By Nava Thakuria*
Guwahati: Assam government should formulate a pragmatic flex-fuel policy so that the local farmers can get higher benefits out of the initiative, All Assam Engineer’s Association (AAEA), has demanded.
“We urge State Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take the lead with necessary inputs from agriculture scientists, qualified engineers and other stakeholders,” it said a statement today.
While appreciating the latest initiative taken by both the Union government in New Delhi and State government in Dispur to encourage the use of green fuel in all kinds of automobiles, the AAEA urged the concerned authorities to launch a public awareness campaign about the alternative fuel for the benefit of automobile users across India.
It may be mentioned that Union Road transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has been advocating for ethanol mixed fuel (mostly with petrol/gasoline) for the vehicles. Lately the minister asked the carmakers in the country to introduce flex-fuel engines on a large scale. He argued that the ethanol mixed petrol will be cheaper and it would reduce the air-pollution drastically.
India today spends around rupees eight lakh crore annually for importing crude oil, gas and other petroleum products and the PM Narendra Modi-led central government decides to reduce the amount with the use of ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, compressed natural gas, green hydrogen, electric arrangements.
The optimum use of ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol) in petrol-powered engines would financially benefit the farmers as the inflammable organic and colourless compound is prepared from the agricultural produce like grain, sugarcane, hemp, molasses, potato, etc. Presently India has a maximum of 9 percent ethanol blended petrol in use.
Ethanol (symbol C2H5OH) burns in a cleaner way than petrol which usually leaves a significant volume of toxic carbon-monoxide (CO is generated due to incomplete combustion of fuel) in the air. Moreover, the low-level blend like 10% ethanol and 90% petrol can be used in conventional petrol engines. However, the increasing percentage of ethanol content (above 20) would need certain engine modifications, AAEA president Kailash Sarma, and secretary Inamul Hye, said.
*Nava Thakuria is a senior journalist and also working president of AAEA.
