Context:
India Unveils First Cluster of Five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) Testbeds for Cement Sector
CCU Test Bed Initiative in the Cement Sector:
- Objective: Develop and deploy innovative Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU) test beds within the cement sector.
- Funding Model: Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
- Implementing Ministry: Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science & Technology.
- Innovative Processes in the Test Beds –
- Oxygen-Enhanced Calcination – Converts CO₂ into concrete blocks & olefins (e.g., ethylene, propylene).
- Carbon-Negative Mineralization – Locks CO₂ within minerals.
- Direct Utilization – Integrates CO₂ into rock formations.
- Vacuum Swing Adsorption – Extracts CO₂ from cement kiln gases for reuse in construction materials.
Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU):
- CCU technologies capture CO₂ and use it as a feedstock for essential products like fuels and chemicals instead of deriving them from fossil resources.
- CO₂ Capture Sources –
- From Industrial/Energy Plants – Membranes, solvent absorption, or adsorption technologies extract CO₂ from flue gases.
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) – Ambient air is drawn through a system that isolates CO₂ for utilization or storage.
- Carbon Capture Methods –
- Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) – Injecting CO₂ into reservoirs to boost oil/gas extraction.
- Food & Healthcare Applications – High-purity CO₂ used in food processing & medical applications.
- Industrial Uses – Utilized as solvents, heat transfer fluids, welding gases, etc.
- CO₂-to-Products Pathways –
- Chemical & Fuel Production – Used in urea production, plastics (e.g., polycarbonates); Converted to methanol and further processed into gasoline & diesel via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.
- Mineral Carbonates – Reacted with calcium/magnesium to create building materials like cement.
Source: ET
Previous Year Questions
Consider the following activities:
1. Spreading finely ground basalt rock on farmlands extensively
2. Increasing the alkalinity of oceans by adding lime
3. Capturing carbon dioxide released by various industries and pumping it into abandoned subterranean mines in the form of carbonated waters
How many of the above activities are often considered and discussed for carbon capture and sequestration?
[UPSC CSE – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (c)