Tag: CO2

  • Holcim und Eni wollen CO2 in Zement speichern

    Holcim und Eni wollen CO2 in Zement speichern

    Der Zuger Baustoffspezialist Holcim spannt mit dem in Rom ansässigen Energieunternehmen Eni zusammen. Gemeinsam wollen sie untersuchen, wie sich Kohlenstoffdioxid (CO2) abscheiden, in dem Mineral Olivin speichern und anschliessend in Zement einbauen lässt, heisst es in einer Medienmitteilung. Damit will Holcim den ökologischen Fussabdruck seines Betriebes weltweit verringern und sein Angebot an nachhaltigem Zement erweitern.

    Eni verfügt über Wissen, wie sich CO2 abscheiden und mineralisieren lässt, um es in Olivin zu speichern. Im Innovationszentrum von Holcim wollen Forschende „die Verwendung dieses karbonisierten Olivins als neuen emissionsarmen Rohstoff für die Formulierung eines grünen Zements untersuchen“, heisst es in der Medienmitteilung. Das Forschungsteam von Holcim will sich dabei auf die Charakterisierung der mechanischen Eigenschaften von karbonisiertem Olivin in der Betonproduktion konzentrieren.

    Olivin ist ein auf der Erde weit verbreitetes Mineral. Dies in Kombination mit den weltweiten Aktivitäten von Holcim und Eni würde diese Lösung „in hohem Masse skalierbar machen“ und so Materialien für umweltfreundliches Bauen weltweit ermöglichen.

    Die Partnerschaft mit Eni ist eines von weltweit 30 Projekten von Holcim, die sich mit Lösungen zur Abscheidung, Nutzung und Speicherung von Kohlenstoffdioxid beschäftigen.

  • Zurich is investing CHF 573 million in district heating

    Zurich is investing CHF 573 million in district heating

    In a press release , the City of Zurich announced the approval of the “Thermal grids of the power plant” credit line in the amount of CHF 573 million. The amount is to flow into the switch from fossil to renewable heating and cooling in the city and financially secure the conversion of the heating supply required to achieve the climate target. Those entitled to vote should decide on the approval in 2022.

    The city set the course for the climate policy expansion plans “ Net Zero 2040 ” of the electricity company of the city of Zurich ( ewz ) in spring 2021 with the opening of the Zurich Heat Advice Center. The legal foundation was laid in November 2021 with the Heat Supply Ordinance.

    City Councilor Michael Baumer is quoted as saying that the municipal measure, which is divided into six sub-projects, makes an “important contribution to decarbonisation in the heating sector”. The financial buffer is “only a first step, the actual work is just beginning,” announces Baumer.

  • Artificial intelligence analyzes CO2 emissions from traffic

    Artificial intelligence analyzes CO2 emissions from traffic

    An analysis method developed at the Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt ( Empa ) can make statements about how the consumption of a country’s vehicle fleet changes from year to year. This new method is based on math and deep learning techniques. According to a communication , it is able to show where politicians and car buyers could start to reduce CO2 emissions.

    Analyzing this has become increasingly difficult in recent years. Because vehicles can no longer be divided into classic segments such as small, medium and luxury classes due to technical innovations. In addition, new vehicles are getting bigger and heavier. In addition, the cubic capacities would decrease, while the efficiency of the engines would get better and better at the same time.

    That is why the Empa Vehicle Drive Systems department describes its analysis technology as an “important breakthrough”: It enables “CO2 emissions to be assessed separately and an accurate automatic vehicle classification to be carried out by analyzing large databases,” explains researcher Naghmeh Niroomand. “This makes it easier to analyze changes in fleets in a country or a large company.” Thanks to this new method, “subjective and expert-based factors” would be eliminated and databases from all over the world would be comparable.

    For Switzerland, the team was able to calculate the average CO2 emissions of newly registered cars. If less heavy vehicles such as SUVs were on Swiss roads, this would be the most effective way of promoting decarbonization, says Niroomand. It would also be helpful to buy vehicles with lower performance in the same vehicle class.

  • Milestone for sustainable building is being created in Zug

    Milestone for sustainable building is being created in Zug

    The construction project for V-ZUG ‘s new production and assembly building called Zephyr Ost in the Zug Tech Cluster is the largest to date in which CO2-enriched concrete has been used. It is made from recycled concrete from the building materials group Holcim , which is enriched with CO2 using a neustark process. According to a press release , the construction work started on Wednesday. The building is scheduled to go into service in 2023.

    For this climate-friendly concrete, CO2 from Switzerland is being used for the first time. The start-up based in Bern and spun off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ) in 2019, neustark extracts the CO2 from the wastewater treatment plant of the ara region Bern AG .

    The recycled granulate for concrete production is processed by the recycling processing plant Arge EvoREC in Oberdorf NW. This is a joint venture between Holcim Kies und Beton AG and Zimmermann Umweltlogistik AG . The granulate is then carbonated by neustark using the dry process. The technology has been tested in the past few months and is now being used commercially.

    With the use of 4,200 cubic meters of recycled concrete and the binding of CO2, a total saving of 71 tons of CO2 is achieved compared to conventional construction. That corresponds roughly to the annual CO2 uptake of 3500 Swiss firs.

    “We are pleased to be able to come one step closer to our vision of climate-neutral and circular concrete production with the help of the innovative neustark process,” said Giovanni Barbarani, Head of Concrete Performance at Holcim Switzerland. “This project is a milestone on the way to sustainable building in Switzerland, also thanks to its regionality and short transport routes.”

    The Metall Zug Group wants to create “a new piece of the city for an industrial ecosystem” in the Zug Tech Cluster. Other industrial companies, start-ups, technology-related service providers, training institutions and apartments are also to be located there.

  • Second heating network for Steinhausen can be financed

    Second heating network for Steinhausen can be financed

    The construction and operation of a second heating network for the Steinhausen community are economically feasible. This is confirmed by a feasibility study that WWZ Energie and the municipality began a year ago. According to a media release by both actors, their results will be presented to the population on October 20th at 7.30 p.m. in the Steinhausen community hall.

    They show that in large parts of the municipality the prerequisites in terms of energy density and demand for the construction and economic operation of a second and larger network are in place. This is to be operated with regional wood as an energy source.

    The Steinhausen Zentrum heating network has been in operation since 2017. The new network could be linked to this in the medium term as well as to the Ennetsee heating network planned by WWZ. This increases the security of supply and allows efficient dimensioning of the heating center.

    "The heating network, as we are planning it with WWZ, makes a significant contribution to the implementation of the Energy Strategy 2050," said Mayor Hans Staub. In addition, it increases “the attractiveness and quality of life in our community”.

  • Federal government uses geothermal energy for buildings

    Federal government uses geothermal energy for buildings

    Most of the buildings in the National Sports Center in Magglingen are currently heated with gas, according to a press release from the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (BBL). The BBL is currently realizing a number of new construction and renovation projects for the Federal Office for Sport at the sports center. For the first time, the federal government is using geothermal energy to supply heat to buildings. A new district heating network will supply both the existing and the new buildings.

    Geothermal energy from a depth of 1,300 meters is used for the heat supply. It is expected that the extracted water has a temperature of 30 to 50 degrees Celsius. For this purpose, two wells are being built. The warm water is pumped up via one, the cooled water is let down again via the other. In between, a heat exchanger on the surface takes the heat from the water and uses it to supply the building.

    While the gas supply currently emits 1,300 tonnes of CO2 annually, this should only be 70 tonnes in the future.

  • Switzerland has great potential for geothermal energy

    Switzerland has great potential for geothermal energy

    Switzerland has considerable potential in the use of alternative energy sources such as geothermal energy and in the underground storage of CO2. This emerges from a press release from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne ( EPFL ). Professor Lyesse Laloui from the Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ( ENAC ) at EPFL was head of the research group on geoenergy as part of the Innosuisse Energy funding program, which ran from 2013 to 2020. Eight competence centers have been set up. EPFL played a leading role in the field of geoenergy. Laloui is the author of the chapter on this in the final report of Innosuisse.

    Lyesse Laloui sees great potential for the use of geothermal energy. The Swiss government has set the target for 2035 of generating 11 percent of the energy used for heating and cooling buildings from geothermal energy. Laloui assumes over 20 percent. “The project results show that this share could easily be doubled,” he is quoted in the communication. The possibilities of using geothermal energy to generate electricity were also examined. Laloui points out problems such as drilling deep without triggering seismic movements. “One day we will surely make it, but we are not there yet.”

    According to the Lalouis report, there are good opportunities for the underground storage of CO2 emissions in Switzerland, especially in the Central Plateau from Friborg to Zurich. Professor Laloui is quoted as saying that of the around 40 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent that are emitted in Switzerland every year, around 12 million could be stored underground.

  • UZH wants to generate electricity on a green roof

    UZH wants to generate electricity on a green roof

    The University of Zurich is to have a new teaching and learning center, the FORUM UZH, by 2028. According to a message on Monday, the cantonal building construction department submitted the building pre-submission. Afterwards, the seven-story building designed by the Basel architects Herzog & de Meuron will be erected as a wood hybrid construction with a concrete structure. The use of wood is supposed to save as much CO2 as is needed to build 77 single-family houses.

    The roof is to be greened intensively, thereby improving cooling in summer and thermal insulation in winter. At the same time, the roof will have a photovoltaic system. This should generate around 150 megawatt hours per year, enough electricity for 50 households.

    Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024. In the future, the building will have 700 workplaces for students and work space for 6000 members of the university.

  • ewz equips 70 Aldi roofs with solar modules

    ewz equips 70 Aldi roofs with solar modules

    Around 70 Aldi Suisse branches can use self-produced solar power either now or in the near future. According to a media release from Aldi, “one of the largest solar energy projects in Switzerland” is on the home straight. A total of 45,000 solar modules will then have been installed on the approximately 70 Aldi Suisse branch roofs. The photovoltaic systems are installed and operated by ewz .

    The electricity generated from around 14 million kilowatt hours corresponds roughly to the annual consumption of 5,000 households. Together with the "largest connected solar system in Switzerland" on the roof of the Aldi Suisse distribution center in Perlen ZH, a total of over 22 million kilowatt hours of electricity would then be produced. This could supply around 8,400 households for a year.

    Aldi Suisse uses the majority of this for lighting or cooling its own branches and for electric charging stations. So far, they have been built at 10 percent of the locations. Any surpluses would be fed into the grid by ewz. "We are proud", says Jérôme Meyer, Aldi Country Manager, "that with solar energy projects like this we are helping to further systematically reduce the company's own CO2 footprint".

  • Sulzer and Blue Planet are working on CO2-negative concrete

    Sulzer and Blue Planet are working on CO2-negative concrete

    Sulzer and Blue Planet want to work together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable cement industry. For this they have now entered into a partnership. The Californian specialist for CO2 capture and mineralization uses technologies from the Winterthur company to reduce CO2 in order to lower greenhouse gas emissions from industrial operations.

    According to a press release from Sulzer, Blue Planet has developed a profitable CO2 capture, use and storage system that captures CO2 from a variety of emission sources such as power plants, refineries, steel and cement plants. The CO2 is mineralized in solid, crystalline form and thus permanently bound. The granulate is added to concrete as a 70 to 90 percent main component. As usual, these aggregates are then bound by cement. With a share of 7 percent, cement makes a significant contribution to global CO2 emissions. But the CO2 footprint of the cement in the concrete is "more than compensated for" by the CO2 bound in the synthetic limestone aggregates, according to Sulzer.

    "We are pleased to be able to contribute our expertise in circular applications to such a future-oriented project," said Sulzer's Chemtech division manager, Torsten Wintergerste, quoted in the press release. "It will help reduce carbon emissions from industrial applications and the cement sector – a major concern of our customers."

  • Buildings of the Zurich city administration will be CO2-neutral

    Buildings of the Zurich city administration will be CO2-neutral

    According to a media release from the City of Zurich, all of the properties owned by the city administration are to become CO2-neutral by 2035. City Councilor André Odermatt (SP), Head of the Building Construction Department, presented a strategy for this this week.

    According to the announcement, a large part of the operating emissions can be traced back to fossil heat generation. Among other things, all fossil heating systems should therefore be replaced by alternative heat sources. The heat will come from heat networks or district heating systems. Further measures include technical innovations, improvements in energy efficiency and changes in behavior.

    The portfolio of Immobilien Stadt Zürich (IMMO) includes school complexes, office buildings and workshops. Since 2007, thanks to various measures, it has already been possible to more than halve the buildings' annual CO2 emissions by around 23,000 tonnes to around 20,000 tonnes. A reduction of 90 percent is to be achieved by 2030, before the buildings become completely CO2-neutral in 2035.

    “The goal is ambitious, but the size of our portfolio with around 1,800 buildings also obliges us to set ambitious goals. IMMO can make a significant contribution to urban climate policy, ”Odermatt is quoted as saying.

  • Stadtwerk Winterthur pushes conversion to renewables

    Stadtwerk Winterthur pushes conversion to renewables

    Stadtwerk Winterthur is consistently pursuing the conversion of the energy supply to renewable energies, explains the energy company of the City of Winterthur in a communication on the 2020 annual financial statements . In the year under review, Stadtwerk Winterthur installed 14 new photovoltaic systems, among other things. Since April, only biogas and CO2-compensated natural gas have been offered as basic gas products.

    In order to promote the switch to district heating, the company also refrains from actively selling new gas connections. The basic supply of electricity has been offered exclusively through electricity from renewable energy sources since the beginning of 2020.

    Stadtwerk Winterthur explains in the press release that biogas is currently around 13 percent of the total sales volume. This year the share is to be increased to 33 percent. The company also plans to install 100 new photovoltaic systems by 2025. In addition, it is planned to renew incineration line 2 of the waste incineration plant in the Grüze. This means that additional areas can be supplied with district heating, writes Stadtwerk Winterthur.

    In the year under review, Stadtwerk Winterthur generated total sales of 239 million francs, slightly below the previous year's figure. The profit, on the other hand, has increased significantly to 33 million francs, explains the company. The communication cites very good purchase prices for electricity and gas as a background.

  • Circulit concrete is being delivered for the first time

    Circulit concrete is being delivered for the first time

    In Stadel, the recyclable concrete was delivered circulit for the first time. This will create three apartment buildings on Hinterdorfstrasse. “The circular age begins with the delivery of the first cubic meters of circular concrete,” writes the newly founded company , which calls itself just like its product, in its press release .

    Thanks to the use of 1850 cubic meters of circular concrete, the builder EBI Immobilien saves 3260 primary raw materials. It also reduces the construction project's carbon footprint by 18,500 kilograms. This is achieved by using a “new type of technology” to store CO2 in the concrete.

    This building material "gives me the opportunity to achieve a significant reduction in the biggest influencing factor, concrete," Sarah Heinle from EBI Immobilien is quoted in the press release. "We hope that other clients will follow suit so that we can achieve the ambitious environmental goals together."

    Theoretically, according to Circulit, the construction industry can remove 7.5 million tons of construction waste annually and at the same time store over 42 million kilograms of CO2 in the concrete. The technology is ready for the market and the national expansion has started.

  • AKB Green Hypothek saves tons of CO2

    AKB Green Hypothek saves tons of CO2

    The Aargauische Kantonalbank has set itself the goal of becoming the most sustainable bank in the canton of Aargau for its strategy period from 2021 to 2024. To this end, the Green Mortgage and the Green Bond were launched in 2020. Now the AKB has had the effect of the green financing offers on the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of buildings examined.

    In the Impact Reporting of the Information and Training Center for Real Estate AG (IAZI), according to the AKB media release, the total annual savings in CO2 emissions are around 232 tonnes. According to the IAZI test report, the calculation is based on a list of 93 homes that were financed with the help of the AKB Green Mortgage in the year under review or granted as earmarked loans for sustainable renovation measures. The IAZI report was audited by EY's auditors.

    The 232 tonnes of CO2 savings in the projections of the IAZI test report correspond to the annual emissions of around 190 new, commercially available passenger cars, according to the report. Or they correspond to the average annual Swiss consumption of 16 individuals.

    The promotion of environmentally friendly construction leads to emission reductions in buildings, is stated in the AKB communication. With the Green Mortgage, AKB offers environmentally conscious property owners the opportunity to build or renovate their own home according to climate-friendly criteria. The financing takes place through a green bond that the AKB has issued.

    The Kantonalbank points out that, in addition to new buildings and individual measures to save energy, the Green Mortgage also covers comprehensive renovations to increase energy efficiency or the use of renewable energies.

  • Schächen power plant supplies 3,600 households

    Schächen power plant supplies 3,600 households

    In its first, not quite full year of operation, the Schächen hydropower plant produced 14.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity to supply around 3,300 households. In full operation there will be 3,600 households. The new power plant will thus make an important contribution to the CO2-free supply of electricity from renewable sources, emphasized Werner Jauch, Chairman of the Board of Directors, at the general meeting of KW Schächen AG .

    According to a press release, he also highlighted that two of the three machine groups of the power plant commissioned in November 2019 started work six weeks ahead of schedule. This was not a matter of course, especially in Corona times. "This enabled us to make optimal use of the good water supply in winter and spring 2020."

    In general, the construction work in the middle of the lively Uri basin was “a great challenge”, says Jauch: “The project experienced many ups and downs in a planning and approval marathon of around eight years, and the construction phase was also very demanding.” It turned out to be very demanding however, "definitely worth it to accept and successfully master all challenges up to and including the corona pandemic at KW Schächen".

  • LafargeHolcim finds partners for CO2 capture

    LafargeHolcim finds partners for CO2 capture

    The building materials group LafargeHolcim and the Texan Schlumberger New Energy want to find a solution for capturing and storing CO2 using the example of two LafargeHolcim cement plants. Using Schlumberger's CO2 sequestration technologies, the two companies plan to develop a concept for large-scale industrial use. The companies will provide information about this in a press release of the same name.

    Both are already active in this field. LafargeHolcim claims that it is currently testing more than 20 capture projects in Europe and North America. The group wants to identify the most promising, highly scalable projects. Schlumberger New Energy is working with leading companies in a number of strategic sectors to demonstrate potential solutions in a variety of projects.

    "Our partnership with Schlumberger, the world's leading technology provider for the global energy industry, will bring new advances in storage," said Magali Anderson, sustainability officer at LafargeHolcim. "These should then be replicated on a large scale at our locations."

  • CO2 reduction is driving the real estate market

    CO2 reduction is driving the real estate market

    In an interview , the new Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Herzog Kull Group Holding AG ( HKG ) puts buildings, structural measures and sustainable building management in the focus of the discussion about reducing CO2 emissions. "With increasing penalties for CO2 emissions, owners of real estate portfolios are increasingly coming under pressure," Beat Huber is quoted as saying. Investors, but also tenants, would place higher demands on energy efficiency and ecological energy supply. Electricity from your own roof and ecological heat supply would be standard in many buildings in the future.

    Huber, who is a proven energy specialist, expects that the new CO2 law will certainly accelerate development in Switzerland. Because of the lower energy costs here compared to other countries, cost savings were not a particular issue in the past. That has changed due to the pressure to save CO2. In Switzerland there are currently a lot of efforts, new services and companies around the topic of building technology.

    In Huber's opinion, financial incentives or taxes in the event of excessively high CO2 values will mean that in the future a property with a solar system and ecological heat supply will no longer be a particularly attractive offer. Instead, you will be “punished by investors and tenants if you cannot offer or have implemented this,” Huber is quoted as saying. These expectations will trigger many investments in real estate and areas. “Large property portfolio owners are currently analyzing their properties with regard to reducing CO2 and making funds available.” He sees great potential for corresponding services, such as those already offered by HKG.

  • Methanology relies on crowd financing

    Methanology relies on crowd financing

    Methanology has developed a process with which methanol can be produced from water, CO2 and renewable electricity, explains Methanology in a press release. With the patented willpower energy technology, excess energy from renewable sources can be stored in the form of methanol. Alcohol, which is toxic to humans, is suitable as fuel for machines or as a substitute for heating oil. The young company from Neuhausen am Rheinfall wants to contribute to the energy transition with its technology.

    A prototype of the willpower energy reactor developed by Methanology can be found as a single system in most basement rooms, the start-up writes in the press release. Its modular and scalable design also enables the production of larger quantities of methanol, such as would be necessary for the operation of a ship, for example. Methanology aims to bring its technology to market maturity within three years. For the appropriate development of the prototypes, the young company now has a campaign for swarm financing launched.

  • Green asphalt permanently removes CO2 from the air

    Green asphalt permanently removes CO2 from the air

    In Dornbirn, as part of the expansion of the district heating network, new asphalt is being laid on a stretch of road. So-called green asphalt is used for the first time. 1.7 percent charcoal from the production of theEnergieWerk Ilg is added to the asphalt. This allows the carbon contained in the charcoal to be stored and the CO2 formed with it to be permanently removed from the atmosphere. The company is thus improving its carbon footprint.

    A first test mixture was installed on September 24th, according to a message from EnergieWerk Ilg. If this mixture meets expectations, a test section of 30 meters is to be laid on October 14th and 15th.

    If the pilot project in the state of Vorarlberg is successful, roads can become new CO2 sinks. Asphalt can contain around 5 percent of such additives on average. This means that 100,000 tons of asphalt could soon permanently remove well over 10,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.

    The pilot project is supported by a number of partners. The asphalt is manufactured by Migu Asphalt in Lustenau, which intends to use it to introduce a new product and strengthen its market position. The technology for producing the charcoal comes from the Syncraft company in Schwaz in the state of Tyrol. EnergieWerk Ilg, which supplies the admixture, has already been climate-neutral and can become climate-positive with this product. The city of Dornbirn is profiling itself as a model region for the energy transition .

    Hans-Peter Schmidt from the Ithaka Institute in Arbaz VS advises the project. Carbonfuture GmbH in Freiburg i.Br. certifies carbon storage. This means that certificates for the removal of carbon from the atmosphere can be issued and the green asphalt can be co-financed.

    The project was initiated by the European Biochar Industry ( EBI ) consortium. EBI wants to create and establish new, verifiable and certifiable CO2 sinks with charcoal and biochar.

  • Sustainable fuel is created from greenhouse gases

    Sustainable fuel is created from greenhouse gases

    Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ) are working on more sustainable fuels and plastics. To do this, they have developed a new type of catalyst. According to a press release , this catalyst could replace fossil hydrocarbons with more climate-friendly alternatives. A corresponding study has now been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

    This new catalyst developed by the research team led by ETH professor Christoph Müller and study author Alexey Fedorov enables the conversion of CO2 and methane into synthesis gas many times more efficiently than previous catalyst materials. Synthesis gas is an important raw material for the chemical industry. Liquid fuels can be produced from this, as can basic chemicals for the production of plastics.

    What is new about this catalyst is that it consists of extremely thin metal oxide carbides. Unlike conventional catalysts made from metal carbides, they do not oxidize when they come into contact with CO2. This means that the ETH catalyst retains its reactivity, says Christoph Müller, Professor of Energy Science and Energy Technology in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering .

    Since the CO2 can be extracted from the atmosphere and only the methane comes from fossil deposits that are millions of years old, such synthetic fuels and chemicals have a smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuels.

    The new reaction accelerator could possibly also replace expensive noble metal catalysts. Although there is still a long way to go before industrial application, the team hopes, according to Fedorov, “that our new catalyst material will be an attractive option for the production of synthesis gas”.

  • Matériaux Sabag prints concrete elements

    Matériaux Sabag prints concrete elements

    Matériaux Sabag is expanding its offer with a 3D printing solution for concrete elements. The company, based in Delémont, has been using a robot since the end of September that enables 3D printing using the concrete spraying process. The concrete elements can thus be tailor-made in the prefabrication. The solution allows the use of raw materials from local production, writes the company in a press release . In addition, CO2 emissions can be reduced by 30 percent. “In this way we will be able to accept urgent orders and react flexibly to customer requests so that we can meet the requirements of the construction sites,” Cédric Theubet, Operations Manager at Matériaux Sabag, is quoted in the press release.

    The Jura specialist for building materials is the first company in Switzerland to use this Mobbot solution. The start-up from Freiburg i.Ue. develops robot platforms for 3D concrete printing. His 3D printing of concrete parts means that cladding can be dispensed with and less manual work is required. Mobbot was founded in 2018 by Agnès Petit and today has eleven employees.

  • Coop and Energie 360 ° are building charging stations in shopping centers

    Coop and Energie 360 ° are building charging stations in shopping centers

    According to a press release , Energie 360 ° will start construction work at the first Coop locations this autumn. The charging stations are built both at Coop sales outlets and in shopping centers. The Zurich-based energy and mobility service provider plans to equip 20 of the around 100 planned Coop locations by the end of the year. The other charging stations will follow by mid-2023.

    Martin Kessler, Head of Mobility at Energie 360 °, is quoted in the communication: “Our goal is to make electromobility easily and widely available. No region in Switzerland should have to wait longer than the other. ”This means that in the implementation of the joint Energie 360 ° and Coop project, all regions – from Basel to Ticino and from Geneva to St.Gallen – will be right from the start should be taken into account equally.

    Salome Hofer, Head of Sustainability / Economic Policy at Coop: “With the electric charging stations, we want to meet the needs of our customers for charging options at our sales outlets and at the same time promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”

    The construction of the charging stations, which is now starting, was preceded by a two-year pilot phase. Then Coop decided to work with Energie 360 ° and its subsidiary swisscharge.ch .

    The charging current offered at the stations – 22 kilowatts of alternating current – comes mainly from ecological production, emphasizes Energie 360 °. Depending on the charging strength of the electric car, it charges energy for up to 150 kilometers in one hour. The electricity price is the same at all Coop charging stations. The charging stations are integrated into the swisscharge.ch network, which includes over 48,000 charging options across Europe.

  • LafargeHolcim intensifies efforts to achieve climate goals

    LafargeHolcim intensifies efforts to achieve climate goals

    As the first globally active building materials group, LafargeHolcim has committed itself to scientifically sound goals for reducing its CO2 footprint, explains the Zug-based cement giant in a press release . Specifically, LafargeHolcim will participate in the Science-Based Targets Initiative ( SBTi ) campaign. Its aim is to motivate companies to set scientifically sound, measurable objectives with which the climate target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius can be met.

    As part of the campaign, LafargeHolcim will reduce CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious building materials to 475 kilograms, the company explains in the press release. Furthermore, the Zug-based building materials group wants to increase the use of low-carbon and CO2-neutral building materials. In addition, the company's footprint is to be reduced by increasing the reuse and recycling of waste and by-products. Overall, LafargeHolcim aims to reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 emissions from purchased electricity by more than 20 percent by 2030 compared to 2018.

    "As the world's largest cement manufacturer, we are playing a key role in overcoming the challenges of today's climate crisis," said Magali Anderson, Chief Sustainability Officer of LafargeHolcim, quoted in the press release. "On our way to becoming a 'net-zero' company, we are not only part of the solution, but we also support our customers in achieving their carbon reduction goals."

  • ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    If the concrete industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. It produces around four times as much CO2 as all global air traffic. The start-up Neustark , a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ), is countering this with its concept: the mineralization of carbon dioxide from the air to obtain limestone.

    Neustark binds CO2 in the pores and on the surface of concrete granulate. This upgraded granulate can then be mixed in fresh concrete as a substitute for sand and gravel. Thanks to these granules, less cement is required while the properties remain the same. This emerges from a communication from the ETH.

    “What appealed to me was that the solution would not be available for five or ten years, but already now,” says business economist Valentin Gutknecht, who is responsible for the operational aspects of the business in the ever-growing Neustark team. Together with Johannes Tiefenthaler, he wants to turn this climate-positive business idea into reality. Tiefenthaler is doing his doctorate at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ( MAVT ) on the next generation of technology for the mineralization of carbon dioxide.

    There is a lot of research going on in the construction sector, but so far the industry has only achieved small reductions in emissions, so Tiefenthaler. The advantage of the concrete granulate is that it is highly reactive and the broken concrete forms a very stable chemical compound even without climate-damaging pre-treatment with carbon dioxide.

    Your pilot plant for recycling concrete is funded by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ) and the Swiss Climate Foundation. The project is now intended to demonstrate the added value along the entire value chain. Neustark's goal: negative emissions for which there are only "very few technical approaches". The start-up wants to show "that negative emissions can not only bring costs but even economic benefits".

  • Electric vehicles are good for Zurich

    Electric vehicles are good for Zurich

    A study commissioned by the canton and the city of Zurich compared the overall eco-balances of various vehicles and drive types. The results show that battery-powered vehicles generally enable a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kilometer, provided they are fueled with low-CO2 electricity. However, electric vehicles are not yet perfect either. Their manufacture, for example, causes particulate matter emissions outside of Switzerland in particular.

    As part of the study, the Zurich Mobility Environment Index (ZMU) was created, which weights the environmental indicators specifically for Zurich. The results of the ZMU show that the overall environmental pollution in urban areas can be reduced most effectively with battery electric vehicles.

    The results are intended to form a basis for decision-making in the vehicle policy of the city and canton of Zurich. According to the information, the city council wants a consistent conversion of the vehicle fleet to alternative drives. This change is already under way. For example, ERZ Disposal + Recycling Zurich has been using electric delivery vans to empty waste bins on public land since July 2019. In April 2020, ERZ also put the first electrically powered waste collection vehicle into operation.