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Q36 (IAS/2025) Science & Technology › New Materials, Energy & Environment-linked Tech › Carbon capture technologies Answer Verified

With reference to 'Direct Air Capture', an emerging technology, which of the following statements is/are correct? I. It can be used as a way of carbon sequestration. II. It can be a valuable approach for plastic production and in food processing. III. In aviation, it can be a source of carbon for combining with hydrogen to create synthetic low-carbon fuel. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

All three statements about Direct Air Capture (DAC) are correct.

**Statement I is correct:** Carbon capture and storage, also known as CCS or carbon sequestration, describes the technologies designed to tackle global warming by capturing CO₂ at power stations, industrial sites or even directly from the air and permanently storing it underground.[1] Pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is only half the battle--afterwards it must be sequestered, or permanently trapped.[2]

**Statement II is correct:** The CO obtained through CCUS methods is transformed into valuable products like fuel (methane and methanol), refrigerants, and materials used in construction.[6] The captured CO₂ can indeed be used as feedstock for plastic production and food processing applications (like carbonation).

**Statement III is correct:** The CO obtained through CCUS methods is transformed into valuable products like fuel (methane and methanol)[3], and this captured carbon can be combined with hydrogen to produce synthetic aviation fuels, providing a low-carbon alternative for the aviation sector where direct electrification is challenging.

Sources
  1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
  2. [2] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 5. Build Fake Trees > p. 286
  3. [3] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  4. [4] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  5. [5] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  6. [6] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to 'Direct Air Capture', an emerging technology, which of the following statements is/are correct? I. It can be used as a…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Hidden in Plain Sight' question. While DAC sounds like high-tech Current Affairs, it is explicitly detailed in the standard Shankar IAS Environment text (Chapter 21). The key lesson: Don't ignore the 'Utilization' (U in CCUS) paragraph—UPSC loves asking 'what can we make with this?'.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology used to remove CO2 from the atmosphere for long-term carbon sequestration (e.g., geological storage or mineralization)?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
Presence: 5/5
“• Carbon capture and storage, also known as CCS or carbon sequestration, describes the technologies designed to tackle global warming by capturing CO₂ at power stations, industrial sites or even directly from the air and permanently storing it underground. • Carbon sequestration describes long-term storage of carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to either mitigate or defer global warming.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly describes capturing CO2 directly from the air and permanently storing it underground.
  • Links capture 'directly from the air' with 'permanently storing underground', matching DAC → long-term sequestration.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
Presence: 5/5
“• CCUS comprises techniques and technologies designed to extract carbon dioxide (CO) from both flue gas emissions and the atmosphere, followed by recycling the CO for utilization and determining safe and permanent storage options. • The CO obtained through CCUS methods is transformed into valuable products like fuel (methane and methanol), refrigerants, and materials used in construction. r CCU$ projects are expected to generate significant employment opportunities. It is estimated that by capturing approximately 75% million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of carbon by 2050, it could create employment for 8-10 million individuals on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis in a phased manner.”
Why this source?
  • Defines CCUS as extracting CO2 from the atmosphere as well as flue gas, and then determining safe and permanent storage options.
  • Mentions both utilization and permanent storage, supporting DAC as a pathway into long-term sequestration or CCU/CCS chains.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 5. Build Fake Trees > p. 286
Presence: 4/5
“• artificial tree," a scaled-down version of an earlier prototype capable of capturing a ton of carbon in the atmosphere per day.• Panels covering the surface of the tree--which would need to be about So square meters--will be made of an absorbent resin that reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to form a solid.• It can be compared to a furnace filter, capable of pulling particles out of the air. But pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is only half the battle--afterwards it must be sequestered, or permanently trapped.”
Why this source?
  • Describes an 'artificial tree' that captures CO2 from the atmosphere at scale, an example of DAC-type technology.
  • States that captured CO2 'must be sequestered, or permanently trapped', linking capture to the need for long-term storage.
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