Prelims Focus – 4th April 2024

Carbon Fibre

Recent News:

India is seeking to produce carbon fibre for various industries, including aerospace, civil engineering, and defence, in order to replace metal. This initiative will also enable India to avoid a potential carbon tax on steel, alloy, and metal products proposed by the European Union.

Details:

• Carbon fibre is a high-performance material made up of thin carbon strands bonded together in a crystal structure. 
• The manufacturing process involves using materials like PAN or pitch, which are heated at high temperatures to remove non-carbon atoms and increase carbon content. 
• Carbon fibre is known for its strength, low weight, stiffness, and resistance to corrosion, making it popular in industries like aerospace, automotive, sports equipment, marine, and industrial applications. 
• Its versatility and superior properties have led to its widespread use in various sectors, promoting innovation and the creation of lighter, stronger, and more efficient products.

Cardamom

Recent News:

Cardamom plantations in various regions of Kerala have suffered significant damage on a large scale as a result of the drought.

Details:

• Farmers are losing a lot of their crops because of the drought. To help prevent more damage, experts suggest using a special bacteria and treating plants to reduce diseases.
• Scientists have looked closely at how PPFMs can help plants grow better on farms. PPFMs can be sprayed onto seeds and crops to help them grow strong and healthy.
• Cardamom is a special kind of seasoning that comes from the seeds of a plant called Elettaria cardamomum. It is also known as green cardamom or true cardamom.
• This plant comes from southern India and is related to ginger.
• Cardamom tastes spicy and sweet, with a strong and warm flavor.

NICES Programme

In News: Recently, the National Information System for Climate and Environment Studies (NICES) programme invited Indian researchers to join in combating climate change.

• • It is a programme operated by means of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Space, at the side of other ministries and establishments beneath the framework of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
  • It was conceptualised in 2012 to fulfill the continuing project of tracking weather variability and climate change from space.
  • It features below the steerage of the NICES – Programme Management Council (PMC).

• Objectives:

• • To generate and disseminate long-time period Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), derived from Indian and other Earth Observation (EO) satellites, which might be vital for characterising Earth’s climate.
  • NICES has developed and made accessible over 70 geophysical variables related to Terrestrial, Ocean, and Atmospheric conditions.
  • Key focus area are Space-based ECVs and Climate Indicators, Climate Change Challenges, Weather Extremes, Climate Services, etc

Carbon Fibre

In News: India is to manufacture carbon fibre for use in aerospace, civil engineering and defence as an alternative to metal.

• Carbon fiber is made by means of heating a carbon-containing fabric, such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN), rayon, or pitch, to a very high temperature in an inert atmosphere.
• The primary functions encompass the high modulus and unique tensile power calculated by using the excellence of the graphite crystallites. 
• Applications: Carbon fiber composites are very strong and light-weight, and they’re additionally corrosion-resistant and have an amazing electrical conductivity. This makes them ideal for use in a variety of applications, including:
  • Aircraft manufacturing
  • Automotive manufacturing
  • Sports equipment
  • Medical devices
• Status in India: Currently, India does not produce any carbon fibre, relying totally on imports from international locations which includes the USA, France, Japan and Germany.

Konda Reddi Tribe

In News: Konda Reddi tribe’s indigenous knowledge of Indian laurel tree is very resourceful for Forest Department authorities.

• The Konda Reddi Tribe is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group inhabiting the Papikonda hill variety within the Godavari place of Andhra Pradesh.
• The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department government cut the bark of an Indian laurel tree (Terminalia tomentosa) located in the Papikonda National Park in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district to verify that the tree indeed stores water, in particular inside the summer season, as claimed through the tribe.
  • Known as Indian Silver Oak, the timber of the Indian laurel has great commercial value.

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