'Green firecrackers' with reduced barium emissions in particulate matter

The Diwali festival: short-term high effect of fireworks emissions on particulates and their associated empirically calculated health risk assessment at Bhubaneswar city

This article elucidates the role of the short-term combustion of firecrackers and sparklers as a significant source of atmospheric pollutants that deteriorate ambient air quality and increase health risks during the popular Diwali festival. The study was conducted at Bhubaneswar during the festive celebration in early November 2021 (4th Nov) and late October 2022 (24th Oct) to assess the level of particulates (PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentration) and the relative health risks associated with them. PM2.5 (113.83 µg/m3) and PM10 (204.32 µg/m3) showed significant rises on D-day at all seven different sites that exceeded the NAAQS in 2021. From 2021 to 2022, an overall decrease in PM2.5 (41%) and PM10 (36%) was observed. On D-day, the total concentration of quantified metals in PM2.5 and PM10 were found to be 4.83 µg/m3 5.97 µg/m3 (2021) and 5.08 µg/m3 5.18 µg/m3 (2022) respectively. The AQI during both years (2021-2022) was found to be high for PM2.5 (unhealthy) and PM10 (moderate), but it was markedly good for all other pollutants on the scale. The overall population in the study area were under a significant health risk was observed in the overall population as PM surpassed the threshold concentration amid the festivities for consecutive years, with PM2.5 being more potent than PM10. The total excess health risk in 2022 was found to be decreased lower by ~ 88% from 2021 on D-day. But, metal exposure (through inhalation) in children were more compared to the adults for both the years. However, the exposure risk of both children and adults were high in the year 2022 with inhalation of metals like K, Al, Ba, Fe and Ca found in higher concentration and directly emitted from the firecrackers.

Evaluation and testing of emission on Sargassum wightii-based flash powder composition

Fireworks that are used in our day-to-day life are also becoming a part of greenhouse emission in the environment. Hence, it becomes the need of the hour to act immediately to reduce environmental pollution so that the future becomes safer. The objective of the current research work focuses on the reduction of pollution caused due to the emission from burning fireworks and this work is intended to reduce the sulphur emissions from crackers. One of the important ingredients used in pyrotechnics is flash powder. The traditional flash powder composition contains aluminium powder as fuel, potassium nitrate as an oxidizer and sulphur as an igniter at defined levels. To reduce the impact of sulphur emissions in flash powder, an organic compound like Sargassum wightii brown seaweed powder is used as a replacement at prescribed levels and the experimentation is carried out. It is found that the sulphur weightage in the flash powder composition can be replaced up to 50% with the Sargassum wightii brown seaweed powder without affecting the traditional performance of the flash powder. To study the emissions taking place in the flash powder composition, a specially designed flash powder emission testing chamber has been developed. Three different compositions of flash powder compositions were made and they are named SP (no seaweed powder), SP5 (5% seaweed powder) and SP10 (10% seaweed powder) respectively as per the use of Sargassum wightii seaweed powder in the traditional flash powder composition. During testing, it has been found that the emission of sulphur has been reduced up to a maximum of 17% in SP% and 24% in SP10 flash powder composition. It is also evident that the flash powder composition with Sargassum wightii can result in a reduction in toxic sulphur emission by up to 21% on the modified flash powder. Furthermore, it has been found that the auto-ignition temperature of the existing and modified flash powder compositions was in the range of 353-359 °C, 357-363 °C and 361-365 °C for SP, SP5 and SP10 compositions respectively. FTIR analysis proved the presence of carbon, sulphur and nitro compounds in the Sargassum wightii seaweed powder.