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Regulations On Ammonium Nitrate In India

  • 07 Aug 2020

  • On 4th August, 2020 a devastating blast destroyed a large area of Beirut, capital of Lebanon with heavy loss of lives and damage to its port and other property.
  • The blast was triggered by huge amount of ammonium nitrate that had been stored by authorities near the port.

Regulations in India  

Explosives Act, 1884

  • The Explosives Act, 1884, define ammonium nitrate as the “compound with formula NH4NO3 including any mixture or compound having more than 45% ammonium nitrate by weight including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels but excluding emulsion or slurry explosives and non-explosives emulsion matrix and fertilizers from which the ammonium nitrate cannot be separated”.
  • Storage of ammonium nitrate in large quantities in populated areas is illegal in India.

Industrial Development and Regulation Act, 1951 

  • For the manufacture of ammonium nitrate, an Industrial licence is required under the Industrial Development and Regulation Act, 1951.

Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC) Rules, 1989

  • It prescribe how hazardous and industrial chemicals ought to be stored.

 Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012

  • The manufacture, conversion, bagging, import, export, transport, possession for sale or use of ammonium nitrate is covered under The Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012.
  • A license under the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012 is also required for any activity related to ammonium nitrate.

 

About Ammonium Nitrate

  • Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3) is a nitrogen-rich white, crystalline chemical which is soluble in water.
  • It is a common chemical ingredient of agricultural fertilisers and used as an ingredient for the production of anaesthetic gases and cold packs.
  • It is also the main ingredient in the manufacture of commercial explosives used in mining and construction.
  • It is the main component of the explosive composition known as ANFO- ammonium nitrate fuel oil.
  • Pure ammonium nitrate is not an explosive on its own. For Ammonium nitrate to be explosive a primary explosive or detonator like RDX or TNT is required.
  • Many Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used by terrorists around the world have ANFO as the main explosive.

 How Ammonium Nitrate Explodes

  • Ammonium nitrate does not burn on its own, instead it acts as a source of oxygen that can accelerate the combustion (burning) of other materials.
  • Ammonium nitrate pellets provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us.
  • At high enough temperatures, however, ammonium nitrate can violently decompose on its own. This process creates gases including nitrogen oxides and water vapour. It is this rapid release of gases that causes an explosion.