Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level : Green crackers
Mains level : Combating urban air pollution
- In a bid to resolve the crisis of air pollution, the CSIR has launched green firecrackers.
About the Crackers
- The new CSIR-NEERI formulation for green crackers has NO barium nitrate — one of the key ingredients of traditional firecrackers.
- These crackers have been named “safe water releaser (SWAS)”, “safe minimal aluminium (SAFAL)” and “safe thermite cracker (STAR)”.
- The three crackers release water vapour or air as a dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions.
- These products can only be manufactured by those who have signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with CSIR-NEERI.
- The green crackers will be sold with a unique logo on the box, and will also have a QR code with production and emission details.
SWAS and STAR
- They eliminate the use of potassium nitrate and sulphur, and reduce particulate matter like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide by at least 30 per cent.
- The two types have matching sound intensity with commercial crackers, that is, in the range of 105-110 dBA.
SAFAL
- It minimally uses aluminium, which results in at least 35 per cent reduction in particulate matter compared to commercial crackers.
- Its sound intensity matches with commercial crackers in the 110-115 dBA range.
- The product categories include Chinese crackers, maroons, atom bombs, flowerpots, pencils and sparklers.