The European Commission is currently investigating the possibility of introducing E20 fuel at the level of the entire European Union. According to the available information, brought by the German Bild, this move is aimed at suppressing the drastic increase in the prices of oil derivatives on the market. The key change would be to increase the share of bioethanol in the fuel to 20 percent, which requires prior adjustment of the EU Directive on fuel quality.
Biofuels as a solution to the crisis
Until now, the use of more environmentally friendly fuels was limited to only a small number of gas stations, primarily in Germany. The potential expansion to the entire European territory within the Club of Representatives of the European People’s Party is perceived as a significant step forward. The share of biofuels, namely, directly affects the price of gasoline fuel and offers a contribution to climate protection without the need to build new expensive infrastructure.
In addition to gasoline with a higher ethanol content, the energy crisis has stimulated discussions about the wider use of biofuels in the diesel engine segment as well. In this context, rapeseed oil emerges as the primary domestic alternative. Experts emphasize that the quality of this resource is very close to that of standard diesel. Although rapeseed oil has a slightly lower energy content per liter, its higher density makes it an almost equivalent energy source.
Technical analyzes confirm that diesel engines could in principle use vegetable oils as fuel. Given that canola is a European raw material, its use could reduce import dependence and further stabilize transport costs for millions of citizens across Europe. Further steps, of course, depend on legislative adjustments that would enable the mass distribution of these energy sources – and given the speed of decision-making at the EU level, we would not bet that the introduction of cheaper fuels will happen overnight.
What is E20?
E20 fuel is a mixture of 80% unleaded gasoline and 20% bioethanol, which is twice the alcohol content compared to the currently most widespread E10 standard. Technically speaking, the bioethanol used in this mixture is most often obtained by fermentation of biomass rich in sugar or starch, such as corn, sugar cane or cereals.
Due to the high proportion of oxygen in the ethanol molecule, combustion in the engine becomes more complete, which reduces the emission of carbon monoxide and solid particles (by up to 15%). Also, ethanol naturally has a high octane number, which makes the fuel more resistant to detonating combustion in the cylinders and potentially allows the operation of engines with a higher compression ratio.
On the practical side, the introduction of E20 requires a careful check of material compatibility in the fuel injection system. Ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture from the air, so it can be corrosive to certain metals (like aluminum), plastics, and rubber seals that aren’t designed for high concentrations of alcohol.
Although modern engines with adaptive systems can compensate for the difference in energy density — since ethanol has about 33% less energy per unit volume than pure gasoline — the use of E20 usually results in a slight increase in fuel consumption (about 2-4%) for the same power output. Some of the manufacturers have confirmed that their modern engines can work on the E20 variant without any problems, but it will not be advisable for older cars – the kind that dominate in Croatia.