immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: CO2-Entfernung

  • New partnership promotes permanent carbon removal

    New partnership promotes permanent carbon removal

    The Bern-based ClimateTech company Neustark has been awarded a multi-year contract for CO2 removal (CDR) by Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss), according to a press release. For the first time, a representative of the aviation and construction industries are joining forces to work together to permanently reduce carbon emissions, the press release continues. Both sectors are considered high-emission industries that are difficult to decarbonise, according to Valentin Gutknecht, co-founder and co-CEO of Neustark.

    For the start-up, which was founded as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) in 2019, the partnership paves the way for a Europe-wide expansion of carbon capture, storage and removal technology. “Pioneers like Swiss play a crucial role in the further expansion of our CO2 removal technology, enabling us to permanently remove exponentially more tonnes of hard-to-avoid CO2 emissions from the atmosphere every day,” Gutknecht is quoted as saying.

    Neustark’s solution is based on the reutilisation of concrete from demolished buildings and mineral waste materials. The technology triggers an accelerated mineralisation process in which CO2 is bound to the pores and surface of the granulate and thus permanently removed from the air. The demolition granulate can then be reused in carbonised form in the construction of roads or for the production of recycled concrete.

    The partnership was concluded with the option of extending the volume and duration and is part of a long-term initiative to remove CO2 from Swiss. The airline, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, already has partnerships with Swiss climate technology companies such as Climeworks and Synhelion, according to the statement: “The permanent removal of CO2 is an important building block on the way to net zero in aviation. Together, we are taking an important step towards scaling this technology,” CEO Jens Fehlinger is quoted as saying.

  • Negative emissions for a climate-neutral future

    Negative emissions for a climate-neutral future

    Energie 360° is opening up the market for permanent CO2 removal to interested companies and private individuals. According to a press release, the Zurich-based energy supplier is now enabling them to buy certificates for negative emissions online.

    The physical removal of CO2 takes place in the pyrolysis plant of Energie 360° subsidiary Bioenergie Frauenfeld. There, CO2 is extracted from waste wood with the help of renewable energies and bound as pure carbon. This is mixed with an earth substrate, for example, and can thus be permanently removed from the atmosphere. Bioenergie Frauenfeld produces around 3500 tons of biochar per year. This corresponds to over 10,000 tons of stored CO2.

    One of the first customers for the certificates is Zürcher Kantonalbank(ZKB). “Our goal is to achieve net zero in our operations by 2030,” ZKB CEO Urs Baumann is quoted as saying in the press release. “In order to permanently remove some of our unavoidable CO2 emissions from the atmosphere, we are purchasing negative emissions certificates from Energie 360°’s Frauenfeld bioenergy plant.”

    Energie 360° also invested in two German start-ups in September in order to develop products for the Swiss market with them. Ucaneo Biotech in Berlin has developed an electrochemical process for the direct removal of CO2 from the air. Planeteers in Hamburg removes stored CO2 from seawater and can thus produce mineralized water and improve the acid-binding capacity of the sea.

  • Innovation in CO2 removal

    Innovation in CO2 removal

    The new offer makes CO2 removal tangible for companies and individuals. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere using innovative technologies and stored permanently in Switzerland. These so-called negative emissions play a decisive role in achieving Switzerland’s ambitious climate targets, as set out in the Climate and Innovation Act. This solution offers effective compensation, particularly for companies on the path to net zero whose emissions cannot be completely avoided.

    Sustainable storage of CO2 through biochar
    The company relies on an environmentally friendly process for CO2 removal that uses waste wood in the pyrolysis plant of its subsidiary Bioenergie Frauenfeld. The conversion of the wood produces biochar, which serves as a natural reservoir for CO2. A single tonne of biochar stores around three tons of CO2, which leads to a significant reduction in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Companies such as Zürcher Kantonalbank are already using this technology to permanently bind part of their CO2 emissions.

    Partners for innovation and scalability
    In addition to biochar, Energie 360° is relying on promising partnerships and start-ups to drive forward the scalability of CO2 removal. With Ucaneo Biotech and Planeteers, they are working on pioneering technologies such as direct CO2 removal and carbon capture. These innovations are expected to deliver cost-effective and large-scale CO2 reduction by 2026, which is essential for achieving climate targets.

    Negative emissions technologies are an essential part of climate policy
    Negative emissions technologies are recognized by scientific and political actors as the key to limiting global warming. The permanent removal of CO2 from the atmosphere is essential in order to limit the global temperature rise to a controllable level. In Switzerland, these technologies play a central role in the Energy Perspectives 2050 and in the Climate and Innovation Act. They are seen as essential instruments for achieving a climate-neutral future by 2050.

  • CO2 removal in building materials: CDR alliance grows

    CO2 removal in building materials: CDR alliance grows

    Over the next few years, NextGen CDR will purchase CO2 removed from the air and permanently stored in building materials (carbon dioxide removal, CDR) from the Bern-based company Neustark at 18 locations. The CDR alliance includes Mitsubishi, South Pole, UBS and SwissRe.Neustark will ensure the high-quality, permanent removal of CO2 from the atmosphere for NextGen CDR in the coming years. The two companies have signed a multi-year agreement to this effect, according to a press release.

    The CO2 will be removed by Neustark at its sites in Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, France, the UK and other European countries. The Bern-based ClimateTech company has developed an innovative process that captures biogenic CO2 at source.

    “We turned the world’s largest waste stream – demolition concrete – and other mineral waste materials into carbon sinks,” explains Neustark’s Head of CDR, Lisa Braune. “Partnering with carbon removal pioneers like NextGen is critical to scaling the impact of the CDR industry.”

    According to NextGen, NextGen has already removed 1500 tonnes of CO2. With 120,000 tonnes of high-quality carbon removal sold to various organisations, Neustark is among the top 10 worldwide.

    According to NextGen GDR, the alliance was “developed specifically for corporate buyers committed to Net Zero targets. It makes durable, high-quality CDRs accessible at a target price of $200 per tonne.” NextGen CDR is operated by Zurich-based climate consultancy South Pole and Mitsubishi Corporation, and supported by founding buyers Boston Consulting Group, Liechtenstein-based LGT Group, Tokyo-based shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Zurich-based reinsurer Swiss Re and major bank UBS. NextGen CDR plans to purchase a total of 1 million tonnes of CDR by 2025.

  • Neustark supplies CO2 removal solution to Microsoft

    Neustark supplies CO2 removal solution to Microsoft

    The Bern-based ClimateTech company Neustark has signed a multi-year purchase agreement with Microsoft. According to a press release, the American technology company will purchase 27,600 tonnes of carbon removal credits over a period of six years in order to play a pioneering role in CO2 removal.

    The focus is on the process developed by Neustark for the permanent removal of CO2. According to the press release, it is based on the process of mineralisation, which binds CO2. Mineral waste and recycling materials such as demolition concrete serve as permanent storage for the CO2 removed from the atmosphere. “Biogenic CO2 is separated from the biogas plants of partners, liquefied and transported to the nearby storage facilities. There, CO2 is injected into the demolition concrete granulate as an additive to the existing recycling process.”

    In this way, Microsoft wants to continue working towards the goal of a negative CO2 balance by 2030. “Neustark has developed a solution for the provision of high-quality, permanent CO2 removal. It is both scalable and measurable – helping companies move towards a sustainable future,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft.

    Neustark currently has 14 capture and storage facilities in operation in Switzerland and Germany, resulting in an annual cumulative storage capacity of over 5000 tonnes of CO2. “Working with CO2 removal pioneers such as Microsoft is a major contributor to multiplying our impact and that of the carbon removal industry,” says Lisa Braune, Head of Carbon Removal at Neustark.