India primarily relies on imports to meet its helium needs. However, a looming halt in exports by the United States, one of the major global suppliers of the gas, threatens to hit Indian industry hard. The primary concern is the impending shutdown in 2021 of the Federal Helium Reserve, considered the key helium reserve in the United States. This has led scientists worldwide, and in India, to surge their search for alternate helium reserves.
About Helium
Helium is a chemical element represented by the symbol He and bearing the atomic number 2. It is a colourless, odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas, sitting at the top of the noble gas group on the periodic table. Notably, among all elements, helium’s boiling point is the lowest.
Discovery of Helium
Helium was first uncovered in the gaseous atmosphere that surrounds the Sun. French astronomer Pierre Janssen made this discovery, noting a bright yellow line in the spectrum of the solar chromosphere during an eclipse. This occurred in India in 1868. Joseph Norman Lockyer also noticed the same distinct line while observing the sun through smoggy London skies. Assuming this new element was a metal, he named it helium.
Existence of Helium on Earth
On Earth, the existence of helium was revealed by Sir William Ramsay, a British chemist, in 1895. A young Englishman named Morris Travers pioneered the extraction of helium from monazite sand, which is plentiful on Kerala’s beaches. In 1906, he conducted this groundbreaking work, successfully obtaining small quantities of helium by heating the monazite, a primarily reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare-earth elements.
Indian Helium Reserves
The Rajmahal volcanic basin, situated in India’s Jharkhand state, holds helium that has been trapped for billions of years, even since Earth originated from the Sun. Currently, the research community is actively mapping the Rajmahal basin to prepare for future exploration and harnessing of this helium reserve.
India’s Need for Helium
Each year, to cater to its various needs, India imports helium valued at about Rs. 55,000 crores from the United States. This imported helium finds broad applications, ranging from medicine and scientific research to filling party balloons and blimps, and welding applications. Its primary uses are notably in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, rockets operation, and nuclear reactors functioning.
America’s domination in Helium production and export
The discovery of vast concentrations of helium under the Great Plains made the United States the major exporter of helium around the world. Consequently, it quickly became known that the majority of the world’s helium was stored within the United States.
Alternate Options for Helium sourcing
Qatar can potentially serve as another helium exporter. However, ongoing political and diplomatic quarrels have rendered Qatar a less reliable source. Despite the looming crisis, finding alternate sources and enhancing domestic production will be crucial to ensuring a steady supply of this valuable gas to India’s industries.