Smokeless crackers this Diwali? First prototype made in Mohali

of Diwali, particularly in Delhi and other north Indian cities.

“The prototype that we have developed produces only sound and dazzling light. There is no smoke. Unlike a traditional firecracker, which produces a range of noxious gases that add to air pollution, this firecracker produces droplets of water on combustion. It is also reusable,” said Samrat Ghosh, assistant professor of chemical sciences at IISER Mohali who led the team that developed the prototype.

HT had reported on January 16 that Union minister for science and technology Harsh Vardhan had asked scientists from government-backed research institutes to develop e-firecrackers to check the post-diwali pollution spike.

RAVI KUMAR/HT A prototype of a smokeless cracker at the IISER campus in Mohali.