Ethanol making in Karnataka is one of the best among all states in India. In Karnataka, ethanol production mainly depends on sugarcane as it is abundantly grown in this state. To make ethanol from sugarcane, sucrose undergoes fermentation and distillation processes.

Here’s a quick look at how it works:

Cultivating Sugarcane: These regions majorly include Belgaum, Mandya, and Bagalkot where there is extensive growing of sugarcane.

Harvesting and Crushing: The harvested canes are crushed to squeeze out juice.

Conversion Process: Fermentation occurs after that by using yeast or any other form of microbes that could be readily available. From here, sugar contained in the juice turns into ethanol and carbon dioxide as a result of enzymatic conversion.

Distillation: The fermented mixture is distilled in order to separate ethanol from water and other impurities. This means, the mixture gets heated up and ethanol vapor is collected which is then transformed into a liquid.

Dehydration: Ethanol may also undergo further processes such as dehydration that takes out all remaining water molecules leaving only pure ethanol behind.

Blending: Finally, gasoline can be added to the end product of ethanol production so as to produce mixed fuels like E10 (10% alcohol + 90% gasoline) or E85 (85% alcoholic drink + 15% petroleum).

Besides this role, it has an advantage over fossil fuel use as a greenhouse gas reduction mechanism and an opportunity for additional incomes from sugar farmers. Moreover, they are instrumental in achieving reduced air pollution and better-quality air by use of alcohols in petrol.