A social media video claiming E20 petrol attracts ants has prompted Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to issue an official statement. A video that has been widely shared online shows a large number of ants clustered around a car’s fuel filler cap, possibly because of ethanol-blended fuel in the tank.The clip led many users to believe that the ants were attracted to the ethanol in the fuel. However, BPCL dismissed the claim, saying there was no scientific evidence linking E20 petrol to insect attraction.The oil marketing company explained in an explanation that the fuel-grade ethanol used to blend gasoline goes through fermentation and distillation processes that remove residual sugars from the final product. BPCL further pointed out that the ethanol used in the fuel contains denaturants, generally insect repellents.The company also noted that after ethanol is mixed with gasoline, the characteristic hydrocarbon smell of gasoline dominates. In addition, gasoline blended with ethanol emits less fuel vapor than regular gasoline. According to BPCL, E20 fuel does not contain any detectable component that can attract ants or other insects to the fuel cap of a vehicle. “Claims suggesting a link between E20 fuel and ant attraction have no scientific basis,” BPCL said in a statement, adding that the claims circulating on social media were baseless and unsupported by evidence.The clarification comes as India steadily increases its use of ethanol-blended fuels as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and reduce vehicle emissions. E20 gasoline is a mixture of 20 percent ethanol and 80 percent conventional gasoline. Ethanol is a biofuel typically produced from agricultural sources such as sugarcane and corn.
