UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 28
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 exhibits a large surface area and a strong potential for adsorbing 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?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Correct Option: A (Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I)
Explanation: Activated carbon has enormous internal surface area and adsorption capacity, allowing it to remove diverse contaminants from wastewater. Carbon-rich agricultural and other wastes can be converted into activated carbon, making it an economical treatment option.
Statement / Pair / Item-wise Analysis:
I: True-it is used to adsorb industrial pollutants.
II: True-large surface area enables adsorption of heavy metals.
III: True-high-carbon waste biomass is a usable precursor; both properties support Statement I.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Correct-this matches the facts and the item-wise assessment above.
B. Incorrect-this wrongly treats both supporting statements as valid or assigns an incorrect explanatory relationship.
C. Incorrect-this misstates how many supporting statements are true and explanatory.
D. Incorrect-the item analysis identifies at least one supporting statement as valid.