New Delhi. The energy sector in India is changing very fast. The government has also intensified the program of mixing ethanol in petrol to keep the environment clean and reduce dependence on foreign oil. In 2025, India has achieved the target of 20 percent ethanol blended petrol (E20). There are many types of discussions about this, some of which are confusion and some are true. On August 13, the Government of India issued a press release and tried to remove the confusion related to the E20 fuel. Told how it is helpful in the economic progress of environment, farmers and India.
People have come to know that ethanol is made from sugarcane and maize, but does not know how it is made? Today we are giving you information about the entire process of becoming ethanol. It is also being told how ethanol is mixed with petrol.
What is ethanol and why is it important?
Ethanol is a type of alcohol, which is mainly made from crop residues, grains or sugarcane. This is a new type of fuel, which can replace fossil fuels. Ethanol worldwide is mainly produced by grains like maize, but in India is more than sugarcane syrup. This process is not only cheap, but also easy to produce in large quantities.
How is ethanol formed? Full process
There are two big ways to make ethanol. One is dry milling and the other weight milling. Most people in India adopt dry milling method, in which maize, sugarcane or similar crops are useful.
To make ethanol from maize, the maize is first grinded and fine powder is made. If you want to make it from sugarcane, then its juice is first extracted, then the sugar is removed from it, and the thick syrup that is left is used. This step means that the raw material is prepared in such a form, so that further work is easy.
After this, it is heated by mixing water in ground corn. Then a special type of “enzyme” is added to it. This special kind of enzyme is a type of natural chemical, which breaks the starch (ie sweet part) in the corn and transforms into small sugar pieces. Now this mixture becomes like a thick solution, just like the sugar syrup of sugarcane.
Now another enzyme is added to it. It also converts the remaining starch into a completely sweet sugar (glucose). This is important because the next step is to pour yeast, and the yeast can only turn sugar into alcohol.
Now the step of firmmentation comes. The first yeast is added to it. The yeast makes two things by eating that sugar- one is carbon dioxide gas (which goes out) and the other ie alcohol. This process runs 2-3 days and during this time the temperature is kept light warm (up to 30-35 ° C). At this time, the liquid that is made at this time contains about 10-15 percent ethanol, the rest of the water and some other things are left.
Now it is the turn to separate it. This mixture is heated. Since the ethanol boils quickly with water, it first becomes steam and goes up. Then this steam is cooled and turned back into liquid. When this liquid is obtained, it is called more than 99% pure ethanol. By the way, if a separate technique (celluloseic ethanol) is used in the field if the remaining stalks, straw or leaves are to be made. But this method is not in much practice in India right now.
In India, crores of liters of ethanol is made annually from sugarcane, which makes the additional income of farmers.
How is ethanol added to petrol?
Ethanol is a kind of alcohol, but it is not made drinkable. Therefore, it is deserted (impure), so that people do not use it like alcohol. After this, the process of blending starts. Process of mixing petrol
