Prime Minister Indira Gandhi takes a ride in an ethanol-fuelled car with T R Jagadeesan (front seat)
The experiment began in the 1970s, after petrol prices rose from `4 to `6 a litre in 1973. A team led by Professor T R Jagadeesan modified petrol engines to run on 100% ethanol, replacing the carburettor, ignition system and the cooling and heating system. “The heat energy produced using ethanol is only about 60% of that from petrol. In a 1979 trial, a car ran 7.2km per litre on ethanol, compared to 11.46km per litre on petrol. On highways, the corresponding figures were 9.38km per litre and 14.9km per litre. An Ambassador car which was given to the research team, recorded 6.2km per litre on ethanol against 9.54km per litre on petrol in a city road test on Jan 21, 1980. They increased the compression ratio of a Fiat car engine from 7:1 to 11:1 and modified its carburettor and other components. At the normal compression ratio, the ethanol-powered engine recorded a thermal efficiency of 26%, compared with 25% for petrol. With the higher compression ratio, efficiency rose to 32%. The team then tested the technology on a 2,000 km runwith two cars, from Chennai to Ooty, on to Kanyakumari and back to Chennai. They achieved 80% ethanol blend in diesel motor pump set while 40% blend was achieved in the bus. The research, conducted between 1975 and 1985, was presented at international forums in the UK, US, Canada and Brazil. “We proved five decades ago that 100% ethanol could be used in modified petrol engines. The Tamil Nadu govt has allotted a research grant of `5 lakh to the team. India’s E20 policy, introduced under the programme, is a nationwide mandate requiring fuel retailers to sell petrol blended with 20% ethanol and 80% gasoline. India has fast-tracked the nationwide rollout of E20 fuel, with ethanol blending increasing from less than 1.5% in 2013-2014 to 20% in 2025-2026, five years ahead of schedule. India imports more than 80% of the crude oil it consumes.
Because ethanol and diesel do not blend easily, the two fuels were supplied separately. Sugarcane and rice are also water-intensive crops You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
It has a high flame speed and burns without producing black smoke,” says Jagadeesan. “Perhaps we were ahead of our time,” says Jagadeesan. The wear and tear was similar to what happens when petrol is used,” says Jagadeesan. Ethanol can now be produced from several sources, including agricultural residues, potentially reducing the pressure on food crops,” says V Kumaresan, registrar (in-charge).
Five decades before ethanol blending became a national policy, engineers in Tamil Nadu had demonstrated that cars, two-wheelers and buses could run on the fuel. Faced with the prospect of rising fuel costs, the Tamil Nadu govt asked professors at the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Laboratory of the College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), to explore alternative fuels. “Ethanol is a good fuel for a petrol engine. Its main drawback is mileage. And this affects mileage. The difference was evident in the team’s road tests. The researchers found that engine modifications could improve ethanol’s performance. The vehicles negotiated hill roads and could be restarted at Ooty without difficulty. The project caught the attention of chief minister M G Ramachandran, who wanted Ambassador cars at the state secretariat to be run on ethanol. Vehicles of senior officials were soon operated on ethanol and brought to Anna University laboratory for refueling. The technology was also demonstrated to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and finance minister R Venkataraman. The demonstrations generated interest, but the project did not receive approval for large-scale implementation. The main obstacle was the source of the fuel. At the time, ethanol production was closely linked to sugarcane. Using food-linked resources to produce fuel raised concerns over food security. An ethanol programme, policymakers feared, could divert agricultural produce away from consumption. The team also tested ethanol fuel in diesel engines used by farmers and a bus engine provided by Ashok Leyland. Even after five years of testing, the engines showed no damage. Anna University now plans to revive the work, studying ethanol performance at different compression ratios with a focus on flexible-fuel vehicles. “The case for ethanol as an alternative transport fuel has strengthened. The university will also be part of an ethanol research project involving IIT Madras, universities from China and Brazil. FUEL A DREAM India’s ethanol blended petrol programme aims to improve energy security, support farmers, and reduce environmental impacts, while promoting use of domestically produced renewable fuel. The move though has sparked concern that it will lower fuel efficiency, accelerate corrosion and damage components not designed for higher ethanol content. Ethanol produced from Indian sugarcane, maize and rice offers a way to blunt that exposure using resources grown at home. Ethanol blending is a globally accepted practice. Several major economies such as the US, Brazil and Japan have built ethanol into their fuel strategy. Ethanol blending, pros and cons Pros: Cuts crude imports and saves foreign exchange; gives farmers and distilleries a steady, assured buyer for surplus grain, cane and maize; burns cleaner than petrol Cons: Lower energy content can mean lower mileage; food-versus-fuel concerns remain, the same worry that held back the Tamil Nadu experiment. Download the TOI App.