immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Biokohle

  • New construction technology stores CO2 in buildings

    New construction technology stores CO2 in buildings

    Holcim and ELEMENTAL are presenting a new method for binding carbon in buildings at the Architecture Biennale in Venice, according to a press release. This new biochar technology will be presented there from 10 May to 23 November 2025 as part of the Time Space Existence exhibition. It is being organised by the European Cultural Centre.

    On display will be full-size, minimalist prefabricated parts of a prototype for so-called incremental housing construction. The structures on display were designed by ELEMENTAL and are based on two decades of research. They consist of prefabricated concrete frames with sanitary infrastructure that can be used to build homes for low-income people in economically disadvantaged areas.

    These prefabricated elements were built by Holcim. They consist of 100 per cent recycled aggregates and biochar. Biochar binds CO2 permanently, which would otherwise be released by organic materials at the end of their life cycle. As Holcim calculates, one kilogramme of biochar prevents the release of up to three kilogrammes of CO2. This biochar is added to Holcim’s low-CO2 cement, mortar and concrete mixes. This further reduces their CO2 footprint without compromising their performance, as Holcim emphasises.

    “Holcim’s new decarbonisation technology allows us to cope with the scale and speed of demand fuelled by the housing crisis without harming the environment,” ELEMENTAL founder Alejandro Aravena is quoted as saying. Holcim CEO Miljan Gutovic adds: “Through our partnership with Alejandro Aravena and the ELEMENTAL team, we have shown how Holcim’s new carbon sink technology can shape the future of construction.”

  • New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    New partnership promotes hydrogen from wood waste

    H2 Bois has a new minority shareholder. According to a press release, the Vaud-based energy supplier Romande Energie will acquire a 33.7 per cent stake in January 2025. Groupe Corbat, based in Vendlincourt JU and active in the timber industry, will then hold 50.3 per cent and the consulting firm Planair Vision SA, based in La Sagne NE, 16 per cent of the company they founded in 2021.

    H2 Bois plans to build a plant to produce hydrogen from wood waste in 2025 and put it into operation in 2026. The production process also produces biochar, which can permanently store some of the CO2 contained in the wood. When fully operational in 2030, the plant will be able to produce a total of 450 tonnes of clean hydrogen from 14,000 tonnes of wood and wood waste and store 2,500 tonnes of CO2 per year. H2 Bois utilises technology from the French company Haffner Energy.

    The hydrogen is transported to an industrial zone in the village via a 1.5 kilometre long gas pipeline. There it is used by industrial companies and for mobility via a petrol station. The biochar is used in agriculture.

    For Romande Energie, the investment is a step towards a decarbonised western Switzerland. “This investment allows us to participate in a bold project that is a pioneer in Switzerland in the use of an innovative negative emissions technology,” said Jérémie Brillet, responsible for hydrogen at Romande Energie, in the press release.

    Benjamin Corbat, CEO of Groupe Corbat, welcomes Romande Energie’s involvement. “We are looking forward to the start of production, but also to breaking new ground in the local use of wood.”