The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 14th September 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

The complex path to biofuel sustainability

Why in News?

Until a few years ago, working on biofuels called for constant justification in the face of electric vehicles (EVs) taking over the world. Today, while there is no doubt that EV adoption has amplified over the years, there is growing awareness of the fact that no decarbonisation strategy is trade-off-free.

What is the National Policy on Biofuels?

• The Ministry of Petroleum and Gas notified the “National Policy on Biofuels” in 2018. It replaced the previous “National Policy on Biofuels” promulgated in 2009 through the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• The policy classifies biofuels into two categories.
  • Basic Biofuels include First Generation (1G) Bioethanol and Biodiesel.
  • Advanced Biofuels-The components include Second Generation (2G) Ethanol, drop in fuels produced from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Third Generation (3G) Ethanol, and bio-CNG.
• This classification allows for appropriate financial and fiscal incentives for each category. 

Features of National Policy on Biofuels 2018

• The source of raw material available for ethanol production has been broadened by including various sources such as sugarcane juice and sugar-containing materials like sugar beet and sweet sorghum.
• The scope has now been extended to include starch-containing materials like corn and cassava and even damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, and rotten potatoes. The focus is on food unfit for human consumption. 
• The National Biofuel Coordination Committee has the authority to approve the utilization of surplus food grains to produce ethanol to blend with petrol, as per the policy.
• The policy focuses on using Advanced Biofuels and proposes a scheme to bridge the viability gap for a 2G Ethanol-bio refinery. This will amount to Rs. 5000 crores over six years.
• National Policy on Biofuels also offers additional tax incentives and a higher purchase price than 1G biofuels.

Advantages of National Policy on Biofuels 2018

The advantages of the National Policy on Biofuels are as follows-

• It reduces the demand for imports
• Promotes a cleaner environment by reducing the burning of crops
• Cooking oil reuse can be used as potential feedback for biodiesel
• Aids in Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management 
• Biofuel production creates job opportunities.
• Conversion of surplus grains and agricultural biomass can stabilize prices and promote additional income for farmers.
• It helps meet the energy emission target set by India under its ‘Panchamrit’ goals in COP 26.

Objectives of National Policy on Biofuels 2018

• The National Policy on Biofuels 2018 aimed to achieve a 20% blending of biofuels with fossil fuels by 2030. This target was revised, and it will be completed by 2025.
• The policy’s primary objective is to guarantee a consistent and sufficient supply of domestic feedstock for producing biofuels.
• This would boost farmers’ income, reduce imports, generate employment, and create opportunities for waste-to-wealth initiatives.
• The National Policy of Biofuels embodies the government’s efforts to enhance the country’s energy infrastructure. 
• Additionaly, it helps to meet sustainable development goals.

What are Biofuels?

• Biofuels refer to any hydrocarbon-based fuel which is derived from organic matter, including living or once-living organisms, and can be formed in a short time frame of days, weeks, or months,
• These biofuels exist in different states of matter: solid forms like wood, dried plant material, and manure, liquid forms like bioethanol and biodiesel, and gaseous forms like biogas.
• They can be used as a substitute or in addition to diesel, petrol, or other fossil fuels for transportation and stationary. Additionally, these can be used for the generation of heat and electricity. 
• There are several reasons for the transition to biofuels, including the rise of oil prices and the increase in the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere by fossil fuels.
• Another reason for the transition is the desire for farmers to generate additional income from their crops.

Generations of Biofuels

• It was launched in 2003 and aims to minimize the environmental issues related to crude oil extraction for petrol production. 
• The program focuses on blending ethanol with petrol. This also brings it under the biofuels category and down the gasoline import bill.
• Under this program, the blending will increase as the price for C-heavy molasses-based ethanol and enable the cost to procure ethanol from B-heavy molasses and sugarcane.

• The aim is to build a conducive environment for the development of commercial projects and also accelerate the research and development activities in the 2G ethanol project.

• The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the GOBAR DHAN scheme as a part of the Swachh Bharat Grameen (Yojana).
• The initiative is centered around effectively handling and transforming cow manure and other farm soil waste.
• The aim is to use the waste for producing beneficial compost, biogas, and bio CNG.
• The approach helps keep the environment clean and increases the financial income of those associated with cows.

• The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) initiated a program for creating a self-sustaining program that facilitates the gathering and conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel.

Advantages of Biofuels

• Biofuels can be quickly produced as they require only readily available biomass.
• Waste materials such as municipal waste and inedible crop parts can be efficiently utilized in biofuel production. This leads to better waste management.
• The usage of biofuels leads to a decrease in reliance on non-renewable sources of fuels, such as crude oil.
• Biofuel production is a labour-intensive activity and thus leads to employment generation in rural areas. 

Disadvantages of Biofuels 

• Biofuels have lower efficiency than fossil fuels which generate more energy on combustion.
• Using genetically modified crops in the fourth generation could lead to biodiversity loss.
• The production of biofuel from second-generation biofuels (through non-food crops) requires extensive availability of land.
• Extensive use of food sources in producing first-generation biofuels may lead to a vast shortage.
• A large amount of water required for crop irrigation and biofuel manufacturing can strain local and regional water sources. However, this is not an issue in fourth-generation biofuels as these biofuels are dependent on microorganisms.

Way Forward