are yet to be implemented.
Government Responds with Enhanced Fuel Monitoring
In response to these issues, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas assured that the quality of the fuels is permanently controlled by Oil Marketing Companies.
The government has maintained that cases of contamination are still “extremely rare” while added that “more vigilance” is needed. It has instructed OMCs to tighten quality checks on all retail fuel outlets.
Additional measures include:
Increasing the frequency of water ingress test to petrol pump.
Improved quality control throughout Fuel Distribution nets.
Have a means of identifying source of contamination whenever a complaint is received.
Additionally, the Centre has discussed with car manufactures and fuel companies to help avoid future quality problems.
What Does This Mean for Vehicle Owners?
Experts are not recommending motorists to stop using E20 petrol. What the present problem really illustrates is the need for fuel performance to be preserved during storage, transit and retail supply.
Vehicle owners should:
Fill up at only reliable petrol stations.
Follow the maintenance schedule recommended by the manufacturer.
Depending what it is, look out for symptoms of a rough idle, bad mpg, blowing white smoke, hard to start, the dreaded check engine light.
Report concerns about fuel quality as soon as possible.
Nearly all vehicles produced in recent years can use E20 compatible fuel as long as quality standards are adhered to.
Impact on India’s Ethanol Blending Mission
India’s ethanol blending programme is an important aspect of energy security strategy. Higher ethanol levels in the fuel help to cut down on dependence on crude oil imports, at the same time contributing to renewable energy objectives and providing more income avenues for farmers.
However, industry insiders suggest that the programme’s long-term viability will also be dependent on the uniformity of fuel quality standards across the country, in addition to the rise in ethanol blending percentages.
Provided that contamination worries are remedied relatively promptly, by way of more rigorous testing and tighter source-to-sink controls, the Indian move to cleaner transportation fuels should be able to go ahead fairly smoothly.
Conclusion
The arguments of SIAM with respect to the quality of E20 reflects the concern that should be taken into account for improving quality standards as India moves progressively towards ethanol blended petrol. While the issue of chloride contamination and excess moisture content in the E20 has raised concern of possible damage to vehicles, initiatives like the government taking measures to improve quality parameters can be reassuring.
By establishing new rules, imposing obligatory quality control, and strengthening of supervisory body based on effective cooperation and shared role of concerned parties, India will be able to keep its pathway towards clean fuel development affordable for costumers and maintain trust in E20 petrol.
