KATHMANDU: India is preparing to introduce mandatory isobutanol blending in diesel as part of its efforts to reduce vehicle emissions and improve energy security.
According to Indian media reports, the policy could be rolled out later this year. V Umashankar, Secretary at the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said the government is taking the initiative seriously and initial results have been encouraging.
Bharat Petroleum is already conducting research on isobutanol-blended diesel. Officials believe the move could have a greater impact than petrol blending, as diesel consumption in India is nearly twice that of petrol.
Isobutanol is a biofuel produced from ethanol. It offers higher energy density and is less corrosive than ethanol. It can also help reduce emissions from diesel engines.
The government has directed the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to study flex-fuel engines capable of running on 100 percent isobutanol. Tests will also be carried out on existing diesel engines to evaluate their performance with isobutanol-blended diesel.
