Why in News ? 

Step toward adopting alternative clean fuel for transportation, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has allowed Use Of HCNG Issued (18% mix of hydrogen) in CNG engines.

• H-CNG is 18% mix of hydrogen.
• The notification for amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, for the inclusion of H-CNG as an automotive fuel

What is H-CNG ?

• Hydrogen Compressed Natural Gas (H-CNG) is a mixture of compressed natural gas and 4-9 per cent hydrogen by energy.
  • It can be used as a fuel in internal combustion engine and also for home appliances.
• HCNG has the ability to reduce carbon monoxide (CO), methane, and hydrocarbon (THC) emissions compared to regular CNG being used whether as automotive fuel or in other applications.
• HCNG is essentially Compress Natural Gas which has been blended in with Hydrogen.
• Within the composition of HCNG, it consists of 18% of Hydrogen.
• This blend is also viable in the use of heavy vehicles which are powered by CNG.
• To accommodate the fuel to be used for a vehicle, minor changes and optimisations are only required for an engine already fit to run on CNG.

How Use Of H-CNG Helpful ?

• Hydrogen enriched Compressed Natural Gas (H-CNG) for automotive purposes, as a fuel is tested by Bureau of Indian Standards.
• It is a step toward an alternative clean fuel for transportation.
• Use Of HCNG Issued is being tested on larger transport vehicles as there is a pilot project going on for buses.
• CNG is widely available right nowand are used in passenger cars, too, the availability of H-CNG is limited to only trial vehicles right now.

Source : PIB

Topic

Prelims : About CNG and HCNG

GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Current Affairs Compilation : 29 September 2020