Consider the following substances:

1. Ethanol
2. Nitroglycerine
3. Urea

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

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All the three
4. None

Explanation

Ethanol is correct

• Coal gasification converts coal into syngas (a mixture of hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and CO₂), which can be further processed to produce various chemicals and fuels. Ethanol can be synthesised indirectly from syngas via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis or catalytic conversion. Although ethanol is typically produced from biomass, coal-derived syngas can also be used as a feedstock.

Nitroglycerine is incorrect

• Nitroglycerine is made from glycerol (glycerine) and nitric acid. Glycerol is typically derived from fats and oils, not from coal or syngas. It is not related to coal gasification.

Urea is correct

• Urea is made from ammonia (NH₃) and CO₂. Ammonia can be synthesised from hydrogen in syngas (obtained via coal gasification) via the Haber-Bosch process. The CO₂ byproduct is also available from coal gasification.

Answer: (b) Only two; Difficulty Level: Hard