Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up on your knowledge. Here’s your hunk of knowledge on ethanol production for today.

Hunk of Knowledge: Ethanol production

Subject: Economy and Policy

(Relevance: In UPSC Prelims, questions have been asked on the production of biofuels; do check them at the end of the article. As the crude oil crisis looms amidst Iran vs Israel-US War, it is important to comprehensively understand India’s Ethanol push- from production, processing to government support.)

Why in the news?

While speaking at the inauguration of Phase I of the Noida International Airport (NIA)in Jewar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to India’s ethanol push helping the country through the global energy crisis.

“If production of ethanol had not increased, and its blending with petrol, then the country would have had to import an additional 4.5 crore barrels, which is almost 700 crore litres of crude oil, every year…,” he had said.

Key takeaways:

1. Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is a liquid that has several uses. At 95% purity, it is called rectified spirit and is used as the intoxicating ingredient in alcoholic beverages. At 99%-plus purity, ethanol is used for blending with petrol.

2. Ethanol is a common type of biofuel, a renewable fuel derived from biomass, from plants or agricultural, animal, domestic, and industrial bio waste. Biofuels are significantly cleaner than conventional fossil fuels, though lifecycle impacts vary based on feedstock and production methods.

When ethanol is produced from these sources, it is called bioethanol (a subset of Ethanol). Bioethanol can be easily generated from sugarcane, beet juice, corn, rice, or other grains. These fuels are known as first-generation biofuels.

Different generations of Biofuels

According to the National Policy on Biofuels, different generations of Biofuels are:

(i) First Generation (1G) produces bio-ethanol from molasses and bio-diesel from non-edible oilseeds.

(ii) Second-generation (2G) ethanol can be produced from municipal solid waste

(iii) Third Generation (3G) fuels like bio-CNG

Ethanol Production from sugarcane

1. Ethanol is produced from molasses, which is a by product of sugar manufacturing. For making sugar, mills crush sugarcane, which typically has a total fermentable sugar (TFS) content of 14%. The TFS component consists of sucrose along with the reducing sugars glucose and fructose. Most of this TFS component gets crystallised into sugar, and the remaining part is called molasses.

2. The molasses go through three stages — A, B, and C, the last one being where the molasses are most uncrystallised and non-recoverable. The ‘C’ molasses roughly constitute 4.5% of the cane, and has a remaining TFS of 40%.

After C-molasses are sent to the distillery, ethanol is extracted from them. Every 100 kg of TFS yields 60 litres of ethanol. Thus, from one tonne of cane, mills can produce 115 kg of sugar (at 11.5% recovery) and 45 kg of molasses (18 kg TFS), which gives 10.8 litres of ethanol.

3. In between the two extreme cases, there are intermediate options as well, where the cane juice does not have to be crystallised right till the final ‘C’ molasses stage. The molasses can, instead, be diverted after the earlier ‘A’ and ‘B’ stages of sugar crystal formation. Mills, then, would produce some sugar, as opposed to fermenting the whole sugarcane juice into ethanol.

If ethanol is manufactured using ‘B’ heavy molasses (7.25% of cane and with TFS of 50%), around 21.75 litres will be produced along with 95 kg of sugar from every 1 tonne of cane.

4. Till 2017-18, mills produced ethanol only from so-called C-heavy molasses, the final dark brown liquid by product of cane processing containing sucrose that cannot be further economically recovered and crystallised into sugar.

5. From the 2018-19 supply year, mills began making ethanol from an earlier ‘B-heavy’ stage molasses (having higher sucrose content available for fermentation) and also directly from whole cane juice or syrup.

6. The result: Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, the total supply of ethanol to oil marketing companies (OMC) shot up from a mere 38 crore to nearly 189 crore litres. The all-India average ethanol blending in petrol, too, rose from 1.6% to over 4.9%.

Ethanol production from other cereal grains

7. From 2018-19, the government also fixed separate ex-distillery prices for ethanol derived from rice, maize, and damaged food grains.

8. In molasses or cane juice, sugar is present in the form of sucrose. In cereal grains, starch is available, which is a complex carbohydrate. Starch from cereal grains is first extracted and broken down into simple sugars before further fermentation, distillation, and dehydration to ethanol with 99.99% alcohol concentration.

9. While the ethanol blending is seen as a step towards reducing India’s crude oil imports, which is significant amidst the Iran vs Israel-US war, leading to disruption of oil imports from the Strait of Hormuz.

Experts have highlighted concerns related to increased water use in sugarcane cultivation, the fiscal costs of subsidies, and concerns over diverting food crops for fuel. According to energy analysts and industry reports, ethanol is vital, but it should be seen as part of a broader energy transition strategy rather than a standalone solution.

Government Initiatives

National Policy on Biofuel, 2018

It provides an indicative target of 20% ethanol blending under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme by 2030. The Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas informed the Rajya Sabha in December 2025 that the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) had achieved the target of 10% Ethanol blending in petrol in June 2022, ahead of the set deadline.

Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana

This scheme was launched by the government in 2019. This scheme provides financial assistance for setting up Advanced Biofuels projects in the country using lignocellulosic biomass and other renewable feedstock, multimodal transportation of ethanol and increasing ethanol storage capacity, along with other allied infrastructure for handling higher blends of ethanol.

 Global Biofuel Alliance

It was launched in 2023 to facilitate international cooperation and intensify the use of sustainable biofuels, along with facilitating global biofuels trade and technical support for national biofuel programmes.

BEYOND THE HUNK: Other sustainable fuels that are in the news

1.Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): Last year, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) became the first company in India to receive the ISCC CORSIA certification for SAF production at its Panipat refinery in Haryana.

AF is a biofuel that is produced from sustainable feedstocks and has chemistry similar to conventional aviation turbine fuel (ATF) or jet fuel, which is derived from crude oil. It is a ‘drop-in’ fuel, meaning it can be blended with ATF without requiring any change in the existing machinery of aircraft.

2.Advanced Sustainable Fuel (ASF):New rule changes were brought under the Formula 1 race season 2026, which require the internal combustion engine of the F1 race car to use the ‘advanced sustainable fuel’. It is sourced from sustainable feedstocks that are not in competition with food crops.

These feedstocks include municipal waste and non-food biomass; the fuel can also be produced using technologies like carbon capture, harnessing carbon from the air and industrial emissions. The advanced sustainable fuel must be a drop-in fuel, meaning it should be designed to replace fossil fuels without requiring any engine adjustments.

Post Read Question

According to India’s National Policy on Biofuels, which of the following can be used as raw materials for the production of biofuels? (2020)

1. Cassava

2. Damaged wheat grains

3. Groundnut seeds

4. Horse gram

5. Rotten potatoes

6. Sugar beet

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2, 5 and 6 only

(b) 1, 3, 4 and 6 only

(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Don’t miss | UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week (23–29 March 2026) | UPSC Lifebloods | Hunk of Knowledge

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“Responsible use and management of ocean resources is of vital importance. I look forward to the adoption of G20 high-level principles for a sustainable and resilient blue and ocean-based economy,” the prime minister said. PM Modi pointed out that India is one of the top five countries in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity.

“We have also set a target of attaining net-zero by 2070. We continue to collaborate with our partners through our alliance, including the international solar alliance, CDRI and the leadership group for industry transition. India has consistently been at the forefront of taking action on biodiversity conservation, protection and enrichment,” PM Modi informed delegates.

Speaking about the recently launched International Big Cat Alliance for conservation of seven big cats of the planet, the prime minister said that it is based on the learnings of India’s Project Tiger. “As a result of Project Tiger, 70 per cent of the world’s tigers are found in India. We are also working on Project Lion and Project Dolphin,” PM Modi informed.

Source: IANS

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In the three-way train accident, the number of injured people reached over 1000, according to Railway officials. 17 coaches of the two trains derailed and were severely damaged in the accident that took place on Friday evening.

Condolences poured in from all across the globe after the tragic triple train mishap took place in Odisha’s Balasore district. French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday condoled the loss of lives in the train accident at Balasore in Odisha and said his thoughts are with the families of the victims. Macron said that France stands in solidarity with India.

“My deepest condolences to President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and the people of India after the tragic train accident in Odisha. France stands in solidarity with you. My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” the French President said in a tweet.

Japan PM Fumio Kishida said that he is “saddened” over the loss of lives in the train accident in Odisha and wished speedy recovery to the injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the train accident.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed his condolences. “Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives in a train accident in India. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Prayers for a speedy recovery of the injured,” he said in a tweet.

Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw who arrived at the incident site in Balasore on Saturday said that a high-level probe has been initiated and efforts will be taken to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.

Source: ANI

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Long-considered the lifeline of the world’s most populous country, the 170-year-old system has seen rapid expansion and modernisation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to boost infrastructure and connectivity in the fast-growing economy. This year, the government made a record 2.4-trillion-rupee ($30 billion) capital outlay for the railways, a 50% increase over the previous fiscal year, to upgrade tracks, ease congestion and add new trains.

A new, semi-high-speed train built in India and called the “Vande Bharat Express”, or “Salute to India Express”, is showcased as evidence of this modernisation, with Modi himself flagging off the first journeys of many of the trains around the country. But Friday’s crash has come as a jolt to this makeover, experts said.

“The safety record has been improving over the years but there is more work to do,” said Prakash Kumar Sen, head of the department of mechanical engineering at Kirodimal Institute of Technology in central India and lead author of a 2020 study on “Causes of Rail Derailment in India and Corrective Measures”.

“Human error or poor track maintenance are generally to blame in such crashes,” Sen said. The railways have been introducing more and more trains to cope with soaring demand but the workforce to maintain them has not kept pace, he said. Workers are not trained adequately or their workload is too high, and they don’t get enough rest, Sen said.

The east coast route on which Friday’s crash occurred, is one of the country’s oldest and busiest, as it also carries much of India’s coal and oil freight, he said. “These tracks are very old … the load on them is very high, if maintenance is not good, failures will happen,” Sen said.

Good Safety Record

Indian Railways maintains that safety has always been a key focus, and points to its low accident rate over the years. “This question (on safety) is arising because there has been one incident now. But if you see the data, you will see that there have been no major accidents for years,” a railways ministry spokesperson said. The number of accidents per million train kilometres, a gauge of safety, had fallen to 0.03 in fiscal 2021-22 from 0.10 in 2013-14, the spokesperson said.

A 1-trillion-rupee, five-year safety fund created in 2017-18 has been extended for another five years from 2022-23, with a further 450 billion rupees of funding, after the first plan led to an “overall improvement in safety indicators”, he added. “Some malfunction has happened and that the inquiry will reveal,” he said, referring to Friday’s crash. “We will find out why it happened and how it happened.”

Srinand Jha, an independent transport expert and author at the International Railway Journal, said the railways have been working on safety mechanisms such as anti-collision devices and emergency warning systems but have been slow to install them across the network.

“They will always tell you that accidents are at a very manageable level because they talk about them in terms of percentages,” Jha said, adding that in recent years the focus has been more on new trains and modern stations and not as much on tracks, signalling systems and asset management. “This accident brings out the need to focus more on these aspects,” he said.

Source: Reuters

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There have been all sorts of theories floated on various social media platforms detailing how exactly the crash took place. However, preliminary investigations have revealed that the Coromandel Express train involved in the rail tragedy in Odisha on Friday entered the loop line and crashed into a goods train parked there instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar station, reported PTI quoting a source.

What Caused The Accident?

As per a report submitted to the Railway Board, the Coromandel Express travelling from Shalimar to Chennai Central was at a speed of 128 kmph, when possible signalling failure sent the train to the loop line instead of the main line just ahead of the Bahanagar Bazar railway station. The express train then rear ended into a parked goods train on the loop line, resulting in 4-5 coaches to scatter on the adjacent track.

Around the same time, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express was running at a speed of 116 kmph. The coaches of Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express capsized after crashing into the coaches of Coromandel Express that had scattered on the adjacent track.

The loop lines of the Indian Railways are constructed in a station area — in this case, the Bahanagar Bazar station — to accommodate more trains to ease out the operations. The loop lines are generally 750 metres in length to accommodate full-length goods train with multiple engines, reported PTI.

An eyewitness to the incident, Anubhav Das, also told PTI that local authorities and railway officials had initially indicated that the train he was travelling on — Coromandel Express — had rammed into the goods train. However, none of these accounts was officially confirmed by the railways. While a thorough probe is underway, none of the authorities has so far talked about any possibility of a sabotage.

While sources had earlier said a signalling failure could be the reason behind the crash, railway officials said it is not yet clear if Coromandel Express entered the loop line and hit the stationary goods train or it first derailed and then hit the parked train after entering the loop line. The preliminary probe report, a copy of which is with PTI, said the signal was given and taken off for the up main line for train number 12841 (Coromandel Express), the train entered the loop line, dashed with the goods train and derailed.

In the meantime, train number 12864 passed through the down main line and two of its coaches derailed and capsized, the report said. Sudhanshu Mani, the former general manager of the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai and the man who led the team that made the first Vande Bharat train, prima facie ruled out any error on the part of the two loco pilots involved in the tragedy and said the primary reason for the mass casualty is the first derailment and the unfortunate timing of the second passenger train, which came from the other direction at a very high speed.

Mani said if it was just the first train derailing, the LHB coaches would not have capsized and so many casualties would not have been reported. “Although the reason for the derailment of the first train cannot be a matter of conjecture, as of now, I do not see any evidence of an SPAD case, meaning the driver overriding signals. It was going on the correct path as the data logger shows that the signal was green,” Mani said.

KAVACH Anti-Collision Technology

The national transporter has also said anti-train collision system “Kavach” was not available on the route. The railways is in the process of installing “Kavach”, an anti-train collision system, across its network. “The rescue operation has been completed. Now, we are starting the restoration work. Kavach was not available on this route,” Indian Railways Spokesperson Amitabh Sharma said.

Kavach alerts when a loco pilot jumps a signal (Signal Passed at Danger — SPAD), which is the leading cause of train collisions. The system can alert the loco pilot, take control of the brakes and bring the train to a halt automatically when it notices another train on the same line within a prescribed distance.

The Indian Railways has appointed A M Chowdhary, CRS, SE Circle to investigate the crash. The commissioner of railway safety works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation and investigates all such accidents. “A M Chowdhary, CRS, SE Circle, will inquire into the accident,” a spokesperson of the Indian Railways said. The crash involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train.

Source: Bureau

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The Bengal CM expressed her sorrow over the sad tragedy where three trains derailed one on top of the other in a horrifying sequence, killing at least 233 people and wounding more than 900 in Odisha’s Balasore district. The Bengal CM kept an eye on the situation from her Kalighat residence for nearly the entire night. She is really concerned and has reached Balasore today to assess the situation. In this context, she has also spoken with Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha. The team that she sent to Balasore last night was in contact with her. The Bengal CM has pledged to offer the Odisha government every kind of help with the rescue efforts and medical care for the injured.

Delegation Of Mamata Government

Late on Friday night, a delegation led by West Bengal Minister Manas Bhuniya and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen arrived at the scene of the train disaster. Two emergency phone numbers, 033-22143526 and 22535185, have been activated by the West Bengal government as of Friday night.

PM Modi To Visit Accident Site

Following the devastating rail tragedy that claimed over 300 lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Odisha today, according to government sources. He will proceed to the accident scene in Balasore before going to the hospital in Cuttack, according to what they said. In order to examine the situation in relation to the rail tragedy, PM Modi has also called a meeting. The South Eastern Circle commissioner of railway safety is leading a thorough inquiry into the train collision that occurred in Odisha at the same time. Such accidents are examined and scrutinized by the commissioner of railway safety, who works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Cause Of Accident

The “Kavach” anti-train collision system was not installed on the route where the terrible accident took place, according to the national railway authority. The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a cargo train were all involved in the catastrophe, which claimed approximately 300 lives and injured over 1000 others. Although the precise reason for the disaster is yet unknown, sources have speculated that a signaling malfunction may have occurred.

Preventive Measures

The installation of “Kavach,” a preventive system created to prevent train crashes, is now being carried out by the railway authorities throughout the network. When a train operator disregards a signal (sometimes referred to as “Signal Passed at Danger” or “SPAD”), which is a major factor in train accidents, Kavach activates as an alert mechanism. If it detects another train on the same track within a certain distance, the system has the potential to immediately alert the train operator, take over control of the brakes, and automatically stop the train.

Senior officers from the Railway Board, zonal railways, and divisions were directed to conduct a “thorough review of the working practices” while visiting various sections, crew lounges, maintenance facilities, work sites, etc. to ensure that the safe operational and maintenance procedures recommended to prevent accidents or unusual incidents were being followed.

Source: Bureau

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It is the first of its kind premium semi-high speed aesthetically designed, well-equipped fully Air Conditioner service between Guwahati in Assam and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

“The frequency of the train will be five days a week. There will be no service of this train on Tuesday,” the official said.

This new service will cover the distance of 411 km between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri in 5 hours 30 minutes reducing the present shortest journey time by the speediest train significantly.

The Vande Bharat Express train service will operate six days a week discovering the new age rail travel with airlines like travel feelings for people of the northeast who will able to feel the comfort and speed during the journey.

This will be the fastest train in this sector and will benefit IT professionals, businessmen, students and tourists. Vande Bharat Express is the fulfilment of an ambitious plan laid by Indian Railways to pitchfork the standards and speed of rail travel in the country.

The ‘Make In India’ call of Prime Minister Modi has driven this initiative with the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coming up with this modern Semi-High Speed fully indigenous train showcasing superior aerodynamic design, highest operational speed, most aesthetic interiors, state-of-the-art safety features imbibing the latest rail technology. The approximate cost of each train set is around Rs 110 crore.

Vande Bharat Express runs as a self-propelled Semi-High Speed train set. The train set holds an aerodynamic design on both ends, which significantly reduces air drag and gives the train a futuristic look. The train set is equipped with the Centralized Coach Monitoring and Control System. It has eight coach Chair Car configurations, stainless steel car body with a seating capacity of 530 passengers with maximum utilization of onboard space.

The Executive chair cars of Vande Bharat Express have a seating capacity of 52 each, normal Chair cars have a seating capacity of 78 each and the driving trailer coaches have a seating capacity of 44 each.

Equipped with driver-guard communication with a voice recording facility, the bogies of Vande Bharat Express are equipped with fully suspended traction motors for 160 kmph operational speed.

The train is equipped with ‘KAVACH, the indigenously developed Train Collision Avoidance System with optimum reliability. Advanced state-of-the-art suspension system ensures smoothness on move in the train.

Green footprint plans have been prioritized by dispensing with power cars and saving about 30 per cent of electricity with an advanced regenerative braking system.

The braking system is electro-pneumatic with disc brakes mounted directly on wheel disks, significantly reducing braking distance. Signal exchange lights on the coaches enable the hassle-free exchange of signals with wayside stations when the train is on the move.

Superior floodproofing for under-slung electrical equipment is done to enable withstand floods up to a height of 650 mm. This energy-efficient train has a faster turnaround time in comparison to others.

Source: ANI

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