Relevance: GS III (Environment & Science) | Source: The Hindu

1. What is CCU?

Every day, factories release dark smoke containing Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which heats up our planet. But what if we could trap this smoke and use it to make money? This is the core idea behind Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU).

• Catching the Smoke: Special machines trap the CO2 gas directly from factory chimneys before it escapes into the air.
• Recycling, Not Burying: In the past, scientists only talked about trapping this gas and burying it deep underground (this is called CCS or Storage).
• The Smart Change: CCU (Utilisation) is much smarter. It recycles this trapped waste gas and converts it into useful, everyday items like transport fuels, chemicals, or strong building bricks.

2. Why Does India Need CCU Urgently?

• The ‘Hard-to-Clean’ Factories: India produces massive amounts of steel and cement for its growth. These factories need the extreme heat of burning coal. They cannot simply run on solar or wind power. CCU is the only practical way to make them eco-friendly.
• The 2070 Promise: India has officially promised the world that it will achieve “Net-Zero” emissions by the year 2070. We simply cannot reach this grand target without cleaning up our heavy industries using CCU.
• Wealth from Waste: Instead of throwing bad gas into the air, we are turning it back into a useful raw material. This creates a smart, waste-free “circular economy”.

3. What are the Main Hurdles? (The Challenges)

• Extremely Expensive: The machines needed to trap and clean this invisible gas use a huge amount of electricity. This makes the final recycled products very costly compared to normal items.
• Missing Pipe Networks: To move the trapped CO2 from a steel factory to a chemical recycling plant, we need a massive network of dedicated pipelines, which India does not have yet.
• Investment Fear: Private businessmen hesitate to invest their money here because the government has not yet announced clear financial benefits or tax cuts for making these “recycled carbon” products.

4. What is India Doing Currently?

• Government Roadmaps: Departments like Science and Technology (DST) are busy drafting official plans and policies to boost this technology by 2030.
• Private Testing: Some big Indian cement companies have already started small test projects. They are successfully trapping their own factory smoke and mixing it to create lightweight, eco-friendly concrete blocks.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to carbon mitigation technologies and India’s climate goals, consider the following statements:

1. Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) refers to the process of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it permanently in deep underground geological formations.
2. The cement and steel industries are widely classified as “hard-to-abate” sectors where CCU can play a crucial role in reducing emissions.
3. India has officially committed to achieving the target of net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2070.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b)