US pitches maize for India’s E85, SAF ethanol push

The US grain industry is making a fresh push to get American maize into India’s expanding ethanol economy, this time arguing that corn should be judged on its life cycle carbon emissions rather than simply as imported genetically modified grain, five people familiar with the discussions told HT.

The pitch was made at a full day US-India biofuels summit in New Delhi on September 22, where the US Grains & BioProducts Council and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum brought together industry and policy stakeholders to discuss higher ethanol blending, sustainable aviation fuel and new uses for ethanol.

A dedicated session at the summit was titled “Lifecycle Assessment of Maize to Ethanol – India & US Case Studies”. The agenda also included discussions on on-road blending in the US and India, ethanol-based cooking, sustainable marine fuel, ethanol in consumer products and its impact on rural economies.

People familiar with the discussions said the US side is exploring several routes into the Indian market, including higher ethanol blends, sustainable aviation fuel and cooking ethanol.

One person familiar with the discussions said the broad pitch was to continue using Indian feedstock for the existing E20 programme, while examining whether US maize could be used for higher blends such as E85, particularly for flex-fuel vehicles.

The argument is that India should compare the carbon intensity of different feedstocks — the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with producing and using a fuel — rather than reject imported maize solely because it is US-origin or genetically modified.

The life cycle argument is significant because India and the US currently approach ethanol differently.

The US system has increasingly placed emphasis on the carbon-intensity value of fuels, while India’s ethanol programme has largely been driven by administered procurement prices, feedstock availability and blending requirements, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

An industry representative familiar with the matter said the US Grains & BioProducts Council has commissioned the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) to undertake a life cycle assessment (LCA) of maize-based ethanol. The study is still being finalised and has not yet been released publicly.

The assessment is expected to compare the emissions associated with different feedstocks used to produce ethanol.

Another person familiar with the discussions said preliminary work on Indian feedstocks had found maize to have a relatively low carbon-intensity value, but cautioned that the US and Indian maize cannot be compared until the full study is released.

The US side is therefore seeking to make carbon intensity part of the conversation around future ethanol policy in India.

To be sure, this does not necessarily mean India will agree to import US maize.