UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2025

Consider the following statements: Statement I: Activated carbon is a good and an attractive tool to remove pollutants from effluent streams and to remediate contaminants from various industries. Statement II: Activated carbon has a very high surface area and has a strong capacity to adsorb heavy metals. Statement III: Activated carbon can be easily synthesized from environmental wastes with high carbon content. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
  2. Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
  3. Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
  4. Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct

Answer

Correct Answer

Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I

Explanation

Activated carbon's high surface area giving it strong adsorption capacity for heavy metals (Statement II) directly explains its effectiveness in removing pollutants from effluent streams (Statement I), and its ease of synthesis from carbon-rich environmental waste (Statement III) also supports it being an attractive, accessible remediation tool. Both II and III are correct and together explain I.

Topics: activated carbon, environment, pollution control