October 21, 2023

Current Affairs

China to curb 'Graphite' exports

Context- China has recently announced that it will require export permits for certain graphite products in a bid to protect national security. This decision is seen as China's latest effort to regulate the supply of essential minerals, particularly in light of challenges to its global manufacturing dominance.

Graphite

Graphite is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon. It is a soft, black to grey, lustrous mineral that conducts electricity.

key properties and characteristics of graphite

Allotrope of Carbon:
- Graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon, the other well-known allotropes being diamond and amorphous carbon.
- While diamond has a tetrahedral structure where each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms, graphite has a planar hexagonal structure.
Structure:
- In graphite, each carbon atom is bonded to three other carbon atoms in a flat, 2-dimensional plane that resembles a honeycomb lattice.
- These planes are stacked on top of each other, and the weak van der Waals forces between the planes allow them to slide over each other easily. This gives graphite its slippery feel and makes it useful as a lubricant.
Conductivity:
- Graphite is a good conductor of electricity due to the presence of free electrons in its structure.
- This property is utilized in various applications, such as in the manufacture of electrodes.
Occurrence:
- Graphite is found in metamorphic and igneous rocks and can be mined from natural deposits. It can also be produced synthetically.
Hardness:
- On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, graphite is relatively soft, with a hardness of 1-2.
Thermal Stability:
- Graphite has a high melting point and is stable at high temperatures, making it suitable for high-temperature applications.

Type of Natural Graphite

Applications of Graphite

Lubrication: Effective in high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.
Electrodes: Used in batteries, fuel cells, and arc furnaces due to its electrical conductivity.
Pencil Leads: Graphite mixed with clay forms pencil "lead."
Refractory Materials: Utilized in high-temperature applications like furnaces.
Carbon Brushes: Transfer electrical current in motors and generators.
Graphene Production: Processed from graphite, graphene has various potential applications.
Nuclear Reactors: Serves as a neutron moderator.
Gasket and Sealing Material: Withstands high temperatures and corrosive chemicals.
Brake Linings: Used in vehicles for its heat dissipation properties.
Foundry Facing: Provides protective coating on molds and cores.
Peek Composites: Graphite fibers reinforce peek composites for structural applications.
Additive Manufacturing: Used in 3D printing due to its thermal and electrical conductivity.

Synthetic Graphite Vs Natural Graphite

Property/Aspect	Synthetic Graphite	Natural Graphite
Origin	Artificially produced (typically from petroleum coke and pitch cokes).	Mined from the earth (naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon).
Purity	Very high (often 99% or more carbon) due to controlled production.	Varies; requires more processing to achieve high purity levels.
Structure & Properties	Uniform structure and consistent properties. Particle size, shape, and distribution can be controlled.	Varies based on type (flake, amorphous, vein) and source.
Cost	Generally more expensive (energy-intensive production).	Typically less expensive, but varies based on quality and source.
Applications	Electrodes for electric arc furnaces, lithium-ion batteries, aerospace, nuclear applications.	Pencils, lubricants, brake linings, lithium-ion batteries, nuclear reactors.
Environmental Impact	Energy-intensive production; relies on non-renewable resources.	Mining impacts; potentially lower carbon footprint than synthetic graphite.
Supply Chain	More controlled (industrial production).	Influenced by geopolitical factors, mining regulations, availability of deposits.

Carbon footprint of Graphite

Global status of Graphite producing countries

The global distribution of graphite is somewhat concentrated, with certain countries playing significant roles in its production and reserve holdings:

Production:
- China is the leading producer of graphite, accounting for about 67% of the global supplies of natural graphite.
- China's dominance in graphite production was noted, with 65.5% of the total global production of graphite located in this country.
- Other countries contributing to increased graphite production include Mozambique, Madagascar, and Brazil, especially with the commencement of the Montepuez Central Graphite project.
Reserves:
- Turkey held the largest reserves of natural graphite, with approximately 90 million metric tons.
- 27.3% of the global reserves of graphite were located in Turkey, followed by Brazil with the second-largest global graphite reserves.

Graphite in India

Graphite Reserves Distribution:
- Arunachal Pradesh: Holds the largest share of graphite reserves in India, with about 43% of the total graphite found in the country.
- Jammu and Kashmir: Follows with a significant portion of graphite reserves, accounting for about 37% of the country's total.
- Other states with notable graphite reserves include Jharkhand (6%), Tamil Nadu (5%), and Odisha (3%).
Graphite Production Concentration:
- Tamil Nadu (37%), Jharkhand (30%), and Odisha (29%) are the states where most of the graphite production is concentrated.
Active Mining Centers:
- Jharkhand: Notable districts for graphite mining include Latehar & Palamu.
- Odisha: Graphite mining is active in Bargarh, Nuapada, Rayagada & Balangir districts.
- Tamil Nadu: The districts of Madurai & Sivagangai are known for graphite mining.

Implications of China ban on Graphite

Increased Prices:
- With China being a major supplier of graphite, a ban on exports could lead to a shortage in supply, thereby driving up prices globally.
- This could make graphite and graphite-based products more expensive in India.
Battery and Electric Vehicle (EV) Industry:
- India's burgeoning EV industry could face challenges due to the higher costs and potential scarcity of graphite, which is a key component in lithium-ion batteries.
Sourcing Challenges:
- Indian industries reliant on graphite may need to seek alternative sources or invest in domestic production to meet their needs, which could involve additional costs and time.
Potential for Domestic Production:
- On a positive note, this situation might provide an impetus for India to develop its own graphite mining and processing industry further, leveraging its domestic reserves of graphite.
Trade Dynamics:
- The export controls could also affect trade dynamics between India and China, potentially prompting discussions on trade agreements or policies to ensure the availability of critical materials.

What are Fast Radio Bursts?

Context: Researchers discovered a remote blast of cosmic radio waves that lasted less than a millisecond in June 2022. This “fast radio burst” is the most distant ever detected and its source is in a galaxy that took eight billion years to reach Earth. It is also one of the most energetic ones ever observed. In a fraction of a second, it released the equivalent of 30 years of emissions from our Sun.

Fast Radio Bursts

Fast radio bursts are sudden releases of powerful radio waves that last just milliseconds.
In that time, they discharge as much energy as 500 million Suns. Most of them flare just once, making them unpredictable and difficult to study.
Origin: The origin of FRBs is still mysterious. However, one leading theory is that they are caused by magnetars.

Neutron Stars

Neutron stars are the incredibly dense remnants of supermassive stars (with masses around 10²⁵ times the mass of the Sun) that have exploded as supernovae.
Neutron stars are about 12 miles (20 km) in diameter and have breathtakingly high rotation speeds – they have rotational periods that can be just 0.3 to 12.0 seconds.

Types of Neutron Stars

Pulsars: Pulsars are a type of neutron star that emits an electromagnetic beam from their poles The difference between pulsars and neutron stars is that other neutron stars do not shoot a pulse (beam) as strong as pulsars.
- Pulsars rotate so fast (many times per second) that they generate an electric field that accelerates protons and electrons through their axis. These shoot out like a beam of electromagnetic radiation out of their poles.
- Pulsars rotate so fast because even after the supernova, the momentum of the star remains, but since the resulting neutron star is many times smaller than the original massive star, it spins at a much faster rate. (In accordance with the principle of conservation of angular momentum)

different neutron star types- fast radio burst

Magnetars are types of neutron stars that have much more powerful magnetic fields than normal neutron stars. They are the most powerful known magnetic objects in the Universe.
- Magnetars have magnetic fields in the range of 10¹⁵ gauss and they emit energy in the range given by luminosities of 10³⁷ – 10⁴⁰ joules per second.
- The luminosity of the sun is in the order of 10²⁶ joules per second.

Recent findings

In 2020, for the first time, a fast radio burst was detected from inside the Milky Way – which enabled scientists to trace the very star that emitted it (that star was a magnetar).
A possible explanation for these colossal eruptions could be that:
- The magnetic field of magnetars is so powerful that it distorts the magnetar's shape, exerting an outward pull.
- Meanwhile, the density of the collapsed stellar core results in a powerful inward gravitational pull.
- The tension between these two opposite forces causes the magnetar to rupture and quake, releasing powerful flares and large amounts of electromagnetic energy in the form of radio waves – fast radio bursts.
Plots that compare the energy and time distributions of fast radio bursts and quakes produce similar graphs. The results show notable similarities between FRBs and earthquakes and meanwhile, there was no notable similarity with solar flares.

Significance

Starquakes in neutron stars have opened up the possibility of gaining new insights into very high-density matter and the fundamental laws of nuclear physics.

Indian Sign Language

Context: Sarah Sunny becoming the first deaf advocate to use Indian Sign Language (ISL) to argue a case in the Supreme Court.

About Indian Sign Language

It is the primary sign language used by the deaf and hard of hearing community in India. It is a visual-gestural language that employs a combination of handshapes, facial expressions, and body movements to convey meaning.
It is not only a means of communication for the hearing-impaired, but a is a symbol of their pride and identity.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016 recognises sign language as a means of communication which is especially useful for communication with persons with hearing disability.
The Act further mandates governments to promote use of sign language to enable persons with hearing disability to participate and contribute to their community and society.

Initiatives to promote sign language

UN's International Day of Sign Languages: Celebrated annually on September 23, this day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of sign languages and promoting their use in various spheres of society. To protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users.
- In 2018, as part of the International Week of the Deaf, the International Day of Sign Languages was observed for the first time.
- September 23 was picked to celebrate the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) established in 1951.
- Theme of 2023: A World Where Deaf People Can Sign Anywhere.
The Billion Readers (BIRD) initiative: To ensure daily and lifelong reading practice for a billion people in India by adding Same Language Subtitling (SLS) on mainstream entertainment content on television and streaming platforms.
- SLS is the idea of subtitling audio-visual (AV) content in the ‘same’ language as the audio to serve one vision “Every Indian, a fluent reader”.
- SLS was conceived for mass reading in 1996 at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA).
Indian Sign Language Dictionary: To remove communications barriers between the deaf and hearing communities as it is focused on providing more information in Indian sign language.
- Its aim is to give Deaf people the constitutional right as well as the opportunity of freedom of expression and also bringing them into the main stream of the society.
- Developed by Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC).
- The ISL dictionary consists of words of many categories like everyday terms, legal terms, academic terms, medical terms, and technical terms.
- 1st edition of the ISL Dictionary programme launched in 2018, 2nd edition in 2019 and 3rd edition in 2021.

About ISLRTC

To promote the use of Indian Sign Language as educational mode for deaf students at primary, secondary and higher education levels.
- To carry out research through collaboration with universities and other educational institution in India and abroad to promote, propagate and upgrade Indian Sign Language.
It was established under the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). Earlier, it existed as an autonomous center of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi.
Later, in 2015, it became a society under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

In Kannauj, hope in a bottle (ATTAR)

Context: India is the world’s largest exporter of attar (perfume or fragrance), but the olfactory art and science inspired by Nur Jahan’s love for the damask rose has changed in its profile from a high-end personal indulgence to an industry additive.

About Attar and fragrance and flavor industry

It is distilled extract of flowers and herbs in a base of sandalwood oil.
Perfume produced in Kannauj received GI Tag.
Kannauj attar is of two types: (1) Pink damask rose -native to the region (2) Earthy petrichor -made for the occasion and presented in embellished glass bottles.
About 2000 varieties of rose grown in India out of which only two Rosa Damascena and centifolia are used in attar.
Zighrana: First perfumery and the only one so far from Kannauj to position the traditional product as a brand in the global market.
The Ministry of Micro, small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) pegs the worth of India’s fragrance and flavor industry at 10,000 crores annually.
India holds 10 % of global market in flavor and fragrance Industry, remains largest exporter of attar, sending it to 71 countries.

Historical background of Kannauj and fragrance industry.

Local lore’s talks about 7^th century Kannauj as Kusumpura, the city of flowers.
Gangetic rivers aided the trade the trade since Harshavardhana’s empire.
During Mughal period, Jahangir patronized the art of perfume making (Attar). It is believed that Nur Jahan had fired the imagination of perfumers to create rose attar.
The Britishers were fascinated with it, hence it flourished during colonial era.

Challenges to Attar industry

Central government restricted the availability of sandalwood in the 1990’s which formed the base of perfume (about 95.98% of the product), causing shutting down of distilleries.
Attar faces competition from various rival perfume products like liquid paraffin, jojoba oil, low quality sandalwood grown in Australia and Egypt.