There has been a lot of debate over ban on sale of firecracker in National Capital region. The SC reinstated the ban on Monday citing alarming air pollution levels in the region. India is the second largest manufacturer of firecrackers (only after China). With over 1.3 billion population and being one of world’s most diversified regions, crackers are constantly in huge demand in India for various reasons. However, of all the festivities and celebrations, Diwali witnesses maximum consumption of firecrackers. Speaking of which, here we take a look into the manufacturing process of firecrackers.
Fireworks hub of India
Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi town is the fireworks hub of India. Industrial activity in this small Tamil Nadu town was so widespread that independent India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, had nicknamed it “Kutty Japan. Sivkasi provides 90% of India’s fireworks and 80% of safety matches. The fireworks industry of Sivakasi is currently pegged at ₹1,800 crore per annum, reports The Hindu. There are illegal units too whose business is pegged at ₹2,000 crore by Tanfama. Besides, it has a 78 year old printing industry that’s as big as Rs1,500 crore ($240 million). The cracker industry supports 1.75 lakh labourers, both directly and indirectly.
How firecrackers are made
1) Firecrackers, in general, are manufactured by rolling paper or flash paper into tubes filled with Black powder and a fuse. The magnitude of explosion of a firework depends on four of its primary ingredients — oxidiser, fuel, colouring agents, and binder — combine.
2) The blackpowder stuffed in the cracker is a mixture of potassium nitrate (KNO3), Charcoal and Sulphur (S).
3) The Potassium nitrate supplies oxygen for the reaction while charcoal serves as the source of Carbon (C) and sulphur serving as the fuel, lowering the temperature and providing the required temperature for the Ignition.
4) When the fuse is ignited with fire, the fire burns along with until it reaches the black powder, resulting in an explosion.
5) The key to loud firecrackers, however, although in part lying in the propellant substance, is pressure.
Colour of fireworks
Colouring agents are chemical compounds that give fireworks their colour. Barium nitrate produces greens, Aluminium compounds produce brilliant whites, and the addition of copper results in blue light.
Indian Express
As per CPCB’s submission, Binders, “are used to hold the mixture of the firework together in a paste… the binders don’t actually begin to work until the firework has been lit and are potentially dangerous”.
CPCB guidelines:
According to CPCB guidelines, the sulphur content must not exceed 20%, nitrates 57%, and aluminium powder contents, 24%. The guidelines were silent on heavy metals such as cobalt, copper and magnesium, extremely toxic compounds of which are widely used as colouring or regulating agents.
Indian Express
In July 2016 the Supreme Court ordered that “no firecrackers manufactured by the respondents shall contain antimony, lithium, mercury, arsenic and lead”, and that it was the “the responsibility of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to ensure compliance”.
Why Chinese crackers are banned:
Earlier, potassium chlorate or perchlorate were actively used for making firecrackers in India also. These chemicals are highly unstable and can explode with just a sharp jolt. In 1992, Use of potassium chlorate in fireworks was banned in India. The use of this chemical can only be for specific purpose — scientific purposes, manufacturing heads of matches, for use in paper caps for toy pistols, and in percussion caps for use in railway fog signals.
However, low-cost Chinese fireworks containing potassium chlorate regularly find their way into India as they are available at lower prices and produce brighter colours with more heat. Chemicals in Chinese firecrackers are also toxic, causing skin diseases and triggering allergies. Indian fireworks, by contrast, use potassium and sodium nitrates, which are more inert and safer.
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