India could use sugarcane juice to achieve its goal of 20% ethanol blending by 2030 in order to minimise the impact on natural resources, according to a study by Stanford University.
The country wants to raise the ethanol-to-gasoline blending rate from about 6% currently.
India is the world’s second-largest sugar producer. It is now looking at how to use this to promote energy independence and renewable energy.
Co-author Anjuli Jain Figueroa said that if molasses continues to be used as bioethanol feedstock, this would require additional water and land resources and lead to the production of extra sugar. “In contrast, if the industry used the sugarcane juice to produce ethanol, the target could be met without requiring additional water and land beyond current levels,” the researcher added.
Molasses is a by-product from sugar processing.
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Image by Chetan Bisariya licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.