Highlighting the importance and role of ethanol derived from dented corn, Dr Jeewan Prakash Gupta, chair, Environment Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday said the ethanol industry is on a rise in India and the government is mandating more blending of ethanol in petroleum products.
Dr Gupta has said that inherent challenges to achieve this goal is mainly in terms of availability of feedstock to make ethanol.
He added that to address this sole purpose, the PHDCCI had organized the 4th International Climate Summit on July 19 this year.
While addressing a Multilateral Roundtable on the Dented Corn Ethanol here in New Delhi at the PHD chambers, Dr Gupta said that many experts from USA, Japan, South Korea, Canada, France, Sweden and India had attended this important summit, and Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankar and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had also addressed the audience, delegates and speakers and created a vibrant atmosphere.
He has pointed out that import of non- edible Dent Corn needs parity with crude oil to ensure sustainable energy security, as it can produce sustainable fuels.
Bio- Ethanol is a good sustainable substitute of fossil fuel, Dr Gupta added.
Talking of the international summit, he said that the unanimous consensus at the same was to use non edible yellow dented corn to make ethanol, in view of making the country self-reliant in energy security.
According to Dr Gupta, Yellow dented corn which is not for food consumption is the best suitable feedstock to make ethanol for several reasons.
Import of dented corn at no duty should be allowed for a period of 5-10 years until the local farming industry speeds up and starts growing enough dented corn, he added.
He said that following the International summit, today’s event is to accelerate the implementation of this momentum and take it forward to the relevant government authorities.
In the opinion of the experts, bio- ethanol is the preferred pathway for making biofuels, decarbonization and sustainable development, and also promotes energy as well as food security, he said.
This will contribute in making India self reliant in bio-fuel production and also a leader in sustainable development, Dr Gupta added.
According to Gupta, for the accelerated growth of ethanol, the government may offer incentives and policies like with green hydrogen, which will not only make India self-sufficient in local energy but will significantly improve and uplift the lives in rural India, the Oil and Gas sector expert added.
He has said that yellow dented corn is grown solely for the purpose of fuel and does not enter the food chain, and there will be a quantum jump for ethanol to make India export hub of SAF and E100 requirement for the country.
This will also enable them to make petroleum based chemicals like Ethylene and downstream derivatives and fuels at significantly lower cost which presently produced from fossil fuels, he added.
According to Dr Gupta, the dent corn revolution will be a game changer for energy and food security and decarbonization.