Step 1: Understanding the reaction pathway.
Carbon reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, and under reducing conditions carbon dioxide further converts to carbon monoxide. The net reaction for CO formation is effectively:
\[
2C + O_2 \rightarrow 2CO
\]
This shows the stoichiometric relation between oxygen and carbon monoxide.
Step 2: Establishing mole ratio.
From the balanced equation, 1 mole of O\(_2\) produces 2 moles of CO. This means volume ratio at STP is also:
\[
1 \text{ volume O}_2 \rightarrow 2 \text{ volumes CO}
\]
Step 3: Using given CO volume.
Given CO produced = 20 L. Using the ratio, oxygen required will be half of CO volume because 1:2 relation exists.
Step 4: Calculating oxygen volume.
\[
V_{O_2} = \frac{20}{2} = 10 \text{ L}
\]
Thus, 10 L of oxygen is required under given conditions.
Step 5: Final verification.
Since conditions are 273 K and 1 atm (STP), volume ratios directly follow mole ratios, confirming correctness of result.
Final Answer:
\[
\boxed{10 \text{ L}}
\]