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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

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.
Statement 2
Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used as a feedstock for producing plastics?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
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 both flue gas emissions and the atmosphere (i.e., DAC) and then recycling the CO2 for utilization.
  • States the CO2 obtained is transformed into valuable products including fuels and 'materials', which implies captured carbon can serve as an industrial feedstock.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > zr.r.r. Sinks > p. 281
Presence: 3/5
“• r Carbon sequestration may be carried out by pumping carbon into'carbon sinks'* an area that absorbs cafbon. • r Natural sinks Oceans, forests, soil etc.• e Artificial sinks Depleted oil reserves, unmineable mines, etc.• r Carbon capture has actuaily been in use for years. The oil and gas industries have used carbon capture for decades as a way to enhance oi1 and gas recovery. Only recently have we started lhinking about capturing carbon for environmental reasons.”
Why this source?
  • Notes carbon capture has long been used by oil and gas industries for industrial purposes (e.g., enhanced oil recovery), demonstrating practical capture-to-use pathways.
  • Provides historical precedent that captured carbon can be routed into industrial processes rather than only permanently stored.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > Types Of Hydrogen Based On Extraction Methods > p. 298
Presence: 3/5
“zz,to,z, Types Of Hydrogen Based On Extraction Methods Depending on the nature of its extraction, hydrogen is categorized into three categories, namely, grey, blue and green. • Grey Hydrogen: it is produced via coal or lignite gasification {black orbrown}, or via a process called steam methane reformation (SMR) of natural gas or methane (grey). These tend to be mostly carbon-intensive processes. • Blue Hydrogen: It is produced via natural gas or coal gasification combined with carbon capture. storage (CCS) or carbon capture use (CCU) technologies to reduce carbon emissions. . Green Hydrogen: It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy.”
Why this source?
  • Describes carbon capture use (CCU) as part of industrial processes (example: blue hydrogen production), showing integration of capture with chemical/fuel production.
  • Supports the broader point that captured CO2 can feed industrial chemical routes that produce value-added products.
Statement 3
Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used in food processing applications?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
Presence: 4/5
“• 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 emissions and the atmosphere and recycling CO2 for utilization
  • Explicitly lists transformation of captured CO2 into products including refrigerants (a product class relevant to food preservation)
Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation and Management > ozone depletion > p. 12
Presence: 4/5
“Te compounds of CFC gases are nontoxic, non-fammable and chemically inert gases. Tese properties make them useful for a wide range of applications including refrigerants, foaming agents, plastic manufacturing, fre extinguishing agents, solvents for freezing food, cleaners for electronic components fne retardant, solvents, aerosol propellants, and the production of foamed plastics. CFCs is widely used because of its properties like non-corrosiveness, non-infammability, low toxicity and chemical stability. CFCs cannot be eliminated from the atmosphere by the usual scavenging processes like photodissociation, oxidation and rain out. Te residence time of CFCs in the atmosphere is estimated to be between 40 to 150 years.”
Why this source?
  • Identifies refrigerants as used for freezing food and for freezing food-related processes
  • Links the product class (refrigerants) to food processing/cold-chain applications
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
Presence: 3/5
“• 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?
  • Describes carbon capture from power stations, industrial sites, or directly from the air (covers DAC concept)
  • Establishes that captured atmospheric CO2 is a recoverable material that can be stored or reused
Statement 4
Can Direct Air Capture (DAC) supply CO2 that is combined with hydrogen to produce synthetic low‑carbon aviation fuels?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
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 flue gas and the atmosphere (covers DAC) and recycling the CO2.
  • Explicitly states captured CO2 is transformed into valuable products like fuels (methane and methanol), showing captured CO2 can be a chemical feedstock.
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
Presence: 4/5
“• 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?
  • Describes carbon capture technologies that capture CO2 directly from the air and store it, confirming the feasibility of DAC.
  • Positions DAC within carbon sequestration approaches that enable use or storage of captured CO2.
Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 21: Sustainable Development and Climate Change > Methanol Economy > p. 604
Presence: 3/5
“Methanol is a low-carbon, hydrogen carrier fuel. It is produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO<sub>2</sub> from thermal power plants, etc. Methanol Economy program is initiated by NITI Aayog. It is aimed to reduce import of crude oil and reduce GHG emissions. It also intends to convert coal reserves and municipal solid waste into methanol and set up Methanol Production Plants. Blending of 15 per cent methanol in gasoline can result in at least 15 per cent reduction in import of gasoline/crude. It will reduce GHG emissions by 20 per cent in terms of particulate matter, NO<sub>x</sub> and SO<sub>x</sub>.”
Why this source?
  • Identifies methanol as a low‑carbon hydrogen‑carrier fuel produced from CO2, demonstrating that CO2 can be converted into liquid fuels when combined with hydrogen.
  • Shows a practical fuel product (methanol) obtainable from CO2 feedstock, supporting the pathway from captured CO2 + hydrogen → synthetic fuel.
Pattern takeaway: Standard static books are sufficient for 80% of 'Emerging Tech' questions if read with an application-oriented mindset. The pattern is consistent: Technology X -> Can it be used for Y? If the chemical building blocks match (Carbon in CO2 -> Carbon in Plastics/Fuel), the answer is usually Yes.
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly solvable from Shankar IAS (10th Ed), Chapter 21 'Mitigation Strategies', specifically the section on CCUS features (p. 282).
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Climate Change Mitigation > Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) > Downstream applications of captured CO2.
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Carbon Value Chain': 1. Fuels (Methanol, Synthetic Jet Fuel); 2. Chemicals (Urea, Salicylic Acid); 3. Building Materials (Concrete curing, Aggregates); 4. EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery).
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying a technology, shift focus from 'How it works' to 'What are its applications?'. The text explicitly listed 'valuable products like fuel, refrigerants, and materials'. You must translate 'materials' into specific examples like plastics.
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Direct Air Capture as part of CCS/CCUS
💡 The insight

DAC involves extracting CO2 directly from ambient air and is treated within the broader CCS/CCUS framework for handling captured carbon.

High-yield for policy and technology questions: explains how atmospheric removal fits into national climate strategies and infrastructure planning. Connects to topics on mitigation technologies, emissions reduction pathways, and techno-economic debates in energy and environment papers.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 5. Build Fake Trees > p. 286
🔗 Anchor: "Is Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology used to remove CO2 from the atmosphere fo..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Permanent geological storage and mineralization
💡 The insight

Long-term sequestration entails permanently storing captured CO2 underground or converting it into stable minerals.

Important for questions on durability of climate interventions and carbon accounting; links to geology, environmental safeguards, and long-term climate targets. Enables evaluation of methods (storage vs utilization) and their policy/regulatory implications.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 5. Build Fake Trees > p. 286
🔗 Anchor: "Is Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology used to remove CO2 from the atmosphere fo..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Carbon utilization versus sequestration (CCU vs CCS)
💡 The insight

Captured CO2 can be routed either into utilization (e.g., fuels, materials) or into permanent storage; both pathways are described within CCUS.

Useful for comparing mitigation options and economic trade-offs in UPSC essays and mains answers; connects industrial policy, circular economy concepts, and employment/economic implications of CO2 handling.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
🔗 Anchor: "Is Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology used to remove CO2 from the atmosphere fo..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 CCUS / CCU: capture, utilization, and storage
💡 The insight

CCUS/CCU covers extracting CO2 from flue gas and the atmosphere and recycling captured CO2 into fuels and materials, directly relevant to using captured carbon as an industrial feedstock.

High-yield for questions on climate mitigation and industrial decarbonisation: explains technological routes (capture + use vs storage), policy trade-offs, and links to energy and manufacturing sectors. Mastery helps answer questions on carbon economy, green industry policy, and technology deployment.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > Types Of Hydrogen Based On Extraction Methods > p. 298
🔗 Anchor: "Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used as a feedstock for produ..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Direct Air Capture (DAC) versus point-source capture
💡 The insight

DAC specifically removes CO2 from the atmosphere while point-source capture targets flue gases; both are covered and have different downstream options for use or storage.

Important for evaluating mitigation options, costs, scalability and policy incentives; connects to questions on sinks, deployment priorities, and lifecycle emissions accounting.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 5. Build Fake Trees > p. 286
🔗 Anchor: "Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used as a feedstock for produ..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 End‑uses of captured CO2 (fuels, chemicals, materials)
💡 The insight

Captured CO2 is described as convertible into fuels and 'materials' and is used in industrial processes, highlighting potential downstream products fed by captured carbon.

Useful for answering questions on circular carbon economy and industrial applications of low‑carbon technologies; links climate policy to industrial strategy and innovation (e.g., alternative feedstocks for plastics and chemicals).

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > zr.r.r. Sinks > p. 281
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > Types Of Hydrogen Based On Extraction Methods > p. 298
🔗 Anchor: "Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used as a feedstock for produ..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S3
👉 Carbon capture and utilization (CCUS) product pathways
💡 The insight

CCUS captures CO2 (including from air) and converts it into usable products such as fuels, refrigerants, and construction materials.

High-yield for environment and industry questions: explains how mitigation tech creates industrial feedstocks and jobs, links climate policy to industrial strategy and circular economy approaches. Useful for questions on decarbonisation pathways and technology adoption.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > 21.1. CARBON SEQUESTRATTON: > p. 281
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 21: Mitigation Strategies > Features > p. 282
🔗 Anchor: "Can carbon captured by Direct Air Capture (DAC) be used in food processing appli..."
🌑 The Hidden Trap

The 'Artificial Tree' prototype (Shankar p. 286). It uses a resin to capture CO2 and is 1,000x more efficient than natural trees. Also, look out for 'Blue Hydrogen' (Gas + CCS) vs 'Green Hydrogen' (Electrolysis) definitions on p. 298.

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

The 'Elemental Backbone' Heuristic. CO2 contains Carbon. Plastics are carbon chains. Aviation fuel is hydrocarbons. Food processing uses CO2 (dry ice, carbonation, packaging). Since Carbon is the fundamental building block of all three outputs, and the statements use the possibility modal 'Can be', all are chemically logical. Mark All Correct.

🔗 Mains Connection

Mains GS-3 (Economy & Industry): Link CCUS to the 'Circular Carbon Economy' (CCE) framework endorsed by the G20. It transforms CO2 from a pollutant into an industrial feedstock, creating 'Green Jobs' (Shankar mentions 8-10 million jobs potential).

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