Publisher’s Note

India’s net import of petroleum was 185 Mt at a cost of US $ 551 billion in 2020-21. Most petroleum products are used in transportation. Hence, a successful E20 (20% blend of fuel and ethanol), the program can save the country US $4 billion per annum, i.e., Rs. 30,000 cr. Besides, ethanol is a less polluting fuel and offers equivalent efficiency at a lower cost than petrol. Availability of large arable land, rising production of food grains and sugarcane leading to surpluses, availability of technology to produce ethanol from plant-based sources, and feasibility of making vehicles compliant to ethanol blended petrol make E20 not only a national imperative but also an important strategic requirement. Different agencies of government have made rapid moves to put in place a favourable regulatory and retail ecosystem for the safe, and effective use of ethanol-blended petrol. With the recently approved interest subvention incentives for grain-based distilleries, the target of 20% blending of petrol in the country by 2025 thus appears feasible and within reach. Oil Marketing Companies have prepared their plans for a phased rollout, and vehicle manufacturers have assured of making a similar plan once the intention of the government with timelines is publicly declared.

However, bioethanol employment also poses some undesirable issues. Firstly, bioethanol is miscible with water which can cause a corrosive effect on engine components such as fuel injectors and electric fuel pumps. Moreover, bioethanol attracts more water from the environment because it is hygroscopic in nature. Secondly, vehicle startup problems can happen in cold weather when the engine is fueled with pure ethanol which is hard to vaporize. Thirdly, when bioethanol is used to fuel the engine, the tribological effect on lubricant properties and performance resulting from fuel dilution always appears. During the combustion process, some amount of unburned fuel will impinge on the cold wall of the combustion chamber and then be scrapped into the crankcase of engine oil through the cylinder liner. It shall be notified that the impact of bioethanol on lubricating oil's properties and performance is completely different from that of gasoline because bioethanol has a higher tendency to enter the oil sump of an engine due to its high heat of evaporation compared to gasoline. The amount of bioethanol inside the lubricant can degrade the properties and performance of engine oil significantly. As mentioned earlier, bioethanol is miscible with water but immiscible with oil, so there would be the formation of emulsions inside the bioethanol–water-oil mixture, which leads to serious engine wear and catastrophic engine failure. Consequently, engine oil needs to be drained frequently. It has been observed that even a small amount of fuel dilution is possible to degrade the physicochemical properties of lubricant (viscosity, total base number, and total acid number) which play an important role in the lubricating system.

Given these, some modifications may be needed in the current engines and specially formulated lubricants may need to be used in vehicles using ethanol-blended fuels. We look forward to your suggestions and feedback on how we can make Machinery Lubrication India more interesting for our readers.

Wishing you and your families Merry Christmas &A Happy 2023.

Stay safe & healthy

Warm regards,

Udey Dhir