Hyderabad: The quest to get a patent for ‘green’ firecrackers is going to hold it from being released in the market in time for Diwali this year. The green firecrackers were created by replacing ammonium nitrate with potassium nitrate, which results in 20 per cent lesser pollution.
These experiments, which have been carried out by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have produced detailed inputs on how the pollution can be reduced by the use of these firecrackers.
The testing was carried out in centres of the CSIR across the country and affirmed that pollution levels can be reduced by use of these crackers.
This method of replacing chemicals now has to be passed on to manufacturers in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, one of the biggest manufacturing centres in the country. The traditional firecracker industry in India is worth Rs 20,000 crore.
As Diwali falls on October 26 this year, a review meeting of scientists involved in the various experiments was held and results of different experiments collated and evaluated.
During the meeting, it was decided that as this method was significantly different from traditionally manufactured products, it must be patented before being introduced into the market.
A senior scientist at CSIR, on condition of anonymity, said, “We have a lot of competition from China, which uses various metals for different colour formations in firecrackers. The Sivakasi manufacturers use a combination of methods. While some methods are from ancient times, which were improvised during the British rule, some are used in combination with newer methods. With such intense competition in the market and firecrackers being the most sought after products during Diwali season, marriages and other celebrations, we cannot give away the product combination away without a patent. There has been a huge team of scientists who have worked on the product.”
Ammonium nitrate, which is the base, is going to be replaced by potassium nitrate and other compounds like calcium phosphate and barium, which would used in lesser quantities, to produce same effect of a firecracker but significantly reduce pollution levels.
For Diwali this year, the plan is to make a few of them and distribute within the departments and test real impact.
Once patented, it can be made available in the market by next year.
