Scientists developed new material that turns toxic air pollutant into industrial chemical
- An international team of scientists has developed a new material that can capture a toxic pollutant produced by burning fossil fuels and convert it into useful industrial chemicals using only water and air.
- The technology could lead to air pollution control and help remedy the negative impact nitrogen dioxide has on the environment.
- The metal-organic framework (MOF) material provides a selective, fully reversible and repeatable capability to capture nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic air pollutant produced particularly by diesel and bio-fuel use.
- The NO2 can then be easily converted into nitric acid, a multi-billion dollar industry with uses including, agricultural fertiliser for crops; rocket propellant and nylon.
- MOFs are tiny three-dimensional structures which are porous and can trap gasses inside, acting like cages.
- The material, named MFM-520 can capture nitrogen dioxide at ambient pressures and temperatures even at low concentrations and during flow in the presence of moisture, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide.
- The team also used the National Service for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy at Manchester to study the mechanism of adsorption of nitrogen dioxide in MFM-520.
Union Cabinet approved strategic disinvestment in five PSUs
- Union Cabinet approved strategic disinvestment in five PSUs, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), THDC India Ltd and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). The government will also give up the management control in these companies.
- Two of the PSUs under the strategic disinvestment plan, THDC and NEEPCO, will be taken over by another state-run power major, NTPC.
- The government would lower its stake below 51 per cent in select PSUs while retaining their management control. The decision to bring down Centre”s stake will be taken on a case-to-case basis.
Disinvestment in PSUs
- Disinvestment in Public sector units in India is process of public asset sales by President of India on behalf of Govt of India.
- There were 331 CPSEs in 2017-18, out of which 257 were in operation. Rest (74) of the CPSEs was under construction.
- As in need of Economic Liberalism and Infrastructure development, in Union Budget of India Total Expenditure of Government of India increased from ₹ 1,13,422 crore (1991-92) to ₹ 21,46,735 Crore(2017-18). To raise the funds partially for these Expenditures and also to minimize fiscal deficits in union budgets, Indian Government started divestment in public sector undertakings. Conceding to demands of privatization and with tough resistance from labour unions, government of India is slowly divesting from PSUs.
- Major divestment steps were taken in past by the government when they made four strategic disinvestments – in Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) and Hindustan Zinc, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and VSNL.
- In budgetary announcement of financial year 2017-18 The Finance Minister noted that the government initiated strategic disinvestment in 24 PSUs, including Air India, this fiscal.
- Since financial year 1991-92 to 2017-18 government led by political parties sold total public assets of ₹ 3,47,439 Crore. In past recent years Public sector undertaking units performed well as compared to other private competitors and paid huge dividends to government.
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