Flex fuel and water: What a high level of ethanol means for you and your vehicle

If the government’s ethanol roadmap is anything to go by, the aim is to reach a 20% blend with petrol by 2025.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has appealed to automakers that they commence the sale of flex-fuel vehicles as early as next year. Speaking to a delegation of CEOs at SIAM (Society of Automobile Manufacturers) the union minister asked manufacturers to make vehicles that are capable of running on 100% ethanol or 100% petrol or a mixture of both.

While the feasibility of such an extensive change continues to be a subject of debate, the fact is that in India, up to 7.2% of ethanol is already being blended with petrol per a government directive mandating 10% blending. And if the government’s ethanol roadmap is anything to go by, the target is to aim for a 20% blend with petrol by 2025.

The aim, of course, is driven largely by the need to reduce the country’s oil import bill and reduce carbon dioxide production, but the consumer does need to look out for a few issues that need to be addressed.

Why You Must Keep Your Vehicle Away from Water

Flex-fuel features a higher level of ethanol, which burns more cleanly than conventional petrol, which reduces the car’s carbon footprint. The downside, however, is that ethanol is hygroscopic, while petrol is hydrophobic.

This means that ethanol has a tendency to absorb moisture or water, while petrol has a tendency to do the opposite. While 10% ethanol is capable of holding a very small amount of water in the overall solution.

When that quantity of water increases, it ruins the fuel’s octane rating – which is essentially the fuel’s ability to withstand compression. Basically, the higher the octane, the better the combustion.

Once ethanol has come into contact with water, it breaks the ethanol-fuel mixture, not only reducing the combustion quality, but converting the ethanol to water and sending the water and the contaminated fuel to the bottom of the fuel tank. From here, the water can get sucked into the combustion chamber via the fuel line, causing damage to the engine.

It must be noted that, at present, there is no fuel additive that can be added that can either counter the effects of water contamination or remove the ethanol from the fuel.

What is the likelihood of water contamination?

Although the onus of keeping water out of the fuel tank does fall upon the consumer, it’s easy to keep water out of a vehicle’s fuel tank, as the tank lid is designed accordingly. Ethanol blending is done by oil corporations in India, many of which, at present, are public sector undertakings, with a controlling stake owned by the government. The ethanol is blended at an oil company’s respective terminal/depots.

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In the recorded instances of the mixture and water-related concerns, there has seldom been an undisputed allocation of blame. While oil companies claim to blend fuel with ethanol systematically and separately with quality checks in place, distributors claim that the companies aren’t blending the fuel and ethanol separately, as they should.

Oil companies, for their part, urge retailers and distributors to ensure that their storage tanks are made completely moisture-proof in order to ensure the integrity of the well-blended fuel transported to them.

Dealers are to ensure that their underground tanks are completely moisture-free, which entails an added cost for them should such a process require extensive chemical treatment and strict measures to prevent moisture from seeping in.

At present, ethanol mix isn’t high enough for this to become a very prevalent concern, however, complaints are on the rise and will continue to be as the ethanol level in petrol continues to increase. While a national policy on biofuels was effected back in 2008, mandating phase-wise implementation of a programme on ethanol blending with petrol, there is no framework at present that ensures prevention of water mixing, be it on behalf of the oil companies or retailers.

Oil companies can be held liable for improper blending of ethanol and petrol. However, it remains unclear whether oil companies are expected to overhaul the infrastructure of their retail outlets, to ensure that the integrity of the fuel remains unchanged and that no moisture seeps in, particularly during the rainy season when consumer complaints tend to peak.

The Benefits and the Forecast

Ethanol will continue to play a greater role with regard to fossil fuels in India. Yes, there are going to be setbacks. Ethanol evaporates faster so it is much harder to store. It burns better, but it also burns quicker, which means compromised fuel efficiency. It’s also not as energy efficient as regular petrol, and petrol with 10% ethanol (a rarity, at present) continues to be 3% less efficient. However, it has higher octane than petrol and therefore provides increased power and performance.

Also Read: Nitin Gadkari says surging petrol prices 'agitating' people, advocates use of alternate biofuels

Flex-fuel will also require several engineering tweaks to new engines, with corrosion-resistant rubber hoses and pipes, which are generally more prone to damage due to ethanol. At the same time, ethanol leaves inside the chamber and exhaust pipes.

Regardless of who picks up the tab, for customers to have a more hassle-free driving experience, for engine longevity and for the sake of sustainable, ethical business practices, certain mandatory measures would have to be taken by both dealers and oil companies, to ensure that moisture is kept out of the fuel mixture.