BMTC to run buses using 15% methanol-blended fuel on a pilot basis for the next 3 months

Nitin Gadkari flagged off the National Pilot programme in Bengaluru. (Supplied)

It is a joint development by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Ashok Leyland, the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science, and the NITI Aayog.

Post-trial, a report will be submitted by the NITI Aayog to the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for commercial marketing of the fuel.

The research and development team at the IOC, with the backing of the NITI Aayog, will conduct the national pilot study in three different cities with 20 municipal transport buses for a period of three months.

What is methanol-blended fuel?

Ashok Leyland and IOC have developed a concept of blending 15-percent methanol with diesel, which is called MD15 fuel.

Diesel and methanol are immiscible liquids, and hence require additives to be blended. The additive is comprised of couplers, lubricity improver, corrosion inhibitors, and cetane improver.

MD15 fuels’ properties are like diesel, and hence it performs similarly to diesel. This additive has been jointly developed and indigenised by IOCL and Ashok Leyland.

MD15 fuel has been tested for performance and emissions on Ashok Leyland diesel engines. It meets all the legal emission limits. Substantial PM, HC, and CO reduction was achieved during the trials.

This also provides an improvement in CO2 emissions. The makers also claim that MD15 reduces pollution by 20 percent, and that blended fuel was cheaper than diesel.

Availability and Fares

BMTC officials told South First about the availability of buses for local citizens: “The buses are not yet open for residents. It might be opened soon for locals to travel on, but not now.”

They added: “There will not be any difference in the fares for this travel. The bus ticket prices will remain the same as the original.”