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GS Paper: GS3

  • EV battery recycling in India: An opportunity for change

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the D2E. It focuses on India for not having adequate legislations that can prevent illegal dumping of spent lithium batteries ahead of the FAME-I and II scheme.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q.What are the different phases of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles (FAME) Scheme? Discuss various challenges in adopting EV technology in India.

    Background

    • Electric vehicles (EV) are a part of the new normal as the global transportation sector undergoes a paradigm shift, with a clear preference towards cleaner and greener vehicles.
    • Like its western counterparts and China, India has pushed the mandate for EVs as well, through schemes such as Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) I and FAME II.
    • EV sales in the country are expected to grow annually at a compound annual growth rate of 35 per cent till 2026, according to a market survey by news daily Economic Times.

    Powering the EVs

    • Initially, EVs were powered with lead-acid batteries. Lithium-ion batteries that include other chemical moieties like cobalt, graphite and nickel now form the heart of an EV.
    • At the end of the battery lifespan, what remains is battery waste, comprising enormous amounts of chemicals such as cobalt, electrolytes, lithium, manganese oxide and nickel.

    Latent threats to India

    • India, at present, is underprepared for the sheer volume of EV battery waste expected in the coming decade.
    • Most of our e-waste is dumped in landfills.
    • Further, we do not have adequate legislation that can prevent illegal dumping of spent lithium batteries.
    • This sets a dangerous precedent, as India can potentially become a lithium waste dumpsite for not just waste from domestic EVs, but also from import of spent batteries.

    There is a legal loophole

    • The most recent legislations — the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016 and E-waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018 — evolved considerably in terms of the range of materials.
    • They do not, however, include a cohesive set of rules for the safe disposal of EV batteries.
    • Li-ion batteries, thus, find no mention, in any framework for end-of-life treatment or recycling.

    Threats posed by un-recycled batteries

    • The batteries constitute substances that — if not recycled or treated in a proper fashion — can cause harm to both the environment and humans.
    • Further, lithium itself spontaneously reacts with moisture and can lead to major landfill explosions.

    Global precedence over batteries regulation:

    Several nations are ahead of the curve and have mandated legislations that deal with battery recycling and treatment:

    (1) EU Batteries Directive

    • The Batteries Directive was issued by the European Union to minimise the negative impact of batteries and accumulators on the environment.
    • The Batteries Directive broke down the different stages of the process of collection and recycling of waste batteries and issued directions on how each of these must be performed.

    (2) Germany

    • Germany puts a legal obligation on producers to collect their products from the consumer and deposit them in containers managed by the GRS Batterien Foundation.
    • It is set up by leading battery manufactures and the German Electrical and Electronics Industry Association in 1998.
    • It ensures collected waste is segregated and sorted according to electrochemical composition — leading to efficient extraction of materials that can be recovered and recycled.

    (3) Japan

    • The Japan Battery Recycling Centre (JBRC), established in 2004, is a producer-responsibility organisation that helps keep the process of recycling waste batteries going.
    • Consumers and offices — that utilise technology running on batteries — discharge delivery to collection sites placed with retailers who register with the JBRC as co-operation shops for recycling.
    • The collection sites facilitate segregation of the batteries by providing four different types of labels for four different types of batteries.

    Where does India stand among these?

    • The Indian e-waste legal regime underwent a tremendous change over time and has only recently embraced EPR and collection of e-waste.
    • A lack of clear scientific guidelines and regulations tailor-made for li-ion batteries, however, leads to poor return of investments in setting up recycling units, as it is a capital-intensive initiative.
    • In October 2019, the framing of a much-awaited recycling policy was proposed by the Union government.
    • It is, however, still awaited. The first step to creating a circular economy for EV batteries is to expand our laws to include li-ion battery chemistries.

    We are late but not the last

    • Large quantities of EV battery waste presented a unique opportunity to nurture a domestic recycling industry, which is currently in its infancy.
    • The process of recycling can help recover up to half the valuable metals, including aluminium, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and nickel, which can then be used for secondary applications.
    • Tata Chemicals Ltd, for example, commissioned a li-ion battery recycling plant in Maharashtra in 2019.

    Way forward

    • Governments must take a proactive stance when it comes to the development of batteries that cause less harm to the environment.
    • There must be an extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism that ensured manufacturers of batteries to bear a legal obligation of their products being safely recycled and disposed of.

    Back2Basics: Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles

    FAME I

    • In this phase, market creation through demand incentives was aimed at incentivizing all vehicle segments i.e. 2-Wheelers, 3-Wheelers Auto, Passenger 4-Wheeler vehicles, Light Commercial Vehicles and Buses.
    • The demand incentive was available to buyers of EV in the form of an upfront reduced purchase price to enable wider adoption.

    FAME II

    • This phase will mainly focus on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation, and aims to support through subsidies 7000 e-Buses, 5 lakh e-3 Wheelers, 55000 e-4 Wheeler Passenger Cars and 10 lakh e-2 Wheelers.
    • The scheme will be applicable mainly to vehicles used for public transport or those registered for commercial purposes in e-3W, e-4W and e-bus segments.
    • However, privately-owned registered-2W will also be covered under the scheme as a mass segment.
    • In addition, the creation of charging infrastructure will be supported in selected cities and along major highways to address range anxiety among users of electric vehicles.

    Original article:

    https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/pollution/electric-vehicle-battery-recycling-in-india-an-opportunity-for-change-72621

  • SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule ‘Endeavour’

    Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to finish an unprecedented test flight.

    We can get a match the pair type question in prelims asking various space missions and their purposes. Make note of similar space missions from here.

    Crew Dragon

    • Crew Dragon is a part of the Dragon 2, a class of reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX.
    • It is the fifth class of US spacecraft to take human beings into orbit, after the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.
    • The rocket, named Falcon 9, which carried the spaceship into the orbit, was also built by SpaceX.
    • It is done under the Demo-2 Mission of NASA and SpaceX.

    Demo-2: What is the mission?

    • The Demo-2 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program with the aim of developing reliable and cost-effective access to and from the ISS.
    • Essentially, the lift-off is a flight test to certify if SpaceX’s crew transportation system can be used to ferry crew to and from the space station regularly.

    What makes it a special event?

    • It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit.
    • The last time NASA astronauts returned from space to water was on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific to end a joint U.S.-Soviet mission known as Apollo-Soyuz.
    • The return clears the way for possible tourist flights in the near future.

    Back2Basics: SpaceX

    • Space Exploration Technologies Corp., trading as SpaceX, is a private American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation Services Company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
    • It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars.
    • It has developed several launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft.

  • What are Time Capsules?

    Ahead of the laying of the foundation stone for a temple, claims and denials have emerged about plans to put in a time capsule, or ‘Kaal Patra’.

    Do you know?

    A rubidium standard or rubidium atomic clock is the most inexpensive, compact, and widely produced atomic clock, used to control the frequency of television stations, cell phone base stations, in test equipment, and global navigation satellite systems like GPS.

    What is a Time Capsule?

    • It is a container of any size or shape, which accommodates documents, photos and artefacts typical of the current era and is buried underground, for future generations to unearth.
    • The time capsule requires special engineering so that the contents don’t decay, even if pulled out after a century.
    • Material such as aluminium and stainless steel are used for the encasing, and documents are often reproduced on acid-free paper.
    • While the term “time capsule” was coined in the 20th century, among the earliest examples of one dates back to 1777, found by historians inside the statue of Jesus Christ in Spain during its restoration.

    There’s a global society:

    International Time Capsule Society

    • The International Time Capsule Society (ITCS), based in the US and formed in 1990, is now defunct but continues estimating the number of time capsules in the world.
    • As per its database, there are “10,000-15,000 times capsules worldwide”.

    Are there any time capsules in India?

    • There have been a number of prominent examples.
    • One time capsule, outside the Red Fort and placed underground in 1972 by then PM Indira Gandhi, was dug out by the subsequent government.
    • Other time capsules are at a school in Mumbai, IIT-Kanpur, LPU in Jalandhar, and Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
    • The Red Fort time capsule was supposed to be dug out after 1,000 years.

    Significance of time capsules

    • Historians often criticize the idea of being motivated.
    • This exercise is inevitably a subjective exercise, geared towards glorification not to construct the real picture.
    • All historians look at this time capsule exercise with suspicion.
    • It’s not a valid historical method — who decides what matter, what artefacts, written documents are going into it?

  • [pib] National Transit Pass System (NTPS)

    Environment Minister has launched piloting of the National Transit Pass System for seamless movement of forest produce.

    Try this MCQ:

    Q.The National Transit Pass System (NTPS) recently seen in news is related to:

    (a) Transport of Forest Produces

    (b) Transport through National Waterways

    (c) Inter-state transport during restrictions

    (d) None of these

    About National Transit Pass System

    • The NTPS is an online system for issuing transit permits for timber, bamboo and other forest produce.
    • This system helps in monitoring and keeping records of transit permits for inter-state and intra-state transportation of timber and bamboo from private lands/government/private depot and other minor forest produce.
    • E-pass will be issued for transit through the desktop-based web portal as well as a mobile application.
    • It will bring ease of business and expedite the issuance of transit permits for timber, bamboo and other minor forest produce without physically going to forest offices.
    • It will be functional in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana for now on a pilot basis.

  • Species in news: Dhole

    Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of dhole in India, according to a new study.

    Dhole

    • The dhole is a canid native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
    • India perhaps supports the largest number of dholes, with key populations found in three landscapes — Western Ghats, Central India and Northeast India.
    • It is a highly social animal, living in large clans without rigid dominance hierarchies and containing multiple breeding females.
    • It is listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN as populations are decreasing and are estimated at fewer than 2,500 adults.
    • Factors contributing to this decline include habitat loss, loss of prey, competition with other species, persecution due to livestock predation and disease transfer from domestic dogs.

    Their significance

    • Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.
    • Besides the tiger, the dhole is the only large carnivore in India that is under IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category.

  • Species in news: Hoolock Gibbons

    Hoolock Gibbons, the only species of apes found in India, are threatened with extinction in the Ukhrul and Kamjong districts of Manipur, a report has claimed.

    Try this PYQ from CSP2013:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Protected area:: Well-known for

    1. Bhitarkanika, Orissa:: Salt Water Crocodile
    2. Desert National Park, Rajasthan:: Great Indian Bustard
    3. Eravikulam, Kerala:: Hoolock Gibbon

    Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 1 and 2 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Hoolock Gibbons

    • The two districts used to be covered with dense, tropical rainforests, which provided ideal tree canopies for the arboreal, brachiating ape species.
    • Rampant deforestation for timber, forest fires and indiscriminate hunting had led to the decline in their population.
    • Without the tree canopies, the gibbons cannot swing from branch to branch and stake out their territories.
    • They also cannot adapt to living on the ground and cannot bear the high temperatures brought about by the loss of green cover.

    Conservation status (a/c to WWF India)

    • The gibbon has a much wider range, as it is found in all the states of the north-east, restricted between the south of the Brahmaputra River and east of the Dibang River.
    • Outside India, it is found in eastern Bangladesh and north-west Myanmar.
    • The eastern hoolock gibbon inhabits specific pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India, and southern China and north-east Myanmar.
    • Of the two, the western hoolock is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Redlist, while the eastern hoolock is listed as Vulnerable.

  • [pib] Bharat Airfiber

    The Union Ministry of Communications has inaugurated “Bharat Air Fibre Services” at Akola in Maharashtra.

    Try this PYQ from CSP 2018:

    Q: Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of “Digital India” plan of the Government of India?

    1. Formation of India’s own Internet companies like china did.
    2. Established a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect big data to build their large data centers within our national geographical boundaries.
    3. Connect many of our villages to the internet and bring WiFi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centers.

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 3 only

    (c) 2 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    Bharat Air Fibre Services

    • The Bharat Air Fibre services are introduced by BSNL as part of Digital India initiates by the GoI.
    • It aims to provide Wireless Connectivity in the range of 20 KMs from the BSNL Locations.
    • It provides internet connectivity upto 100 Mbps speed.
    • It is completely wireless and offers broadband up to 10Mbps up to a distance of 5 Kms.
    • These services are special and different from other operators as BSNL is providing unlimited free voice calling.
    • Customers at remote places also will be benefitted as BSNL comes with the cheapest services with the support of Telecom Infrastructure Partners (TIPs).

  • The digital lifeline provided by UPI

    The UPI sets the template for India in its journey toward digitalisation. This article by WhatsApp head Will Cathcart explains the success story of UPI and the future scope to build on its success.

    The success story of UPI

    • The UPI system set a national open standard for all of India’s banks, more than 155 of which have adopted it.
    • UPI is open standard that technology companies can adopt on an equal and level-playing field.
    • This means that no one company, foreign or domestic, can write the rules for the other.
    • Since its launch, the UPI system has grown to manage a 100 million-strong user base.
    • NPCI has also set a goal to increase UPI’s user base to 500 million by 2022, which if achieved, would be a true game-changer for Digital India.

    What the success of UPI means

    •  UPI has set important new frameworks around security and efficiency.
    • Because of the strong rules that India has put in place, payment transaction information remains with the banks and within the country.
    • And as a platform built on Indian technology and governed by Indian rules, UPI benefits Indians now and holds great potential for further innovation and commerce.

    Future scope for UPI

    •  It is imperative more tech companies are able to leverage the power of UPI to expand the digital ecosystem to accelerate financial inclusion.
    • UPI can also anchor a broader suite of fintech applications like micro-pensions, digital insurance products, and flexible loans.
    • These are custom solutions created by Indian technology companies, on the public infrastructure of UPI.
    • These solutions will first solve large social, business and financial problems in India and then become templates for other countries to deploy.
    • COVID-19 has only underscored the importance of these tools that will serve as critical lifelines for small and micro-enterprises and individuals as they look to recover.

    Consider the question “Within a short period from its launch the UPI has transformed the payment landscape in India. Examine the factors that contributed to the success of UPI and elaborate on its future scope.”

    Conclusion

    With courage, ambition, and boundless potential, India can emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever before — a leading democratic digital powerhouse that will lead the world in the 21st century.

    B2BASICS

    What is Unified Payments Interface (UPI)?

    Image for post

    • It was launched in April 2016 and in the last two years, the platform has emerged as a popular choice among users for sending and receiving money.
    • UPI is a payment system that allows money transfer between any two bank accounts by using a smartphone.
    • UPI allows a customer to pay directly from a bank account to different merchants, both online and offline, without the hassle of typing credit card details, IFSC code, or net banking/wallet passwords.
    • It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience.

    Original article:

    https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/coronavirus-india-economy-poverty-digital-payment-bhim-upi-6533171/

  • What is a ‘Smog Tower’?

    In January this year, the Supreme Court has directed that two smog towers should be installed in the capital by April on a pilot project basis considering a proposal by the IIT-Bombay.

    Try this question from CS Mains 2015:

    Q.Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?

    What is a ‘Smog Tower’?

    • A smog tower is a structure designed to work as a large-scale air purifier, fitted with multiple layers of filters which trap fine dust particles suspended in the air as it passes through them.
    • Air is drawn through fans installed at the top of the tower, passed through filters, and then released near the ground.
    • The large-scale filters expected to be installed in the towers in Delhi would use carbon nanofibres as a major component.
    • It would be fitted along the peripheries of the towers and the height would be 20 metres.

    How does it work?

    • The 20-metre (65 feet) high tower will trap particulate matter of all sizes suspended in the air.
    • Large-scale air filters shall draw in the air through fans installed at the top before passing it through the filters and releasing it near the ground.
    • The filters installed in the tower will use carbon nanofibres as a major component and will be fitted along its peripheries. The tower will focus on reducing particulate matter load.

    Has anyone else experimented with a smog tower?

    • Yes, smog towers have been experimented with in recent years in cities in the Netherlands, China, South Korea and Poland.
    • The first such tower was erected in 2015, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, created by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde.
    • The towers to be installed in Delhi are to be the result of a collaboration between the IITs at Mumbai and Delhi, and the University of Minnesota.

    Why New Delhi?

    • Air pollution in the national capital has been an issue of concern for quite some time as Delhi and its suburbs have ranked among the most polluted cities in the world frequently.
    • In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Delhi the most polluted city in the world.
    • Pollution levels in Delhi increase dramatically during winter — on some days to nearly 10 times above the limits prescribed by WHO, posing a serious risk to vulnerable and also healthy populations.
    • This is large because sources of emissions — construction work, industrial and vehicular pollution — in and around the city remain more or less consistent.
    • The situation is aggravated at the start of winter by smoke from stubble-burning in northwestern states, coupled with unfavourable meteorological conditions, such as calm winds, low temperatures, and fewer sunny days.

    How effective are smog towers?

    • An estimate on air quality shows that a tower would reduce 50% of the particulate matter load in an area of 1 kilometre in the direction of the wind, as well as 200 metres each along the sides of the tower and against the direction of the wind.
    • In an open field in calm weather, it can reduce the particulate matter of 10 micrometres (PM10) up to 45%, and PM2.5 levels up to 25% in an area of 20 metres around the tower, as per details on the ENS Clean Air website.

  • What is Black Rain?

    Ahead of the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima, a Japanese court has recognised 84 survivors of the post-nuclear explosion “black rain” as the atomic bomb survivors. This would enable them to avail free medical benefits.

    Try this question from CSP 2011:

    Q.Acid rain is caused by the pollution of the environment by:

    (a) Carbon dioxide and nitrogen

    (b) Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide

    (c) Ozone and carbon dioxide

    (d) Nitrous oxide and Sulphur dioxide

    What is Black Rain?

    • An estimated 69 per cent of the buildings in Hiroshima were destroyed by the atomic bomb.
    • The debris and soot from this, mixed with the radioactive fallout from the bomb, raised high into the atmosphere in the form of a mushroom cloud.
    • This material combined with the vapour in the atmosphere and came down as dark drops of liquid that have been called black rain.
    • Survivors of the black rain described it as consisting of large, greasy drops that are much heavier than normal raindrops.
    • It is full of highly radioactive material, and studies have shown that exposure to it can result in serious illnesses.

    What was its effect?

    • A study conducted in the year 1945 itself showed that black rain had come down as far as 29 km away from ground zero.
    • The rain contaminated everything it came in contact with, and dead fish were reported floating in water bodies and severely ill cattle were seen lying in the fields.
    • It has caused acute radiation symptoms (ARS) in many who were exposed to it, with reports of people suffering from nausea and diarrhoea for weeks.
    • Other ARS include fever, sore throat and loss of hair. Over time, many people who were exposed to black rain have developed cancer.