H-CNG

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified draft notification for amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1979 for inclusion of Hydrogen enriched CNG as an automotive fuel.

Concept:

• H-CNG is a blend of hydrogen and CNG, the ideal hydrogen concentration being 18%. Compared to conventional CNG, use of H-CNG can reduce emission of carbon monoxide up to 70%, besides enabling up to 5% savings in fuel.
• While recommending the use of H-CNG as an alternative fuel, the NITI Aayog-CII Action Plan for Clean Fuel notes that physical blending of CNG and hydrogen involves a series of energy-intensive steps that would make H-CNG more expensive than CNG

CNG

• CNG is compressed natural gas. With natural gas mainly composed of methane, CNG emits less air pollutants — carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter — than petrol or diesel.
• Environmental Benefits: No impurities, No Sulphur (S), No lead (Pb) and Very low levels of polluting gaseous emissions without smell and dust. Molecular structure compactness prevents the reactive processes which lead to the formation of Ozone (O3) in the troposphere