Utilization of cashew nutshell biomass as eco-friendly sound-emitting pyrotechnic formulation to reduce sulfur usage in fireworks

Firework industries are one of the primary revenue sources for the Indian Government, and the town of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu contributes to 90% of the production of firecrackers. Therefore, eco-friendly firecrackers that do not contain harmful chemicals are the hours needed. In eco-friendly firecrackers, the chemical composition of the classical firecrackers is replaced/reduced with less toxic chemicals. As a result, the Supreme Court of India passed an order to close the factories until the implementation of eco-friendly firecrackers. However, the quest for eco-friendly firecracker formulation still prevails. This research aims to develop a novel chemical composition for making ground-level firecrackers. The cashew nutshell powder is selected as an alternative chemical to reduce sulfur consumption. The adjustments in chemical composition would be carried out in strict accordance with the quality and safety measures specified by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization of India. With this objective, the cashew nutshell powder (CNSP) was used to reduce sulfur usage by 5% and 10% in firecrackers which leads to less emission of SO 2 gas. The latent heat and combustible properties of CNSP make it appropriate to take the partial role of sulfur in the firecracker’s performance and tested for noise level and safety parameters. Out of two firecracker formulations containing 5% (CNSP5 formulation) and 10% (CNSP10 formulation) of CNSP, the usage of 5% of CNSP in the firecracker formulation is the optimized limit to reduce sulfur usage confirmed by noise test, safety (impact and friction sensitivity) test, and thermal gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA and DSC) analysis. Graphical abstract