A viral video on social media claiming that E20 petrol attracts ants has prompted Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to issue an official clarification. The video, which has been widely distributed online, shows a group of ants gathered around a car’s fuel tank cap and suggests that the presence of ethanol-blended fuel in the tank is the reason.The video led many users to believe that the ants were attracted to the fuel’s ethanol content. However, BPCL rejected the claim, saying there was no scientific evidence linking E20 petrol to attracting insects.In its clarification, the oil marketing company explained that the ethanol used to blend gasoline goes through fermentation and distillation processes that remove residual sugars from the final product. BPCL further noted that the ethanol used in the fuel contains denaturants, substances that generally repel insects.The company also noted that when ethanol is mixed with gasoline, the characteristic hydrocarbon smell of gasoline remains dominant. In addition, ethanol-blended gasoline produces less fuel vapor compared to conventional gasoline. According to BPCL, there is no identifiable component in E20 fuel that could attract ants or other insects to the vehicle’s fuel cap.“Claims suggesting a link between E20 fuel and the attraction of ants have no scientific basis,” BPCL said in a statement, adding that the claims circulating on social media are baseless and unsupported by evidence.The clarification comes at a time when India is steadily increasing its use of ethanol-blend fuel as part of its efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and reduce vehicle emissions. E20 gasoline is a blend containing 20 percent ethanol and 80 percent conventional gasoline. Ethanol is a biofuel that is usually produced from agricultural sources such as sugar cane and corn.
