The Centre on Monday ruled out blending ethanol with diesel after tests showed that adding ethanol significantly lowers diesel’s flashpoint.Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha that public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs), authorised laboratories and automobile manufacturers had tested ethanol-diesel blends through their research and development centres.“It was observed that ethanol-blended diesel did not meet the prescribed diesel flashpoint standards, as the flashpoint dropped drastically due to the presence of ethanol,” he said.A lower flashpoint increases fire and safety risks by making the fuel more susceptible to ignition during handling, storage and transportation. Consequently, the government has prohibited ethanol blending in diesel.Responding to a separate query, Gopi said no decision had yet been taken on increasing the ethanol content in petrol beyond 20 per cent.“So far, no decision has been taken by the government on increasing ethanol blending in petrol beyond 20 per cent. Any future decision regarding higher ethanol blends will be taken only after detailed scientific and technical studies and consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including automobile manufacturers, oil marketing companies and research institutions,” he said.According to Gopi, NITI Aayog, automakers, OMCs, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) and other technical organisations have participated in the phased implementation of the ethanol-blended petrol programme.The government also informed the House that E20 fuel had undergone laboratory and field trials conducted by ARAI, SIAM, Indian Oil Corporation, IIP and automobile manufacturers. The tests covered engine durability, drivability, startability, corrosion resistance, material compatibility, emissions and fuel efficiency.Gopi said the studies had established that E20 was safe for use under specified norms and had not caused any significant performance issues or unusual wear and tear in legacy vehicles. He added that E19-E20 fuel had been in use for more than two-and-a-half years, while E15-plus petrol had been widely used for over three-and-a-half years.