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 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.
(a) I and II only
(b) III only
(c) I, II and III
(d) None of the above statements is correct
Correct answer : (c) I, II and III.
UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper's Solution
Explanation :
Direct Air Capture (DAC)
Direct Air Capture (DAC) pulls CO₂ straight from ambient air using chemical sorbents or solvents.
I. True – Once captured, the CO₂ can be sequestered underground (geological storage) or mineralized, making DAC a carbon-removal technology.
II. True – The purified CO₂ stream can serve as a feedstock for making polymers (e.g. polyurethanes, polycarbonates) and in food-processing (carbonation, modified-atmosphere packaging, microbial fermentations).
III. True – Captured CO₂ can be combined with green hydrogen (from renewables) in Fischer–Tropsch or related processes to produce synthetic “e-fuels,” including drop-in aviation fuels.
