UPSC Prelims 2025 · Question 16 of 100

UPSC Prelims 2025 question on Direct Air Capture

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.

  1. I and II only
  2. III only
  3. I, II and III
  4. None of the above statements is correct
Show answer

Answer: C. I, II and III

Verdict

All three statements are correct → Option (c).

Statement by statement

Statement I – CORRECT: Direct Air Capture (DAC) extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere, and the captured CO2 can be permanently stored in deep geological formations — this is carbon sequestration.

Statement II – CORRECT: DAC-captured CO2 can be used as a feedstock for production of cement, plastics, carbon fibers, and other industrial applications (plastic production), and can also be used for applications like carbonation in beverages and as a food preservative (food processing).

Statement III – CORRECT: DAC can be a source of carbon for combining with hydrogen to create synthetic low-carbon fuels — the Power-to-Liquid (PtL) or e-fuel production process uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, then combines hydrogen with CO2 captured from the atmosphere via DAC to produce synthesis gas, which is further processed into synthetic jet fuel.

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