IMPORTANCE OF LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

IMPORTANCE OF LAB GROWN DIAMONDS (LGD)

 

     Main Examination General Studies:3 - Science & Technology

Why in limelight:

  • In the budget for the financial year 2023-24, it was announced to reduce the customs duty on seeds used in the manufacture of diamonds in the laboratory.
  • Apart from this, a grant was also announced to IITs to facilitate the development of laboratory grown diamonds in India.
  • The announcement will encourage indigenous production of lab-grown diamond seeds, machines and reduce import dependency.

Laboratory Grown Diamonds (LGD):

  • Diamonds that are grown in a laboratory using specific techniques are called Lab Grown Diamonds ie LGD.
  • Thermal conductivity of synthetic diamonds is high while electrical conductivity is negligible.

Production process of LGD:

  • LGDs are mostly manufactured through two processes:
  1. High Pressure, High Temperature (HPHT) Method
  2. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Method

High pressure, high temperature (HPHT) method:

  • Very heavy press is used in HPHT method.
  • This method generates pressures up to 730,000 psi under extremely high temperatures (at least 1500 °C).
  • Graphite is commonly used as a "diamond seed".
  • In this method a relatively cheap form of carbon is converted into one of the most expensive forms of carbon.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Method:

  • In this method, a thin piece of diamond seed is placed in a sealed chamber and heated to about 800 degree Celsius, and then the chamber is filled with other organic gases like methane.
  • Using techniques such as microwaves or lasers, these organic gases are ionized into plasma.
  • This process of ionization causes the carbon from the gases to fuse with the diamond seed to form a diamond flake.

Applications:

  • Diamonds with a special luster are made from synthetic diamonds because of their greater optical dispersion.
  • Properties of LGD can be enhanced due to controlled atmosphere formation.
  • LGD is developed in the manufacture of machines and equipment for industrial purposes.
  • Used in the manufacture of cutters of varying hardness.
  • Due to the minimum power consumption, these diamonds are used in the manufacture of high power laser diodes, lasers and high power transistors.

Importance of LGD:

  • The environmental footprint of a lab-grown diamond is much smaller than that of a natural diamond.
  • According to a report, it takes ten times more energy to extract a natural diamond from the earth than a lab-grown diamond.
  • Diamonds grown in the laboratory can be developed to suit demand based properties.
  • These are useful in the manufacture of cutters with high hardness.
  • Diamonds with special luster can be made from them.
  • Special types of optical fiber cables can be manufactured by these.
  • These are helpful in manufacturing high efficiency electronics devices.

Indian Diamond Industry

  • Diamond is mainly obtained from two types of deposits:
  1. From igneous rocks of basic or ultrabasic composition
  2. Alluvial deposits from primary sources
  • India's diamond sector is divided into four regions:
  1. South Indian region of Andhra Pradesh: Anantapur, Cuddapah, Guntur, Krishna, Mahbubnagar and Kurnool.
  2. Central region of Madhya Pradesh:  Panna belt.
  3. Chhattisgarh State: Bahardin-Kodavali area (Raipur) and Tokapal, Dugpal area (Bastar).
  4. Odisha State: East Indian region lying between Mahanadi and Godavari basins.
  • India is the world's largest cutting and polishing center for diamonds.
  • India cuts and polishes more than 90% of all diamonds produced in the world.
  • India exports more than 75% of polished diamonds, gems and jewelery to the world.
  • India imports rough gem diamonds on a large scale for its cutting and polishing industry as there is no notable production except for one producer in Madhya Pradesh.
  • Being export oriented and labor intensive, this sector employs over 5 million people.
  • It contributes about 7% to the country's GDP and 15% to India's total merchandise exports.

Challenges:

  • Some of the factors that are affecting the diamond industry in India are:
  • Uncertainty in the supply of raw materials,
  • Unorganized market consisting of family owned companies,
  • Excessive increase in the prices of diamonds,
  • Continued decline in international demand,
  • Stiff competition from countries like China.

Conclusion:

  • Government of India can earn huge amount of foreign exchange from diamond exports, so government should promote the development of state-of-the-art technology to reduce the manufacturing cost of synthetic diamonds and to generate employment.

Source: Indian Express

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Main Exam Questions:

 Explaining the current status of Indian diamond industry, write the importance of LGD.