Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI
Following a Supreme Court order on a ban on crackers in 2017, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, commissioned scientists at CSIR-NEERI to develop less-toxic firecrackers to provide safer alternatives.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Minister for Health, Science, and Technology, has claimed that less-polluting green firecrackers developed by eight labs led by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) lab in Nagpur.
A team of 24 scientists
led by Sadhana Rayulu, took nine months to develop the prototypes of the first Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI. The green crackers will not contain or have reduced amounts of polluting and harmful chemicals such as aluminum, potassium nitrate, and carbon.Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that green crackers would reduce emissions by a minimum of 30 percent.
In 2019, the Supreme Court of India outlined norms and ordered the ban on conventional crackers with restricted use to green crackers. The Supreme Court gave a two-hour window between 8 pm ad 10 pm on Diwali eve. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) then defined green cracker norms.
Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI- An Eco-Friendly Initiative
The Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI are low sound-and light-emitting firecrackers. The CSIR-NEERI developed green crackers aims to reduce emissions by at least 30% with no extra cost. All the packets of green crackers carry a green logo (QR coding). The green crackers also forgo the use of any of the chemicals banned by the Supreme Court like lithium, arsenic, lead, and mercury according to the specifications issues by the PESO.
These crackers, called Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR), and Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL), either release water vapor or air to suppress the dust particles generated upon explosion.
The Safe Water Releaser(SWAS) and the Safe Thermite Cracker(STAR) are free of potassium nitrate and sulfur, thereby reducing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emission by at least 30%. Safe minimal aluminum, which has minimum aluminum, lowers the particulate matter emission after lighting by at least 35%.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that with 230 MoUs and 165 NDAs signed with firework manufacturers, adequate quantities of the Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI are expected to hit the markets before Diwali.
The Petroleum and Safety Organisation (PESO) gives a final manufacturing license after emission tests. At the moment, few companies, including Standard Fireworks, Vinayaga Industries, Balaji Fireworks, and Coronation Fireworks, are involved in manufacturing Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI.
Rakesh Kumar CSIR-NEERI director said that all the Green Crackers By CSIR-NEERI had the potential to be manufactured. Additionally, few categories of the green crackers awaited the Supreme Court’s response as it had harmful chemicals such as Barium. Scientists continue to work on the green crackers, and Mr. Kumar expects more varients of the eco-friendly crackers shortly.
