Office memorandum for Guidelines regarding Mechanism to assess production of ethanol from sugar and grain feedstock

Issued

21 Dec 2023

Source

Commissioner Circular

Category

Circular Molasses Ethanol

What This Document Says

Gazette Reference: F. No. 4/1/2018-(BP&E)(Part), dated 21.12.2023
Type: Commissioner Circular — Guidelines (Non-Fee)
Authority: Government of India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Directorate of Sugar & Vegetable Oils

Nature of Notification:
This is an Office Memorandum (OM) from the Government of India (not a Maharashtra state government amendment to the Bombay Prohibition Act). It establishes comprehensive national-level guidelines for ethanol production from multiple feedstocks and applies to all sugar mills and distilleries in concerned states. This circular is being circulated to Maharashtra excise/state authorities for implementation and compliance monitoring.

What Changed:

This OM supersedes earlier guidelines issued vide OM No. 4/1/2018-(BP&E)(Part) dated 11.11.2022 and amended 29.03.2023. The new guidelines comprehensively revise the mechanism for assessing ethanol production from:

Sugar-based feedstocks: B-Heavy molasses, C-Heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar syrup, and white sugar
Grain-based feedstocks: Maize, broken rice, surplus rice from Food Corporation of India (FCI), and other damaged food grains

The revised guidelines were formulated based on recommendations by a Committee chaired by the Director, National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, and address issues regarding identification, quantification, quality standards, and operational controls for ethanol production from each feedstock type.

Key Provisions and Requirements:

1. Process Validation (Part-II, Para 1-3):

All vacuum pan sugar factories and ethanol units must obtain process validation reports from National Sugar Institute (NSI) Kanpur, Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) Pune, or any technical institute designated by Central/State Government during ESY 2023-24 if no prior validation exists or if processing system/feedstocks change
Validation reports must be provided to State Excise officials and to DSVO and Oil Marketing Companies within 15 days of onsite validation

2. Feedstock Segregation Rules (Part-II, Para 5.1-5.9):

Distilleries/ethanol units must operate one feedstock at a time per processing line
If multiple processing lines exist, equivalent number of different feedstocks allowed only if lines operate in parallel with NO inter-connectivity
Storage tanks/silos for each feedstock type must be separate and clearly earmarked
Changeover from one feedstock to another permitted only after minimum 20 days of operation on a particular feedstock, with one week advance notice to State Excise officials
Flanges for non-operating feed lines must be sealed by excise officials; PTZ cameras mandatory at disconnection points and ethanol receivers

3. B-Heavy Molasses Requirements (Part-III, Section A):

B-Heavy molasses defined as molasses from B massecuite curing with purity ≥50 (plantation white sugar by Double Sulphitation) or ≥48 (raw sugar by Defecation Process)
Up to -2% purity tolerance if molasses stored >60 days
C-Heavy and B-Heavy molasses must use separate "run off tanks," storage tanks, pumps, and pipelines with NO interconnecting lines

Color coding mandatory: darker brown for C-Heavy, lighter brown for B-Heavy

Maxwell Bolougne weighing scales, load cell systems, or calibrated mass flow meters required for quantity measurement

During B-Heavy diversion, boiling of C or downstream massecuite not allowed

Quality parameters (Brix, Purity, TRS) to be recorded daily by mill and distillery

4. Sugarcane Juice/Syrup Diversion (Part-III, Section B):

Separate calibrated mass flow meters or load cell weighing scales mandatory
No interconnecting pipelines/bypass arrangements in partial diversion cases
Storage tanks and pipelines must be labeled in yellow color
Quality parameters (Brix, Purity, TRS) recorded four-hourly by factory and distillery
Sugar recovery formula provided for entire juice/syrup diversion scenarios

5. Sugar Diversion (Part-III, Section C):

Sugar mingler, melter with mass flow meters and check weighment systems required
Sugar may be processed exclusively or with sugarcane juice/syrup only
Daily accounting of sugar dispatches and consumption mandatory

6. Grain-Based Ethanol (Part-III, Section E):

Adequate silos for separate storage of each grain type (surplus FCI rice, broken rice, maize)
PTZ cameras mandatory in grain storage areas
Lorry/weighbridge calibration records required
Quality parameters: starch, protein, moisture content recorded per lot and daily
Dual feedstock units allowed if complying with Part-II segregation conditions
Process validation from NSI/VSI/competent authority required annually
Production must yield DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles) as byproduct

7. Ethanol Quality and Certification (Part-II, Para 5.2-5.3):

All ethanol must conform to IS 15464 (2022) specifications
Ethanol content ≥99.6% by volume at 15.6°C
Each batch certified by State Excise or designated authority with unique identification number
Grain-based ethanol certificates must indicate specific grain type (maize/broken rice/FCI surplus rice)

8. Storage Capacity Requirements (Part-III, Section F):

Standalone ethanol units: 45 days ethanol storage, 60 days molasses storage
Integrated units: 45 days ethanol storage, 30 days molasses storage
Tanks may be interchangeably used with permission from excise/state officials

9. Reporting Requirements:

Monthly data submission to Directorate of Sugar & VO via P-II proforma on NSWS portal (ethanol production by feedstock, supply to OMCs)
Initially by email to mis-ethanol@gov.in, then online via APIs after portal development
Daily records on fermentation/distillation efficiency, yield per ton feedstock
Fortnightly analysis by NSI/VSI/NABL-accredited labs for B-Heavy molasses quality

10. Inspection Powers (Part-III, Section G):

Central Government retains rights to conduct surprise inspections, examine books, documents, and electronic records to verify compliance

Effective Date:
Applicable for ESY (Ethanol Supply Year) 2023-24 and beyond, until further orders

Practical Impact on Maharashtra:
Maharashtra's excise officials and sugar/distillery units must ensure strict compliance with these national guidelines. State excise departments are responsible for:

Verifying feedstock segregation and color coding
Issuing unique identification numbers for ethanol batches
Sealing flanges during feedstock changeovers
Granting approvals for storage tank usage and feedstock switching
Receiving and validating monthly reports from units

This circular establishes the technical and operational framework for ethanol production under India's biofuel program, requiring close coordination between Maharashtra's excise administration and the central DFPD/OMCs.

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मराठीत सारांश

# भारत सरकारचे National Ethanol Guidelines — सोपे मराठी स्पष्टीकरण

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## थोडक्यात:
**भारत सरकारने साखरेच्या कारखान्यांमधून स्पिरिट/ethanol बनवण्याचे नियम कठोर केले आहेत. महाराष्ट्रातील सर्व साखरेचे कारखाने आणि distilleries या नियमांचे पालन करायचे आहे.**

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## मुख्य बदल काय आहेत?

### 1. **Process Validation** (तत्काळ करायचे)
- सर्व साखरेचे कारखाने आणि ethanol बनवणारी यंत्रे **National Sugar Institute (Kanpur) किंवा VSI (Pune)** कडून "तुमच्या machinery योग्य आहे असे certificate घेणे** गरजेचे आहे.
- हा certificate State Excise officials आणि तेल कंपन्यांना **15 दिवसांत देणा** अनिवार्य आहे.

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### 2. **एकाच वेळी एकच raw material वापरा**
- एक production line चालवताय तर फक्त **एकच गोष्ट (उदा. किंवा साखर किंवा तांदूळ)** वापरणे.
- जर 2-3 lines आहेत तर वेगवेगळी गोष्टी वापरू शकता, **पण ते अलगच असणे गरजेचे** — एकमेकांत मिळवता येत नाही!
- raw material बदलायचे असेल तर **20 दिवस कमीत कमी** वाट घालावी आणि एक आठवड्याआधी Excise को सांगावे.

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### 3. **मोलॅसिस (मळी) — B-Heavy आणि C-Heavy अलग**
- **B-Heavy molasses** = थोडी हलकी रंगाची मळी (purity 50% वरची)
- **C-Heavy molasses** = खूप गाढ, काळसर मळी
- ह्या दोन्हीचा **पूर्णपणे वेगळा tank, pipe, pump** असणा गरजेचा.
- टँकवर **रंग लावणा** — B-Heavy=हलका राखाडी, C-Heavy=काळा.
- **कोणत्याही हाताने मिळवता येत नाही!**
- **Weight machine (load cell) चलवणे** गरजेचे — रोज तापमान, चिखल (Brix), शुद्धता नोंदवा.

---

### 4. **ईख (sugarcane) किंवा साखर syrup**
- वेगळा **yellow-colored tank आणि pipe** असणा गरजेचा.
- Weight सिस्टम **calibrated** असणे गरजेचे.
- **4 तासांत एकदा** quality check करणे — नमी, शुद्धता, दाणेदारपणा नोंद करणे.

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### 5. **साखर सरळ वापरायचा?**
- special "melter" मशीन आवश्यक.
- **daily तपशील** ठेवणा — कितीची साखर वापरली, कितीचे ethanol बनले.

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### 6. **तांदूळ, मका, इत्यादी धान्य वापरणे**
- प्रत्येक धान्याचा **वेगळा silo (store)** असणा गरजेचा.
- **CCTV कॅमरे** (पैन-टिल्ट-जूम) धान्य store मध्ये लागणे अनिवार्य.
- **lorry/weighbridge** सर्व calibrated असणे गरजेचे.
- **DDGS (दुष्कर अन्नरस)** byproduct म्हणून बाहेर येणे अपेक्षित आहे.
- **वार्षिक validation** NSI/VSI कडून घेणे जरुरी.

---

### 7. **Ethanol ची गुणवत्ता**
- सर्व ethanol **IS 15464 (2022) standard** पाळणे अनिवार्य.
- **99.6% शुद्ध ethanol** असणे गरजेचे (15.6°C वर).
- State Excise **unique ID number** प्रत्येक batch ला देणे.
- अगर धान्यातून बनलेले ethanol असेल तर certificate वर **कोणते धान्य (मका/तांदूळ/FCI तांदूळ)** असे लिहिणे गरजेचे.

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### 8. **Tank Storage क्षमता**
| **प्रकार** | **Ethanol store** | **मळी store** |
|---|---|---|
| Independent ethanol unit | 45 दिवस | 60 दिवस |
| मिक्स unit | 45 दिवस | 30 दिवस |

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### 9. **सरकारकडे Monthly Report**
- **NSWS portal** मधून महिन्याचा आकडेवारी सरकारला पाठवणे.
- ethanol किती बनले, कोणते raw material वापरले, तेल कंपन्यांना कितीचे दिले — हे सर्व नोंद करा.
- **daily efficiency records** — कितीचे feedstock = कितीचे ethanol?
- **15 दिवसांत एकदा** lab test (NSI/VSI/NABL certified) करा आणि report काढा.

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### 10. **Government ला निरीक्षण अधिकार**
- कधीही surprise inspection होऊ शकते.
- सर्व books, documents, electronic records check केले जाऊ शकतात.

---

## Maharashtra Excise Department ला काय करायचे?

✅ **Feedstock color coding verify करा** (B-Heavy vs C-Heavy)
✅ **Flanges seal करा** जेव्हा machinery बंद असेल
✅ **Unique ID certificates** ethanol बॅचवर दिलीत
✅ **Monthly reports receive** करा NSWS portal वरून
✅ **Tank changeover approval** द्या (अगर facility मागेल तर)
✅ **Surprise inspections** करा नियमितपणे

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## कधी लागू होणार?

**ESY 2023-24 पासून** — आणि जोपर्यंत नए नियम न येत तोपर्यंत असेच रहाणार.

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## साधारण भाषेत:
"Government ने ethanol बनवायला अत्यंत कठोर नियम केले आहेत. कोणीही 'मिक्स मारी देऊ' हे चाले पाहिजे नाही. हर raw material वेगळा ठेवायचा, अलग tank, अलग pipe, अलग weight system. Daily check-up, monthly report, surprise raids — सर्वकाहीचा हिसाब रहाणार!"

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Office memorandum for Guidelines regarding Mechanism to assess production of ethanol from sugar and grain feedstock

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