BPCL: Does E20 petrol attract ants? BPCL reacts to viral claims and explains the matter |

A social media video claiming that E20 petrol attracts ants has gone viral on social media, prompting Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to issue an official clarification. The video, which has been widely shared online, shows a swarm of ants gathering around a car’s fuel filler cap and suggests the presence of ethanol-blend fuel in the tank is the reason behind it.The video led many users to believe the ants were attracted to the ethanol content of the fuel. However, BPCL dismissed this claim, saying there was no scientific evidence linking E20 petrol to insect attraction.In a clarification, the oil marketing company explained that fuel-grade ethanol used in gasoline blending undergoes a fermentation and distillation process to remove residual sugars from the final product. BPCL further stated that ethanol used in fuel contains denaturants, which are generally repellent to insects.The company also noted that once ethanol is mixed with gasoline, gasoline’s characteristic hydrocarbon odor remains dominant. Additionally, ethanol-blend gasoline produces lower fuel vapors than conventional gasoline. According to BPCL, there are no identifiable ingredients in E20 fuel that could attract ants or other insects to a vehicle’s fuel cap.“There is no scientific basis for claims of a link between E20 fuel and ant attraction,” BPCL said in a statement, adding that the allegations circulating on social media were baseless and unsupported by evidence.The clarification comes as India is steadily increasing its use of ethanol blended fuels as part of efforts to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and lower vehicle emissions. E20 gasoline is a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% conventional gasoline. Ethanol is a biofuel typically produced from agricultural sources such as sugar cane and corn.