Prelims 2013 · archive
EasyWith reference to the usefulness of the byproducts of the sugar industry, which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1.Bagasse can be used as biomass fuel for the generation of energy.
- 2.Molasses can be used as one of the feedstocks for the production of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
- 3.Molasses can be used for the production of ethanol.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
Bagasse, the fibre left after crushing cane, is burnt as fuel to raise steam and generate power. Molasses is fermented into ethanol. Synthetic chemical fertilisers such as urea are made from fossil feedstocks like natural gas, not molasses. So only statements 1 and 3 are correct.
- ✓ 1. Sugar mills burn bagasse as boiler fuel to generate steam and electricity. Surplus power from such cogeneration can be supplied to the grid. This makes bagasse a biomass fuel for energy generation.
- ✗ 2. Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers like urea are made from ammonia, which is produced from fossil feedstocks. In India these are mainly natural gas, with naphtha and fuel oil in some plants. Gas is pooled and supplied to fertiliser plants for urea production. Molasses is not a feedstock for synthetic fertilisers.
- ✓ 3. Molasses is fermented to give alcohol (ethanol). India's molasses-based distilleries are a major source of ethanol for petrol blending.
Remember · Bagasse gives fuel for steam and power. Molasses gives ethanol. Synthetic fertilisers like urea use natural gas or other fossil feedstocks, not molasses.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 10 Science, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 10 · Science, Chapter 4 “Sugarcane juice can be used to prepare molasses which is fermented to give alcohol (ethanol).”
- FAO – Sugarcane byproducts: main utilisation of bagasse and molasses ↗ “that bagasse is used internally mainly as fuel to generate steam in the sugarcane factories and a small fraction to produce pulp and board”
- NITI Aayog – Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India ↗ “The current ethanol production capacity in India of 426 crore litres derived from molasses-based distilleries, and 258 cr. litres from grain based distilleries is proposed to be expanded to 760 cr. litres”
- PIB – Pooling of Gas in Fertilizer (Urea) Sector (CCEA, 31 March 2015) ↗ “to supply gas at uniform delivered price to all fertilizer plants on the gas grid for production of urea through a pooling mechanism”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·