Buses will soon run without a drop of diesel!

Buses will soon run without a drop of diesel!
KSRTC Decides To Experiment With Ethanol; Trial Runs in City
Deepa Bhasthi | TNN

Bangalore: A bus depot in Bangalore is creating a revolution of sorts.
It is a normal state transport bus, but different only because of a poster at the back that says the bus is running without diesel!
Perhaps, for the first-time ever, a combination of ethanol and water has been successfully used as fuel in a bus. The initiative is called ‘Raitha Bandhu’ and trials on a KSRTC bus are under way to check for fuel efficiency, engine performance and for any possible technical glitches before the fuel is introduced in more buses.
70% ETHANOL, 30% WATER
Technical director of KSRTC S K Paramesh said the diesel engine of the bus had been converted into a spark ignition engine. The fuel composite is 70 per cent ethanol and 30 per cent water. A bus is being run on trial in Bangalore and to short distances outside the city for a couple of days now. On Tuesday, the bus went to Srirangapatnam, and the previous day to Kunigal.
“The cost of diesel is much more than ethanol, but as this is a new technology we are not looking at saving money. We are not particular, even if it gives a mileage of 5 km per litre, it is alright for now,’’ Paramesh said.
CAN SAVE A LOT OF MONEY
Considering that a litre of ethanol costs Rs 22 as against Rs 33-35 for a litre of diesel, the corporation is expecting to save a lot of money. “Once the trial runs are over, we will introduce these on buses along 3-4 routes,’’ he added.
N a r a s i m h a Murthy, the brain behind the technology, said the existing diesel engine has been modified. Experiments with ethanol as an alternative fuel are not new. In Canada, the E95 ethanol fuel uses 5 per cent petrol. “This mix is the first-of-itskind. There is zero emission. Trials are under way to check if there is any knocking in the high-compression engine and other technicalities,’’ Murthy added.
ZOOMING IN ON NOVEL OPTIONS
THE COST FACTOR
Cost of one litre of ethanol: Rs 22 Cost of one litre of diesel: Rs 33-35 Fuel efficiency yet to be worked out
FACTS AND FUNDAS
1 kg of diesel emits 3.2 kg of CO2, uses 3.3 kg oxygen to burn One litre of diesel emits 2.82 kg CO2 CO2 is used by sugar cane, which in turn can be used to get an organic reaction for ethanol Ethanol has 34 per cent oxygen Petrol, diesel do not contain oxygen and cannot burn by themselves