Petrol Ethanol Blend Under Scanner: Kerala and Karnataka Initiate Density Lab Testing
Fuel quality has been questioned in South India, following a report from Karnataka, which found that the ethanol content in the petrol samples was reportedly very high. Kerala has also launched an inspection and laboratory testing program in the wake of this controversy over fuel quality, testing, and transparency for drivers in India.
The Civil Supplies Department in Kerala started collecting petrol samples from different retailers in selected districts of the state from November 9 onwards. The officials are trying to verify whether the ethanol content in the petrol is above the standard level of 20 per cent.
Kerala Collects Samples from Fuel Stations
An inspection was conducted by Food & Civil Supplies Minister, Anoop Jacob in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, and Kannur. Samples were taken from nine petrol pumps, where there were also officials from oil companies.
Laboratory testing of these samples is going to be done and the results of it are expected within about 10 days. According to the minister, no such incident has been reported in Kerala yet, however, the checks have been initiated after some complaints and reports from Karnataka.
It is clear that the state government is going to act upon the laboratory test results.
Karnataka Reports Ethanol Levels Above 20%
The controversy started when the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad stated that laboratory analysis of 63 petrol samples from seven districts suggested ethanol content higher than the acceptable threshold in many petrol pumps.
As per the Karnataka government, some of the samples had ethanol levels ranging between 26 and 31.2 per cent. The findings by the Karnataka government posed some worries regarding the performance, mileage, and damage of components not meant for higher ethanol levels.
But this has been denied by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and public sector oil marketing companies.
Centre Questions Testing Procedures
In a press release dated November 7, the Petroleum Ministry said 893 samples of E20 were found to conform to quality norms in 27 states and Union Territories. These samples had 56 from Karnataka with an ethanol percentage ranging between 19 and 20 per cent.
It was also pointed out by the Center that the methodology followed by Karnataka for sampling and analysis of samples has some issues since there were no technical details available to support laboratory certificates.
Density measurements are now also being discussed. This is because, since ethanol is denser than petrol, higher the ethanol concentration, higher should be the density of the fuel. But this alone does not help in determining the exact ethanol percentage in the blend.
What Happens Next?
The Kerala test results and additional validation of those from Karnataka will help resolve the dispute. The findings in both states have highlighted the need for proper sampling, accurate lab procedures and clear information regarding the composition of petrol.
As far as customers are concerned, the issue is simple – petrol available at petrol pumps should meet the required standards of quality.
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