Rise in global warming - Ocean might have become 'saturated' with our emissions – An alarm bell:

Rise in global warming - Ocean might have become 'saturated' with our emissions – An alarm bell:

When the industrial revolution started, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was around 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv) but that has risen to around 380ppmv due to our burning of fossil fuels. Because of tremendous rise in CO2 (about 35% rise) the global warming scenario has been deteriorated or faster. The melting of arctic ice, severe climate changes are some of the effects among many, of the global warming. This unexpected growth of CO2 level in the atmosphere, scientists suspect, is due to mainly two reasons –

(i) Inefficiency in the use of fossil fuels which increased the CO2 level by 17% and

(ii) Other 18% came from a decline in the natural ability of land and oceans to soak up CO2 from the atmosphere, i.e., decline in global carbon sinks. In addition, the growth of global population is responsible for significant growth of atmospheric CO2, as well.

A. The decline in global sink (there are two major carbon sinks in the biological cycle: the oceans and the land "biosphere", which includes plants and the soil) efficiency suggests that stabilization of atmospheric CO2 is even more difficult to achieve than previously thought. Study suggests, about half of emissions from human activity are absorbed by these natural "CO2 sinks" but it has been observed that, the efficiency of these sinks has fallen. Scientists believe global warming might get worse if the oceans soak up less of the greenhouse gas.

B. The weakening of the Earth's ability to cope with greenhouse gases is thought to be a result of changing wind patterns over seas and droughts on land. Nearly half of the decline in the efficiency of the ocean CO2 sink is, expected, due to the intensification of the winds in the Southern Ocean, study suggests. The declining effect is also being seen in the North Atlantic, as per the recent study.

C. In fact, the researchers are clueless about the exact reasons, whether this change in behavior of ocean is due to climate change or to natural variations. It is a tremendous surprise and troublesome factor because there were grounds for believing that in time the ocean might become 'saturated' with our emissions - unable to soak up any more. This phenomenon of ocean being saturated, leave us with all our emission to heat-up our globe – results rapidity in global warming.

D. We have to find out the ways to deal with this rapid pace in global warming. Implementation of carbon sink technology, iron fertilization of Southern oceans etc., have to be thought of. The major responsible factors such as, the issues like reduction of emission of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere are to be tackled efficiently.

MOST IMPORTANT:

WE MUST REDUCE OUR CONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES.

WE MUST REDUCE THE GREENHOUSE GASES WE RELEASE.

Sewage disposal and its treatment – the ultimate recycling of used water:

Sewage disposal and its treatment – the ultimate recycling of used water:

In urban areas sewage is created by residences, institutions, hospitals and commercial and industrial establishments. Sewage treatment and disposal system is an important function for any city planner, in order to recycle the used water. It is the ultimate return of used water to the environment. Discharge to the environment must be accomplished without transmitting diseases, endangering aquatic organisms, impairing the soil.

Wastewater is treated to remove contaminants or pollutants that affect water quality. The treated wastewater is recycled / reused for gardening, irrigation, flushing etc. Disposal system has arrangements to distribute the used water either to aquatic bodies such as oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, or lagoons or to land by absorption systems, groundwater recharge, and irrigation. Waste water must be mixed, diluted and absorbed before it is discharged to the general body of water, so that the receiving environments do not lose its beneficial usable characteristics; such as drinking, bathing, recreation, aquaculture, irrigation, groundwater recharge, industry etc.

Water quality standards relate to the esthetics and use of the receiving environment for public water supply, recreation, maintenance of aquatic life and wildlife, or agriculture. The parameters of water quality, which define the physical, chemical, and biological limits, include floating and settleable solids, turbidity, color, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), toxic materials, heavy metals, and nutrients.

Sewage treatment is an artificial process to which sewage is subjected in order to remove or alter its objectionable constituents and to render it less dangerous from the standpoint of public health. It can be treated close to where it is created (in septic tanks, bio-filters or aerobic treatment systems), or may be collected and transported via a network of pipes and pump stations to a municipal treatment plant. Typically, sewage treatment involves three stages, called (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) tertiary treatment.

(a) Primary sewage treatment removes larger floating objects through screening and sedimentation. The incoming wastewater flows through one or more screens and then enters a grit chamber where it slows down enough to allow sand, gravel, and other inorganic matter to settle out. In treatment plants where only primary treatment occurs, the effluent is chlorinated and discharged into circulation in a water source. The sludge, or sedimentation of larger solids, is removed, dried, and disposed of. Primary treatment removes 50 to 65 percent of suspended solids and decreases biological oxygen demand (BOD) by 25 to 40 percent. Primary treatment alone is not considered adequate for protection of the environment or people's health.

(b) Secondary treatment relates to processes similar to natural biological decomposition. Aerobic bacteria and other microorganisms are used to break down organic materials into inorganic carbon dioxide, water, and minerals. Trickling filters, which are made from a bed of rocks with a microbial covering, are used to absorb the organic material present in the water. Activated sludge processes can be used in place of trickling filters. The level of suspended solids and BOD in wastewater after primary and secondary treatment has been decreased by 90 to 95 percent. This level of treatment is not effective in removing viruses, heavy metals, dissolved minerals, or certain chemicals.

(c) Tertiary treatment is an advanced level of treatment. This form of treatment can decrease the level of suspended solids and BOD to approximately 1 percent of what was present in the raw sewage prior to primary treatment. Advanced treatment processes consist of several biological, chemical, or physical mechanisms. Sewage treatment aims to destroy pathogenic organisms. Since primary and secondary treatments do not destroy a significant number of organisms, chlorination, which is effective in killing bacteria, is used to disinfect treated effluent.

Most advanced wastewater treatment systems include denitrification and ammonia stripping, carbon adsorption of trace organics, and chemical precipitation. Evaporation, distillation, electro-dialysis, ultra-filtration, reverse osmosis, freeze drying, freeze-thaw, floatation, and land application, with particular emphasis on the increased use of natural and constructed wetlands, are being studied and utilized as methods for advanced wastewater treatment to improve the quality of the treated discharge to reduce unwanted effects on the receiving environment.

(d) Private sewage treatment, usually a septic system, is constructed on-site and is maintained by the private homeowner. In this case, the septic tank holds the solid materials while the water goes to a leach field or absorption field. The solids undergo decomposition, and on a regular basis, generally every three years, are pumped from the holding tank. This will vary according to use and capacity.

Coke making process and its environmental impacts:

Coke making process and its environmental impacts:

Coke is a solid carbon fuel and carbon source used to melt and reduce iron ore. Coke and coke by-products, including coke oven gas, are produced by the pyrolysis (heating in the absence of air) of suitable grades of coal. The process also includes the processing of coke oven gas to remove tar, ammonia (usually recovered as ammonium sulfate), phenol, naphthalene, light oil, and sulfur before the gas is used as fuel for heating the ovens.

A. Coke making process: In the coke-making process, bituminous coal is fed (usually after processing operations to control the size and quality of the feed) into a series of ovens, which are sealed and heated at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, typically in cycles lasting 14 to 36 hours. Volatile compounds that are driven off the coal are collected and processed to recover combustible gases and other by-products. The solid carbon remaining in the oven is coke. It is taken to the quench tower, where it is cooled with a water spray or by circulating an inert gas (nitrogen), a process known as dry quenching. The coke is screened and sent to a blast furnace or to storage. Coke oven gas is cooled, and by-products are recovered. Flushing liquor, formed from the cooling of coke oven gas, and liquor from primary coolers contain tar and are sent to a tar decanter. An electrostatic precipitator is used to remove more tar from coke oven gas. The tar is then sent to storage. Ammonia liquor is also separated from the tar decanter and sent to wastewater treatment after ammonia recovery. Coke oven gas is further cooled in a final cooler. Naphthalene is removed in the separator on the final cooler. Light oil is then removed from the coke oven gas and is fractionated to recover benzene, toluene, and xylene. During the coke quenching, handling, and screening operation, coke breeze is produced. It is either reused on site (e.g., in the sinter plant) or sold off site as a by-product.

B. Pollution during coke making process:

The coke oven is a major source of fugitive air emissions. The coking process emits particulate matter (PM); volatile organic compounds (VOCs); polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); methane, at approximately 100 grams per metric ton (g/t) of coke; ammonia; carbon monoxide; hydrogen sulfide (50–80 g/t of coke from pushing operations); hydrogen cyanide; and sulfur oxides, SOx (releasing 30% of sulfur in the feed). Significant amount of VOCs may also be released in by- product recovery operations. For every ton of coke produced, approximately 0.7 to 7.4 kilograms (kg) of PM, 2.9 kg of SOx (ranging from 0.2 to 6.5 kg), 1.4 kg of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 0.1 kg of ammonia, and 3 kg of VOCs (including 2 kg of benzene) may be released into the atmosphere if there is no vapor recovery system. Coal-handling operations may account for about 10% of the particulate load. Coal charging, coke pushing, and quenching are major sources of dust emissions.

Wastewater is generated at an average rate ranging from 0.3 to 4 cubic meters (m3) per ton of coke processed. Major wastewater streams are generated from the cooling of the coke oven gas and the processing of ammonia, tar, naphthalene, phenol, and light oil. Process wastewater may contain 10 milligrams per liter (mg/l) of benzene, 1,000 mg/l of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (4 kg/t of coke), 1,500–6,000 mg/l of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 200 mg/l of total suspended solids, and 150–2,000 mg/l of phenols (0.3–12 kg/t of coke). Wastewaters also contain PAHs at significant concentrations (up to 30 mg/ l), ammonia (0.1–2 kg nitrogen/t of coke), and cyanides (0.1–0.6 kg/t of coke). Coke production facilities generate process solid wastes other than coke breeze (which averages 1 kg/t of product). Most of the solid wastes contain hazardous components such as benzene and PAHs. Waste streams of concern include residues from coal tar recovery (typically 0.1 kg/t of coke), the tar decanter (0.2 kg/t of coke), tar storage (0.4 kg/t of coke), light oil processing (0.2 kg/t of coke), wastewater treatment (0.1 kg/t of coke), naphthalene collection and recovery (0.02 kg/t of coke), tar distillation (0.01 kg/t of coke), and sludges from biological treatment of wastewaters.

C. Pollution Prevention and Control: Pollution prevention in coke making is focused on reducing coke oven emissions and developing coke-less iron & steel-making techniques. The following pollution prevention and control measures should be considered.

1. General -

(a) Use cokeless iron- and steel-making processes, (b) such as the direct reduction process, to eliminate the need to manufacture coke. (c) Use beneficiation (preferably at the coal mine) and blending processes that improve the quality of coal feed to produce coke of desired quality and reduce emissions of sulfur oxides and other pollutants. (d) Use enclosed conveyors and sieves for coal and coke handling. Use sprinklers and plastic emulsions to suppress dust formation. Provide windbreaks where feasible. Store materials in bunkers or warehouses. Reduce drop distances. (e) Use and preheat high-grade coal to reduce coking time, increase throughput, reduce fuel consumption, and minimize thermal shock to refractory bricks.

2. Coke Oven Emissions –

(a) Charging: dust particles from coal charging should be evacuated by the use of jumper-pipe systems and steam injection into the ascension pipe or controlled by fabric filters.

(b) Coking: use large ovens to increase batch size and reduce the number of chargings and pushings, thereby reducing the associated emissions. Reduce fluctuations in coking conditions, including temperature. Clean and seal coke oven openings to minimize emissions. Use mechanical cleaning devices (preferably automatic) for cleaning doors, door frames, and hole lids. Seal lids, using a slurry. Use low-leakage door construction, preferably with gas sealing.

(c) Pushing: emissions from coke pushing can be reduced by maintaining a sufficient coking time, thus avoiding “green push.” Use sheds and enclosed cars, or consider use of traveling hoods. The gases released should be removed and passed through fabric filters.

(d) Quenching: where feasible, use dry instead of wet quenching. Filter all gases extracted from the dry quenching unit. If wet quenching, is used, provide interceptors (baffles) to remove coarse dust. When wastewater is used for quenching, the process transfers pollutants from the wastewater to the air, requiring subsequent removal. Reuse quench water.

(e) Conveying and sieving: enclose potential dust sources, and filter evacuated gases.

3. By-Product Recovery –

(a) Use vapor recovery systems to prevent air emissions from light oil processing, tar processing naphthalene processing, and phenol and ammonia recovery processes.

(b) Segregate process water from cooling water.

(c) Reduce fixed ammonia content in ammonia liquor by using caustic soda and steam stripping.

(d) Recycle all process solid wastes, including tar decanter sludge, to the coke oven.

(e) Recover sulfur from coke oven gas. Recycle Claus tail gas into the coke oven gas system.

Carbon Dioxide Emission by Combustion Fuels:

Carbon Dioxide Emission by Combustion Fuels:

A. Environmental emission of carbon dioxide - CO2 - from fuels like coal, oil, natural gas, LPG and bio energy are responsible for global warming.

To calculate the CO2 emission from a fuel, the carbon content of the fuel are multiplied by the ratio of the molecular weight of CO2 (44) to the molecular weight of carbon (12) -> 44/12 = 3.7.

Approximately environmental emission of Carbon Dioxide – CO2 - from the combustion of different fuels can be approximated from the table below:

Fuel	Carbon Content (kg C/kg fuel)	Energy Content (kWh/kg)	Emission of CO2 (kg CO2/kWh)
Coal (bituminous/anthracite)	0.75	7.5	0.37
Gasoline	0.9	12.5	0.27
Diesel	0.86	11.8	0.24
Light Oil	0.7	11.7	0.26
Natural Gas, Methane	0.75	12	0.23
LPG - Liquid Petroleum Gas	0.82	12.3	0.24
Bioenergy	0	-	0

B. Bioenergy is produced from biomass derived from any renewable organic plant, such as:

(a) Dedicated energy crops and trees;

(b) Agricultural food and feed crops;

(c) Agricultural crop wastes and residues;

(d) Wood wastes;

(e) Aquatic plants;

(f) Animal wastes;

(g) Municipal wastes and other waste materials

Emissions of CO2 can contribute to climate change. Combustion of bioenergy do not add to the total emission of carbon dioxide as long as the burned biomass do not exceed the renewed production. (Emission of CO2 from combusting wood is in reality approximately 0.18 kg/kWh)

C. A variety of biofuels can be made from biomass resources, such as,

(a) Ethanol;

(b) Methanol;

(c) Bio-diesel;

(d) Fischer-Tropsch diesel;

(e) Gaseous fuels like hydrogen or methane.

Nanoparticle with carbon nanotubes based solar cells - more efficient and practical.

Nanoparticle with carbon nanotubes based solar cells - more efficient and practical.

Experts have demonstrated a way to significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells made using low-cost, readily available materials, including a chemical commonly used in paints. The researchers added single-walled carbon nanotubes to a film made of titanium-dioxide nanoparticles. This process doubles the efficiency of cell for converting ultraviolet light into electrons when compared with the performance of the nanoparticles alone. Titanium oxide is a main ingredient in white paint.

Such cells are appealing because nanoparticles have a great potential for absorbing light and generating electrons. But so far, the efficiency of actual devices made of such nanoparticles has been considerably lower than that of conventional silicon solar cells. That's largely because it has proved difficult to harness the electrons that are generated to create a current. In fact, when electrons generated by absorbing light by titanium –oxide, absence of carbon nanotubes with the titanium-oxide particles make the electrons jump from particle to particle before reaching an electrode. On the path many electrons do not able to reach the electrode, thus fail to generate an electrical current. The carbon nanotubes "collect" the electrons and provide a more direct route to the electrode, improving the efficiency of the solar cells.

The new carbon-nanotube with titanium –oxide nanoparticle system is not yet a practical solar cell, as titanium oxide only absorbs ultraviolet light; most of the visible spectrum of light is reflected rather than absorbed. Researchers have also demonstrated ways to modify the nanoparticles to absorb the visible spectrum.

Several other groups of researchers are exploring approaches to improve the collection of electrons within a cell, including forming titanium-oxide nanotubes or complex branching structures made of various semiconductors. Using carbon nanotubes as a conduit for electrons from titanium oxide is a novel idea, and once it is successful the cheaper variety of efficient solar cells can be developed.

More research is needed towards development of efficient solar cells, as solar energy is renewable, clean and unlike grain based bio-fuel, solar energy is not agriculture based thus do not utilize farm land and do not hamper food production.

Solar Cell – Renewable and Cleanest Energy Source:

Solar Cell – Renewable and Cleanest Energy Source:

Solar cell is a semiconductor device that converts the energy of sunlight into electric energy. These are also called ‘photovoltaic cell’. Solar cells do not use chemical reactions to produce electric power, and they have no moving parts.

Photovoltaic solar cells are thin silicon disks that convert sunlight into electricity. These disks act as energy sources for a wide variety of uses, including: calculators and other small devices; telecommunications; rooftop panels on individual houses; and for lighting, pumping, and medical refrigeration for villages in developing countries. In large arrays, which may contain many thousands of individual cells, they can function as central electric power stations analogous to nuclear, coal-, or oil-fired power plants. Arrays of solar cells are also used to power satellites; because they have no moving parts that could require service or fuels that would require replenishment, solar cells are ideal for providing power in space.

A. Most photovoltaic cells consist of a semiconductor pn junction, in which electron-hole pairs produced by absorbed radiation are separated by the internal electric field in the junction to generate a current, a voltage, or both, at the device terminals. Under open-circuit conditions (current I = 0) the terminal voltage increases with increasing light intensity, and under short-circuit conditions (voltage V = 0) the magnitude of the current increases with increasing light intensity. When the current is negative and the voltage is positive, the photovoltaic cell delivers power to the external circuit.

B. Characteristics of a Solar Cell - The usable voltage from solar cells depend on the semiconductor material. In silicon it amounts to approximately 0.5 V. Terminal voltages is only weakly dependent on light radiation, while the current intensity increases with higher luminosity. A 100 cm² silicon cell, for example, reaches a maximum current intensity of approximately 2 A when radiated by 1000 W/m². The output (product of electricity and voltage) of a solar cell is temperature dependent. Higher cell temperatures lead to lower output, and hence to lower efficiency. The level of efficiency indicates how much of the radiated quantity of light is converted into useable electrical energy.

C. Cell Types: One can distinguish three cell types according to the type of crystal: monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous. To produce a monocrystalline silicon cell, absolutely pure semiconducting material is necessary. Monocrystalline rods are extracted from melted silicon and then sawed into thin plates. This production process guarantees a relatively high level of efficiency.

The production of polycrystalline cells is more cost-efficient. In this process, liquid silicon is poured into blocks that are subsequently sawed into plates. During solidification of the material, crystal structures of varying sizes are formed, at whose borders defects emerge. As a result of this crystal defect, the solar cell is less efficient.
If a silicon film is deposited on glass or another substrate material, this is a so-called amorphous or thin layer cell. The layer thickness amounts to less than 1µm (thickness of a human hair: 50-100 µm), so the production costs are lower due to the low material costs. However, the efficiency of amorphous cells is much lower than that of the other two cell types. Because of this, they are primarily used in low power equipment (watches, pocket calculators) or as facade elements.

D. Efficiency: Solar cell efficiencies vary from 6% for amorphous silicon-based solar cells to 42.8% with multiple-junction research lab cells. Solar cell energy conversion efficiencies for commercially available multicrystalline Si solar cells are around 14-16%. The highest efficiency cells have not always been the most economical — for example a 30% efficient multijunction cell based on exotic materials such as gallium arsenide or indium selenide and produced in low volume might well cost one hundred times as much as an 8% efficient amorphous silicon cell in mass production, while only delivering about four times the electrical power.

To make practical use of the solar-generated energy, the electricity is most often fed into the electricity grid using inverters (grid-connected PV systems); in stand alone systems, batteries are used to store the energy that is not needed immediately.

E. Advantages of solar energy: Solar cells are long lasting sources of energy which can be used almost anywhere. They are particularly useful where there is no national grid and also where there are no people such as remote site water pumping or in space. Solar cells provide cost effective solutions to energy problems in places where there is no mains electricity. Solar cells are also totally silent and non-polluting. As they have no moving parts they require little maintenance and have a long lifetime. Compared to other renewable sources they also possess many advantages; wind and water power rely on turbines which are noisy, expensive and liable to breaking down.

Rooftop power is a good way of supplying energy to a growing community. More cells can be added to homes and businesses as the community grows so that energy generation is in line with demand. Many large scale systems currently end up over generating to ensure that everyone has enough. Solar cells can also be installed in a distributed fashion, i.e. they don't need large scale installations. Solar cells can easily be installed on roofs, which mean no new space is needed and each user can quietly generate their own energy.

F. Disadvantages of solar cells: The main disadvantage of solar energy is the initial cost. Most types of solar cell require large areas of land to achieve average efficiency. Air pollution and weather can also have a large effect on the efficiency of the cells. The silicon used is also very expensive and the problem of nocturnal down times means solar cells can only ever generate during the daytime. Solar energy is currently thought to cost about twice as much as traditional sources (coal, oil etc). Obviously, as fossil fuel reserves become depleted, their cost will rise until a point is reached where solar cells become an economically viable source of energy. When this occurs, massive investment will be able to further increase their efficiency and lower their cost.

Case studies regarding the yield of rice and tea and other good news about Organic Farming:

1. A case study - Philippine is a major rice producing country in Asia. Years of application of Green Revolution technology in rural philippine, which is heavily dependent on chemical inputs, deteriorated the soil by increasing soil pH level, annihilating beneficial microorganisms which produce natural enzymes and antibiotics for disease resistance, decreasing soil aeration, eroding soil, and diminishing organic matter, micro and macro-nutrients, among other harmful effects by rendering the soil resource base imbalanced. Dead soil was rejuvenated by adopting series of methods and procedures, without using a single drop of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Soil pH is decreasing gradually, water holding capacity has been improved, Cation Exchange Capacity increased along with organic matter, micro and macronutrients (In soil science, cation exchange capacity (CEC) is the capacity of a soil for ion exchange of positively charged ions between the soil and the soil solution. (A positively-charged ion, which has fewer electrons than protons, is known as a cation.) Cation exchange capacity is used as a measure of fertility, nutrient retention capacity, and the capacity to protect groundwater from cation contamination).

A healthy soil base is creating agro-ecosystem health and balance resources in the soil, thus making rice crops more resilient and resistant to drought and requires less water. It has also been reported that, yield of organic rice of the region is more than the hybrid varieties. As compare to 6 to 6.5 tons of hybrid rice now the yield with organic system has become 8 tons per hector.

Organic agriculture should be supported with research and development on methods and technologies, rice seeds adaptability, pest and disease resistance, resilience, and systems yield potential. Don Bosco Foundation for Sustainable Development Inc. (DBFSDI) was associated with this development.

2. An encouraging steps have been reported recently that, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., world's largest retailer, has boosted its purchase of cotton and other agricultural items from farmers who are changing from conventional to organic farming, in order to promote selling of organic products. Wal-Mart has been increasing the number of organic products that it offers in its stores. Because of its larger size, it requires a large and steady supply of these organic goods to stock. An organic farmer need almost more than three years from his commitment of switchover, to get his products certified as organic; which is prerequisite for supply to the stores. In fact, decision of boosting purchase of agricultural based organic products is an encouraging step taken by the world's largest retailer. The certification time should be reduced further as far as possible. This reduction would provide necessary incentive and prices in time to the organic farmers.

3. Another encouraging news is, as per the study program of EU nations, it has been reported that, organically produced food is better than ordinary food. Organic food like fruits, vegetables and milk, contain more nutrients and may contain higher concentrations of cancer fighting and heart beneficial antioxidants. In fact, organically produced food is testier than conventional food items. Also, eating organic food was equivalent to eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables each day.

4. A case study on organic tea cultivation in India - Demand for organic tea, like other organic foods, has also been growing rapidly. Since 1980, organic tea consumption has grown by leaps and bounds. Organic tea consumption has grown by about 10 percent globally each year since 1980. India, a leading producer of quality tea, too has joined this new green revolution with many farmers already growing organic tea or converting their plantations to do so. In India, the production of organic (or organic in conversion) tea was 150,000 kg in 1990, which has been increased to 2,150,000 kg in 2000. Cultivation started in Darjeeling, place known for its quality tea, during 1986 and gradually spread to the tea areas of Assam (another tea growing area in India) and then to South India. As of 2002, there were 42 tea gardens in the country that had taken up organic tea cultivation in an area of 6000 hectares. The current production level is around 3.5 million kgs and growing further. The main export destinations from India include Australia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, UK and the USA. In India itself, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad accounted for the majority of the domestic consumption of organic tea.

Tea qualifies as organic only when environment-friendly techniques are employed in its production. An organic unit should essentially be a self-sustaining one, designing the farm at the time of establishment of new organic tea plantation is crucial for optimum utilization of resources within the plantation itself. The topography of the land and varieties of tea to be planted determine the basic design of the organic farm at the functional level. The estate must also have trees, bunds, cattle shed, compost yard, store house etc to enable it to become a self supporting system within a reasonable time. The resultant slurry could be passed through a simple gas plant, which provides methane gas for use as fuel and organic manure in the form of slurry which is comparatively better in quality and cheaper source of fertilization.

In order to establish organic tea fields, it is necessary to build up inherent nutrient levels and neutralise the chemical residues left in soils from past cultivation. This requires an interim period - called the conversion period. Based on the agro-ecological conditions, this period may vary from 3 to 5 years. If plantation is taken up before conversion period is over, chemical residues may show up in the product.

Leguminous plants, shade trees, and green manure are all sources of nutrients for the growing plants. In addition, nutrients are also supplemented by using well composted cattle manure, poultry manure, biogas slurry and neem cakes. Best results can be obtained by maintaining a 100% moisture level during the initial period. Improvement of soil health through vermiculture is also recommended.

Insect, disease and nematode management in organic farming systems rely on the inherent equilibrium in nature. This includes using natural enemies of pests to keep their numbers in check. These include insect predators, parasites (insects that use other insects to produce their offspring, thereby killing the pest insect in the process), and pathogens (diseases that kill or decrease the growth rate of insect pests). Predatory insects on organic farms include lady beetles, lacewings, and spiders. Parasitic insects include wasps and flies that lay their eggs in/on pest insects, such as larvae or caterpillars.