Letter Regarding denaturants to be used while denaturing ethanol used for blending in vehicle fuel.

Gazette Reference: Letter No. (reference partially legible from Marathi text), Maharashtra State Excise Department, Mumbai Type: Administrative Letter / Circular — Denaturant Specification for Ethanol used in Vehicle Fuel Blending Authority: Maharashtra Prohibition Act (Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949) — State Excise Department

FORMAT B: NON-FEE AMENDMENT

Amended Rule/Section: Administrative directive under the Maharashtra State Excise Department regarding denaturing specifications for ethanol used in fuel blending

Type of Change: New Notification / Clarificatory Circular

What Changed: This is an official letter/circular issued by the Maharashtra State Excise Commissioner's Office, Mumbai, addressed to field excise officers and concerned authorities. The circular deals with the specification of denaturants to be used when denaturing ethanol intended for blending in vehicle fuel (petrol/diesel blending programme). Specifically, the circular addresses concerns regarding the use of Crotonaldehyde (क्रोटोनाल्डिहाइड / Crotonaldehyde) as a denaturant in ethanol. The letter references prior correspondence and circulars (including references dated around 2014–2015) and appears to clarify or revise the approved denaturant formula, indicating that Crotonaldehyde should not be used (or its use is being restricted/replaced) in the denaturing process for fuel-grade ethanol.

Key Details:

• Subject: Denaturants to be used while denaturing ethanol used for blending in vehicle fuel
• Specific chemical addressed: Crotonaldehyde (क्रोटोनाल्डिहाइड) — its suitability/approval as a denaturant is being reviewed or restricted
• Prior references cited:
  • Reference No. approx. R.92.01 dated 2019
  • Circular reference approx. No. Furi/3lTlet/whfd dated 20.01.2015
  • Circular dated 29.01.2015 (ethanol denaturing related)
  • Circular approx. dated 19.02.2019
• Addressees include:
  1. Deputy Commissioner of State Excise (various divisions)
  2. Superintendent of State Excise
  3. District Collectors/relevant officers
  4. Officers dealing with distillery/rectified spirit/fuel ethanol
• Direction: Field officers are directed to ensure compliance with the revised/clarified denaturing specifications; the use of Crotonaldehyde as a denaturant in fuel-blending ethanol is flagged, and officers are instructed to act accordingly and report compliance
• Context: This relates to the national ethanol blending programme (EBP) wherein ethanol is mixed with petrol; denaturing ensures it cannot be diverted for potable use

Effective Date: From date of issue of the letter (exact date partially legible — approximately 2019–2020 based on reference numbers)

Authority: Maharashtra State Excise Commissioner acting under powers conferred by the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949, and relevant Central Government notifications on fuel ethanol

⚠️ Note: The gazette text is in Marathi script and the scan quality/OCR rendering is imperfect (significant character corruption visible). The above summary is based on best interpretation of the legible portions. Key technical terms (Crotonaldehyde, ethanol blending) are clearly identifiable. A manual review of the original document is recommended to confirm exact reference numbers, dates, and precise directions issued.