Ethanol was rarely discussed 7-8 years ago in India. But now environment-friendly fuels, like ethanol, are on the top priority list of the government. By blending domestically produced ethanol with conventional fossil fuels for consumption, the government can reduce reliance on oil imports.

 

Earlier, the demand for ethanol was from potable liquor and chemicals companies. Today, thanks to the government’s push, there is a big demand from oil marketing companies (OMCs).

 

Consequently, in the past few years, sugar/sugarcane started getting diverted for ethanol production. Apart from sugarcane, modern technology-based ethanol plants are being set up across the country to convert agricultural waste/surplus to ethanol.