Tests underway for 15% isobutanol blend in diesel: Gadkari
NEW DELHI: Testing is underway to assess the feasibility of blending 15% isobutanol in diesel, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday, adding that the petroleum ministry will decide on the next steps.
The move is part of the government’s push to promote biofuels, reduce dependence on imported crude oil and check vehicular emissions.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Gadkari said that the government’s efforts to promote biofuels were aimed at reducing India’s annual fossil fuel import bill of ₹22 trillion.
“Testing for a 15% blending of isobutanol is underway currently, and the petroleum ministry will take a call on this further,” said the union road transport and highways minister.
The proposed testing for isobutanol blending comes amid consumer backlash over the government’s ethanol-blending programme for petrol. The mandate for making E20 (petrol blended with 20% ethanol) the base petrol fuel came under fire with motorists alleging engine problems and lower mileage.
Gadkari, however, said the government’s push for E20 had not resulted in any vehicle failures. He said that major automakers in the country, such as Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Hyundai Motor India, have made vehicle models compatible with E20 petrol.
Gadkari also said the upcoming Bharat Stage 7 (BS7) emissions control regulation follows India’s leapfrogging from BS4 to BS6, skipping the interim BS5 stage.
The auto industry initially opposed such a jump, but BS6 was successfully enforced, said Gadkari.
The ministry of road transport and highways has proposed to enforce BS7 starting 2029, in three phases. However, Mint reported earlier that the auto industry, through industry lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, has sought to enforce these measures in phases starting 2032.
Under the BS7 regime, India’s automobile industry will have to comply with tighter emissions monitoring, with new safeguards covering tyre and brake emissions, which release harmful pollutants into the air.
Gadkari’s comments on curbing vehicular emissions come at a time when the national capital, New Delhi, grapples with its seasonal winter air pollution woes, with air quality index readings reaching the 300-400 range, classified as ‘very poor’.
About strategies to improve public spaces, urban roads, and public transport, Gadkari said public-private partnership (PPP) models would make these infrastructure projects profitable.
He also said that crucial urban infrastructure, such as foot overbridges, remain unutilised. “I asked my engineers, have you ever seen someone use the foot overbridges that you have built?” Gadkari said in his address.
The minister also said municipal corporations needed better funding to bring about meaningful change in urban infrastructure.
