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UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper 1, question 45

Topic: Science and technology

Q45

Consider the following substances :

I. Ethanol

II. Nitroglycerine

III. Urea

Coal gasification technology can be used in the production of how many of them?

  1. (a) Only one
  2. (b) Only twoCorrect answer
  3. (c) All the three
  4. (d) None

Solution.

Answer: (b) Only two

  1. Coal gasification converts coal into syngas (a mixture of CO\text{CO}, H2\text{H}_2, and CO2\text{CO}_2), which serves as an industrial chemical feedstock.
  2. Items I and III are correct: syngas is commercially used to synthesize Ethanol (Item I) and to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide for manufacturing Urea (Item III, as at the Talcher Fertilizers plant).
  3. Item II is incorrect: Nitroglycerine is manufactured by nitrating glycerol (derived from fats/oils or petrochemical propylene) rather than through coal gasification.