India Ammonium Nitrate Rules 2012
Definition
Rules promulgated under the Explosives Act 1884 by the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, requiring PESO licences for import, manufacture, storage, and sale of ammonium nitrate. Reviewed and tightened following the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
- Jurisdiction
- India
- Parent statute
- Explosives Act 1884
- Issuing body
- Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Licensing authority
- PESO
- Trigger for tightening
- 2020 Beirut port explosion
Common questions
What activities do the India Ammonium Nitrate Rules 2012 actually regulate?+
The rules require a PESO licence to import, manufacture, store, or sell ammonium nitrate, covering the entire supply chain from producer to end user rather than only the point of use in explosives manufacture.
Why is ammonium nitrate singled out for its own rules instead of being covered generally under explosives law?+
Ammonium nitrate is a common fertiliser with wide legitimate agricultural use, so it needed a dedicated licensing regime to control diversion into improvised explosives like ANFO without banning its ordinary commercial sale.
Related terms
- Ammonium Nitrate Security Program (ANSP)
- A US DHS/CISA program mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill requiring registration of ammonium nitrate facilities and verification of purchaser identity. A...
- ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil)
- A low-sensitivity bulk explosive mixture of prilled ammonium nitrate (94 per cent by weight) and fuel oil (6 per cent). The primary...
- Chapman-Jouguet Pressure
- The detonation pressure at the reaction zone/product interface in a steadily propagating detonation. For ANFO at operational density, approximately 5 GPa (versus...
- DADP (Diacetone Diperoxide)
- A six-membered ring peroxide co-product of TATP synthesis. Less stable than TATP. Detected alongside TATP in post-blast samples where the synthesis conditions...
- EU Regulation 2019/1148
- The European Union regulation on the marketing and use of explosive precursors, restricting public access to hydrogen peroxide above 12%, nitric acid...
- HMTD (Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine)
- A peroxide explosive analogue of TATP, synthesised from hexamine (hexamethylenetetramine), hydrogen peroxide, and citric acid. Similar sensitivity profile. Detected by LC-MS/MS as...
- IMS Positive-Ion Mode
- An operating mode for ion mobility spectrometry instruments in which analyte ions are formed with positive charge through proton attachment or ammonium...
- TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide)
- A cyclic peroxide explosive (C9H18O6) synthesised from acetone, hydrogen peroxide, and an acid catalyst. Sensitive to friction, heat, shock, and prolonged storage....
- Urea Nitrate
- An ionic explosive salt formed by neutralisation of urea with nitric acid. Detonation velocity approximately 3,400 m/s. Used in the 1993 World...