COVER STORY Science & Technology in 2018 – A Snapshot

The year 2018 brought to the fore many scientific discoveries and innovations, from unveiling a new shape called Scutoid to the development of the world’s first micro-factory for e-waste. Here is a snapshot of some of the major scientific breakthroughs of the year 2018.

14 | Science Reporter | January 2019 temperature of the planet was found to be 600°C which makes it inhabitable.

Space & Astronomy Italian Space Agency Detects Liquid Water on Mars Super-Earth Orbiting Sun’s Closest Solitary Star According to a paper published in the journal Science, Astronomers have recently discovered a new ‘Super-Earth’ researchers from the Italian Space Agency (ISA) have orbiting the sun’s nearest solitary star named as ‘Barnard’s discovered a massive underground water body beneath a layer star’ which is six light years away and the fastest moving star of Martian ice. The water body is about 20 km wide. It was in the night sky. The exoplanet is called ‘Super-Earth’ as it detected by the radar instrument MARSIS (Mars Advanced is 3.2 times as massive as the earth. It orbits the host star in Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) which uses roughly 233 days. The planet’s host star is a red dwarf, a cool, low-frequency electromagnetic waves. low-mass star, which only dimly illuminates this newly found The water present is assumed to be very salty with the world. This breakthrough discovery has been announced in a presence of calcium, magnesium and other minerals as only paper published in the journal Nature. salty water can withstand the temperature of mars.

Image Credit: Sci-news.com

Image source: Context map: NASA/Viking; THEMIS background: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Arizona State University; MARSIS data: ESA/NASA/JPL/ Indian Scientists at PRL Discovered ‘EPIC’ Planet ASI/Univ. Rome; R. Orosei et Scientists of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), al 2018 Ahmedabad, discovered for the first time a new planet named EPIC 211945201b (or K2-236b) revolving around a Sun-like star named EPIC 211945201 (or K2-236). This exoplanet is six times bigger than the Earth but smaller than Saturn and bigger than Neptune. EPIC revolves around the host star about 600 light years away. With this discovery, has become one of the countries which have discovered planets around stars. Astrophysicists Find a Superbright Quasar from the Universe’s Infancy The discovery was made by the ‘PRL Advance Radial- Researchers from Carnegie Institution for Science in California velocity Abu-Sky Search’ (PARAS) spectrograph integrated spotted a 13 billion-year-old quasar which is the brightest object with a 1.2 m telescope that measures the mass of the planet ever seen in the early universe. Quasars are the supermassive at PRL’s Gurushikar Observatory at Mount Abu. The surface black holes located at the heart of galaxies consuming an Image source: NASA enormous amount of matter and emitting a huge amount of

Image source: Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science

January 2019 | Science Reporter | 15 radiations. The newly found quasar called PSO J352.4034- sized active K dwarf in Virgo Constellation. It orbits the star 15.3373 is spewing the brightest radio emissions ever observed every fourteen hours. The dayside temperature of the planet in the early universe. reaches over 2000°C. The research has been published in Nature Astronomy. Japan Now World’s First to Land MINERVA-II1 on Asteroid Ryugu With the successful landing of MINERVA-II1 on asteroid Physics, Technology Ryugu, Japan has made history. The MINERVA-II1 comprises two rovers, Rover-1A and Rover-1B. The two tiny robotic & Engineering rovers were part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Overhaul of Scientific Units Hayabusa2 asteroid sample-return mission. Engineers deployed In the biggest overhaul of the international system of units the robots on 21 September and both rovers made the landing since 1875, countries have voted to redefine four basic units of safely. The rovers are designed to hop on the asteroid surface measurement — the ampere, the kilogram, the Kelvin and the in order to take photographs and collect data. mole. At a meeting on 16 November 2018, 60 delegates from governments around the world voted unanimously to change how these units are defined — which will come into force on 20 May 2019. Under the new International System of Units (known simply as SI), all measures will be described using fundamental constants of nature and be derived through experiments, severing the last links between the SI and physical objects or arbitrary references. Measurements must always be made against a reference, and standard references are used to ensure that units are comparable and consistent across the world — from measuring milligrams of drugs to the timing of Global Positioning Systems. For mass, this means that every measurement must be traceable back to the kilogram in France. The idea to base all units in relation to constants of nature — being unchanging and belonging to no one country — has Image source: space.com been around since the late nineteenth century. But it has taken almost 150 years for scientists to measure the values with K2-229b: Newly Discovered Earth-sized Planet enough accuracy to do so. A team of researchers from Aix-Marseille University in France using Kepler Telescope and researchers at the University World’s First 3D Printed Human Corneas of Warwick’s Astronomy and Astrophysics using Doppler Scientists from Newcastle University, UK, have developed Spectroscopy Technology (Wobble Method) have discovered the world’s first 3D printed human cornea to ensure unlimited an Earth-sized planet named “K2-229b”. supply of corneas solving the problem of shortage of available The planet is almost 20% larger than Earth but has a cornea to transplant. This initiative may help many blinds mass which is over two and a half times greater. The planet to gain their sight again. The research has been published is located very close to the host star which is itself a medium in Experimental Eye Research.

Image Credit: Newcastle University

Image Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech

16 | Science Reporter | January 2019 Lab-Grown Lungs Transplanted into Pigs Indian Scientist Develops World’s First Micro Factory for For the first time, researchers from the University of Texas E-Waste Medical Branch have successfully transplanted lab-grown The world’s first micro-factory that can convert components lungs into a pig. They published a paper ‘Production and from e-waste (electronic waste) such as discarded smartphones, transplantation of bioengineered lung into a large-animal model’ laptops, watches, etc. into valuable materials for re-use has in the journal Science Translational Medicine. been launched at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), The bioengineered lungs were grown in a bioreactor for Sydney by Veena Sahajwalla (IIT trained Australian scientist) 30 days prior to transplantation. The breakthrough paves the of Indian origin. The e-waste micro-factory utilised green way for growing lungs to transplant into human patients in manufacturing technology for converting consumer waste the near future. like glass, plastic, timber, etc. into commercial materials and The team used cells from a single lung surgically removed products. from four pigs. After a month, the four pigs received a As the name suggests, the micro-factory is one of a series bioengineered second lung created from the pig’s own cells of small machines and devices that uses patented technology and a lung scaffold extracted from an unrelated animal. The to transform waste product into new and valuable products. tissue appeared to adapt to its new environment and did not Image Credit: Quentin Jones show signs of any of the complications of growing into a new body, like forming blood clots. All the pigs that received one of the lab-grown lungs remained healthy and had normal oxygen levels throughout the duration of the experiment.

Metalenses — Revolutionising Optics A team of researchers at Havard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed for the first time a single lens named as Metalens that can focus the entire visible spectrum of light including the white light on the same spot and with high resolution. Metalenses have flat surfaces that use nanostructures to focus light. Metalenses are capable of replacing the bulky, curved lenses that are normally used in optical devices. The research has been published in Nature Nanotechnology. Gabrielle Upton, NSW Minister for the Environment and Professor Veena Sahajwalla at the launch of the world’s first e-waste micro-factory First Ever Photochromic Contact Lenses US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approved the usage of Acuvue Oasys Contact Lens with Translational Intelligence Technology which is the world’s first contact lens that automatically turns dark when exposed to sunlight. Lenses are soft enough for daily use to correct vision of people with non-diseased eyes who are nearsighted (myopia) or farsighted (hyperopia). People with a certain degree of astigmatism, which is an Image Credit: Newcastle University abnormal curvature of the eye, can also use it. These contact lenses contain a photochromic additive that slightly darkens in bright sunlight and automatically returns to the regular tint when exposed to the normal or dark lighting condition.

World’s Fastest Rotor This flat metalens is the first single lens that Scientists from Purdue University have developed the world’s can focus the entire fastest spinning rotor which helps in studying quantum visible spectrum of light mechanics. The rotor can spin at more than 60 billion including white light in revolutions per minute, making it the world’s fastest man-made the same spot and in object. It is more than 1,00,000 times faster than a high-speed high resolution. dental drill. This rotor has many applications, including material Credit: Jared Sisler/Harvard science as it can help test the survivability of different materials seas in extreme conditions. The findings have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

January 2019 | Science Reporter | 17 Image Credit: www.purdue.edu

Adapted from Live Science. Image Credit: Eric V. Grave/Getty

Scientists Fix Alzheimer’s Gene A team of scientists at the Gladstone Institutes in California have discovered a potential solution for the primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, a gene called apoE4. They have SoFi to Keep a Fishy-eye on the Activity of the Ocean revealed how the gene “apoE4” confers its risk for Alzheimer’s A team of researchers at MIT has designed and developed disease in human brain cells. Scientists successfully erased the “SoFi,” a Soft Robotic Fish that can independently swim damage caused by apoE4 by changing it, with a small molecule, alongside real fish in the ocean and can study and monitor into a harmless apoE3-like version. The research has been ocean population. The design of the robotic fish allows it published in Nature Medicine. to communicate through acoustic sounds instead of radio frequency. SoFi is equipped with fins and a tail that mimics World’s First Cloned Monkeys an actual fish. This allows the SoFi to easily move underwater Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of and makes it appear less suspicious to underwater life. Neuroscience in Shanghai have cloned monkeys using Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), which involves transferring the Image Credit: Joseph DelPreto/MITCSAIL nucleus of a cell, including its DNA, into an egg that has had its nucleus removed. The cloned primates can revolutionise studies of human disease. The cloned monkeys were named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. The study has been published in the journal Cell.

Image Credit: Qiang Sun and Mu-ming Poo/Chinese Academy of Sciences Biological Sciences First Biodegradable Bioelectronic Medicine New Organ Discovered in Human Body Scientists at the Washington University in the US have Scientists have discovered a network of fluid-filled spaces in developed the first bioelectric medicine that is implantable – a tissue named “Interstitium”, which might also be the biggest biodegradable wireless device that helps in nerve regeneration organ in the human body. The study has been published in and improves the healing damaged nerves. This bioelectric the journal Scientific Reports. It was discovered by doctors medicine was first studied while investigating a patient’s bile duct, searching for signs of in rats with injured sciatic Image Credit: ddnews.gov.in cancer, who noticed cavities of this organ which didn’t match nerves. According to the any previously known human anatomy. study published in the The interstitium is a network of interconnected, fluid-filled journal Nature Medicine, spaces all over the body. At places in the human body where the biodegradable device tissues are moved or subjected to force, the interstitium acts operates nearly for two as a shock absorber there. It lies beneath the top layer of the weeks before getting skin and in the tissue layer lining gut, lungs, blood vessels naturally absorbed into and muscles. the body.

18 | Science Reporter | January 2019 WHO Okays Indian Typhoid Vaccine for Global Use World Health Organization (WHO) has given its pre- qualification to Typbar Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) which has been developed by Bharat Biotech of Hyderabad, India. Typbar TCV is the world’s first typhoid vaccine clinically proven to be given to children from 6 months age to adults and ensures long-term protection against Typhoid fever. Human Challenges Studies at Oxford University has evaluated it. TCV is an innovative product possessing long-term lasting effect as compared to the older vaccine and requires fewer doses. They could be given to a young child through routine childhood immunisation programme. TCV has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (WHO-SAGE).

Archaeology 228 Million-Year-Old Fossil Turtle has Beak but No Shell Ancient fossil turtles missed out on something that is one of the identifying features in present-day turtles — the shell. The fossil was found in the Guizhou province of China and estimated to have the size of a double bed; scientists dated the material back to 228 million years. The structure of the back of the Image Credit: BharatBiotech.com turtle tells that it existed without a shell. Researchers named First Functioning Human Muscle from Stem Cells it Eorhynchochelys sinensis, which means “Dawn turtle with Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina, US, for the a beak from China.” first time have developed working human skeletal muscle from The study is one of the important discoveries as scientists stem cells in the laboratory. Human skeletal muscle has been have wondered for a long time how today’s modern turtles grown using adult skin or blood cells that were reprogrammed have evolved their shell which makes them live underwater. into a juvenile, versatile state. This is a breakthrough research The newly-discovered fossil turtle that lived 228 million that holds promise for sufferers of the degenerative muscular years ago had a beak, but while its body was Frisbee-shaped, disease. Through this Image Credit: sciencedaily.com its wide ribs hadn’t grown to form a shell what we see in turtles scientists will able to today. The study has been published in Nature. grow an endless amount of functioning muscle Ancient Human Hybrid of Two Different Human Species in labs to test drugs According to a study published in Nature, a female who died and gene treatments 90,000 years ago was a descendant of two different groups of for degenerative early humans. By genome analysis of her bone discovered in diseases. The results a Siberian Cave, it was found that she was half Neanderthal appear online in Nature and half Denisovan. This is the first time scientists have Communications. discovered an ancient individual parented by two different species of humans. New Shape: Scutoid Discovered from Human Cells Scientists from the University of Seville have discovered “twisted prisms” — a new shape called Scutoid — while studying human Image Credit: ddnews.gov.in epithelial cells that make up skin and line many organs. The scutoid has six-sides at the top, five-sides at the bottom with one triangular side. The researchers have started calling it a twisted prism which allows tissue to stay around organs. This discovery will help to build a scaffold to encourage cell packing in growing artificial embryos. The scientists named it “scutoid” after a triangle-shaped part of a beetle’s thorax called the scutellum. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications. Image Credit: Thomas Higham /Universly of Oxford

January 2019 | Science Reporter | 19 India’s Expanding Missile Arsenal

BVR Air-to-Air Missile — Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) , indigenously developed by DRDO, was successfully test fired by the Indian Air Force from Su-30 aircraft on 26 September 2018. BVRAAM Astra is the best in class weapon system and underwent more than twenty developmental trials. Interceptor Missile — The indigenously developed two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system was successfully tested on 23 September 2018 from Abdul Kalam Island (earlier known as Wheeler Island) of the IntegratedImage source: Test RangeVigyan Prasar. (ITR), coast. gov.in MPATGM — DRDO successfully tested the indigenously developed Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). Two rounds of missile were flight tested on 15 and 16 September 2018 respectively for different ranges including the maximum range capability. ATGM HELINA — Indigenously developed Helicopter launched Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) ‘HELINA’ was successfully flight tested from Army Helicopter in Pokhran ranges on 19 August 2018. The weapon system is one of the most advanced Anti-Tank Weapons in the world which was tested for its full range. Short-Range Ballistic Missiles — India’s first nuclear ballistic missile submarine, INSArihant , for the first time test fired three sub-launched K-15 (B-05) short-range ballistic missiles from a submerged position off the Visakhapatnam coast on 11 and 12 August 2018. BrahMos Flight Life Extension Test — DRDO successfully conducted the test firing of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on 16 July 2018 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) under extreme weather conditions proving it one of the best all-weather weapon systems in the world. Nuclear Capable -V — Indigenously developed long-range ballistic missile Agni 5 was successfully flight tested on 3 June 2018 from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. Agni-V is the most advanced with new technologies including navigation and guiding, warhead and engine.

20 | Science Reporter | January 2019 Pushing Frontiers with Human Space Flight Programme

ISRO is set to add another feather to its cap with Gaganyaan — India’s first manned space flight — which will take three humans to space for five to seven days in 2022. The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km from the earth’s surface by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, GSLV MK-III. To ensure the success of the manned mission, two unmanned test missions will also be undertaken. The Indian Space programme aims at enhancing the science and technology levels in the country.

Dr. V.R. Lalithambika, a veteran of space missions, has been chosen by ISRO to head India’s maiden Human Space Mission — Gaganyaan — to put an Indian in space by 2022.

January 2019 | Science Reporter | 21 First Ever Fossilized Snake Embryo Palaeontologists from the University of Alberta have discovered Adapted from Scientific Reports the first ever fossilized snake embryo. It was found preserved in amber dating back 105 million years. The study could provide some key information on snake evolution. The team involved in the project had been tracking snake migration across Australia, India, Madagascar, as well as Asian and African countries. The amber containing the embryo also included insects and plants, indicating the snake lived in a forest environment. The scientists had also been studying how snakes evolved physically over time. Unfortunately, the fact that there were only about 20 fully formed snake fossils existed hampered their research. Scientists hope the discovery of a fully formed embryo can provide new clues into snake development and fill in gaps in their research. Rare Type of Ice Found Trapped in Diamond Geologists have revealed a new form of water ice (Ice-VII) Earth’s Largest Creature — 26,000 Pound Dinosaur trapped in the rigid structure of diamonds which was not A team of international scientists, led by University of the previously known to occur naturally on earth. Ice-VII is one Witwatersrand (Wits), South Africa, have recently unearthed and a half times denser than regular ice, making it more stable the fossils of a 26,000-pound dinosaur, which lived nearly under pressure. The combination of unique pressures and cold 200 million years ago, in South Africa’s Free State Province. temperatures allowed ice-VII to form inside the diamonds. The newly-discovered dinosaur was roughly about twice the The finding has been published in representing the first ever size of the present-day large African elephant, making it the detection of naturally occurring ice-VII on Earth. largest animal ever of the Jurassic-era. The researchers named the new species Ledumahadi mafube, which is Lesotho for “a giant thunderclap at dawn”. The discovery has been published Image Credit: Sciencealert in Current Biology. Image Credit: Wits University

CSIR in Service of the Nature Nation A New Energy Storage System Malvi’s Adder’s-tongue Fern: World’s Smallest Land Fern A team of researchers from CSIR-Central Electrochemical Unveiled in the Western Ghats Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, According to a study published in Scientific Reports, Indian and CSIR-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute researchers have discovered the world’s smallest land fern (CSIR-CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, Gujarat, have developed a named Malvi’s adder’s-tongue fern (Ophioglossum malviae) in new eco-friendly recycling process of the widely used Li-ion Ahwa forests of the Western Ghats in Gujarat’s Dang District. batteries. They have produced graphene from discarded lithium- They are uncommon, even in the locality they exist. The ion batteries which could potentially be an ideal material for fingernail-sized (about 1 cm) fern belongs to a group known as next-generation high-performance supercapacitors. adder’s tongue ferns, named after their resemblance to snake’s Graphene-based supercapacitors are a novel energy storage tongue. Its minuscule seed also known as spore has a unique system that combines high energy and power density. The study thick layer which is not present in other similar groups. Not has been published in Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical only in size, but in other complexities, these ferns are quite and Engineering Aspects. different from others.

22 | Science Reporter | January 2019 “Geopolymer Concrete” for Road Construction Desulfurization of Fossil Fuels using Bacterial Strains The Indian Roads Congress (IRC) has accredited the construction As Sulphur is one of the major pollutants released during of the road by “Geopolymer Concrete” developed jointly by the combustion of fossil fuels, scientists at the CSIR- NETRA-NTPC Ltd and CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee, recently. The Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR- geo-polymer road stretch is unique in India and its replication IMMT), , have found four bacterial strains — across the nation will help address environmental problems Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Arthrobacter sulfureou, Gordonia associated with huge quantities of fly ash being generated by rubropertinita and Rhodococcus erythropolis — that enable coal-based power plants. NTPC NETRA and CSIR-Central de-sulfurization. The process of de-sulfurization using bacterial Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, have jointly strains is eco-friendly and economical. Researchers found that developed the high strength fly ash based geopolymer concrete the four bacterial strains were able to use almost 99% of the for road construction. sulphur compound in just 10 days. The paper has been published Apart from this, the road is eco-friendly as it is made of waste Image Credit: Sciencealert in the journal PLOS ONE. generated from the power plant and steel plants and it also avoids carbon dioxide emissions by using fly ash in place of the cement for road construction.

Eye Blink can Control Devices A team of researchers from the CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO), Chandigarh, have developed a man-machine interface that can be operated using electric signals generated during the blinking of the eyes which is helpful for persons with disabilities. The brain produces signals on blinking the eyes that can be captured from

Airboat Ready to Clear Out Weeds in Bengaluru Lakes CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru, has developed an airboat to clear out weeds from the Ulsoor Lake in Bengaluru. Ulsoor Lake has been in the news recently for severe degradation. The CSIR-NAL designed and developed the first of its kind airboat that can generate up to 40 hp and push 100 kg of weed. Airboats have huge propellers that push forward the floating weeds and plants to one corner of the lake from where they can be bundled up to be lifted out of the lake. Besides regular de-weeding of lakes, the airboat can also be used during flood disasters, mass transport in marshy-lands, and for tourism. At a cost of about Rs. 20 lakh, the indigenous airboat is still much less expensive than the imported ones. Image Source: vigyanprasar.gov.in

January 2019 | Science Reporter | 23 ISRO’s Successes in 2018

 Heaviest Rocket — India’s GSAT-29 communication satellite was launched on 14 November 2018 by the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MarkIII (GSLV MkIII-D2) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MarkIII (GSLV MkIII-D2) is the heaviest satellite launcher rocket till date. The satellite has been launched as an effort to improve the communication in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Northeastern states of India.  NovaSAR and S1-4 — PSLV-C42 launched two British earth observation satellites named Nova SAR and S1-4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota on 16 September 2018. The applications of NovaSar satellite include forestry mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring and maritime missions whereas S1-4 is a high resolution earth observation satellite meant for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and disaster monitoring.  IRNSS-1l Navigation Satellite — The eighth IRNSS navigation satellite IRNSS-1l was launched on 12 April 2018 by PSLV C41 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota. The satellite will serve both military and civilian needs of the nation without being dependent on other countries.  GSAT6A Communication Satellite — A high power S-band communication satellite GSAT 6A was launched on 29 March 2018 by GSLV-F08 from SDSC SHAR, Shriharikota. GSAT 6A will complement the GSAT 6 which is already in orbit and improves India’s communication capabilities.  Nano Satellite INS-1C — Nano satellite INS- 1C with an indigenously built miniature camera with Multi-spectral Technology Demonstration (MMX-TD) was launched on 12 January 2018 by PSLV-C40. The applications include topographical mapping, vegetation monitoring, and aerosol scattering studies.

 Thirty-one Satellites in a Single Flight — ISRO in its 42nd flight successfully launched the Cartosat-2 Series Remote Sensing Satellite along with 30 co-passenger satellites on 12 January 2018 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

24 | Science Reporter | January 2019 the scalp in the form of Electroencephalography (EEG) signals. These signals can then be processed using a microcontroller and used to run devices to perform desired tasks. The research has been published in the journal Current Science.

India’s First Ever Biofuel-Powered Flight A bio-aviation fuel developed by a CSIR lab successfully powered India’s first historic biofuel-powered flight on 27 August 2018 from Dehradun airport. The bio-aviation fuel was produced indigenously by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun, from jatropha oil and was based on a patented technology of the institute. India is now one of the few countries in the world to utilise biofuel for planes.

Image Credit: DD News

CSIR Labs Develop Eco-friendly Green Crackers – SWAS, SAFAL and STAR Taking an initiative to mitigate pollution due to crackers during festivals like Diwali, scientists of two national labs — Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI), Tamil Nadu and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, have developed eco-friendly ‘Green Crackers’ which are 15-20% cheaper than conventional ones. In order to reduce ignition temperature and subsequently minimising particulate matter from the crackers, scientists decided to replace aluminium with magnesium. Field trials were undertaken at Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, which is a major firework manufacturing centre in the country and the new composition presented positive results. The crackers have been named as safe water releaser (SWAS), safe minimal aluminium (SAFAL) and safe thermite cracker (STAR). “First time in India, an emission testing facility has been established at CSIR-NEERI and extensive testing is in progress for conventional and green crackers for monitoring the emissions and sound,” said Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

Contributed by Kirti Chhabra, Shivani, Anchal Verma, Mansi Upadhyay and Sonali Nagar

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