Traditional & Green Crackers

• Vaid's ICS, Lucknow
• 13, Nov 2021

Why in News?       

A lot of factors were held responsible for bringing around green crackers.

• In the last couple of years, major legal battles have been fought for complete ban on the traditional firecrackers which have intensely polluted the environment
• Based on multiple sessions in higher courts, in 2019, the Supreme Court allowed CSIR to manufacture green crackers in bulk and ensure their selling in the market
• The approval of these crackers was given by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
• PESO’s approval was based on multiple factors including less pollution, less loud and had to be free of mercury, arsenic and barium
• These crackers will release water vapour or air as a dust suppressant and diluent for gaseous emissions

What is the difference between Traditional & Green Crackers?

Composition of Green Crackers – They do not comprise barium nitrate which is one of the most hazardous elements present in any regular cracker

Composition of Regular Crackers – A traditional firecracker comprises of six key elements:

Fuel: Mainly Charcoal or Thermite are present in them all

Oxidising Agents: Nitrates and Chlorates which produce oxygen inside the cracker

Reducing Agents: Something like sulphur, which can burn the oxygen present in the firecracker

Regulators: To ensure the speed and intensity with which a cracker bursts

Coloring Agents: Multiple colours appear when a cracker bursts, this role is played by the colouring agents. Given below are the elements which provide different colours:

Strontium salts – Red Colour

Burning of metals – White Colour

Sodium salts – Yellow Colour

Barium salts – Green Colour

Calcium Salts – Orange Colour

Copper Salts – Blue Colour

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