immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Pflanzenkohle

  • New heating network combines climate protection and regional value creation

    New heating network combines climate protection and regional value creation

    The Maisprach heating network in the canton of Basel-Landschaft and the Basel-based energy supplier IWB have launched a new project to supply heat from regional raw materials. Since the beginning of December, energy has been generated from a wood-fired boiler and a biochar plant and fed into the heating network, according to a press release.

    The municipality of Maisprach laid the foundations for this step in January 2025 with the construction of a new depot. IWB initially set up new wood heating systems there. This was followed in November by the construction of the biochar plant. Every year, 250 tonnes of biochar are to be produced here from landscape conservation wood and biomass through pyrolysis. The waste heat from the charcoal production will be fed into the district heating network. The operators anticipate 900 megawatt hours of heat energy for network customers, with a further expansion of the network on the horizon. The wood-fired boiler is also fuelled by regional biomass. The biochar produced is used in the region as an additive for composting, in soil substrates and in agriculture. IWB invested CHF 3.5 million in the project.

    “IWB has experience in the construction and operation of heating plants. As part of a pilot project in Basel, IWB tested the innovative approach of utilising waste heat from a biochar plant in a heating network. We can now benefit from this,” said Dorian Wernli, Mayor of Maisprach, in the press release.

  • Biochar concrete opens up prospects for a climate-neutral construction industry

    Biochar concrete opens up prospects for a climate-neutral construction industry

    Four construction companies from Switzerland have joined forces to found KLARK AG, based in Landquart GR, on 25 August 2025: Ulrich Imboden AG from Visp VS, Logbau AG from Maienfeld GR, Novakies AG from Rapperswil BE and Toggenburger AG from Winterthur. Their common goal is to make KLARK concrete, which is CO2-neutral thanks to the addition of biochar, available throughout the country.

    In a press release, they describe the founding of KLARK AG as a milestone for the Swiss construction industry: “It shows that ecological responsibility, economic thinking and cooperative structures can go hand in hand – even and especially in an industry that has long been considered sluggish.” KLARK stands for a move towards a building materials market “that not only measures climate effects, but actively changes them”. This is “industry innovation instead of individual battles”.

    The KLARK climate clay is mixed with as much biochar from untreated waste wood from regional forestry until a CO2-neutral product is created. According to the information provided, it has the same properties as traditional concrete, which causes CO2 emissions of up to 250 kilograms per cubic metre.

    The CO2 reduction performance has been verified with a verified life cycle assessment in accordance with the accounting rules of the Coordination Conference of Building and Property Bodies of Public Building Owners(KBOB). The life cycle assessment results are published on the KBOB list. KLARK concrete can be produced with 50, 75 or 100 per cent sink rate and is fully recyclable.

    Eberhard Bau AG from Kloten ZH, Aarebeton Aarau AG and Arnold & Co. AG Sand- und Kieswerke from Flüelen UR are already on board as licence holders for the production of KLARK concrete. “This creates a central competence centre for CO2-saving construction with concrete, supported by regional pioneers with a national reach,” the press release states.

  • 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.

  • Green cities as trailblazers for global climate impact

    Green cities as trailblazers for global climate impact

    The MCC study, published in the journal Nature Cities, highlights four key methods of CO2 removal in urban environments that could sequester one gigatonne of CO2 annually by the middle of the century. The methods analysed include adding biochar to cement, increasing the use of wood in construction, enriching urban soils with biochar and installing CO2 filters in commercial buildings. Together, these approaches could make a significant contribution to achieving net-zero urban emissions.

    Urban strategies for the climate and more
    Quirina Rodriguez Mendez, PhD student at the MCC and lead author of the study, emphasises that these techniques are of great benefit not only in terms of climate protection, but also for environmental quality and well-being in cities. For example, the use of special colour pigments and surface materials to improve the reflectivity of urban surfaces could significantly lower the temperature in cities and reduce the energy required for air conditioning systems.

    Local actions with a global impact
    The study emphasises the role of cities as “test laboratories” for climate protection, where local measures can be implemented quickly and potentially scaled up globally. Felix Creutzig, head of the MCC working group and co-author of the study, emphasises that local climate solutions, although often underestimated, can have an impressive impact and improve quality of life. The research findings offer important insights and recommendations for policymakers shaping urban infrastructure and policies.

  • Biochar makes the Swiss more sustainable

    Biochar makes the Swiss more sustainable

    The Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival ( ESAF ), which is held every three years, will take place in Pratteln from August 26th to 28th this year. Subsequently, Industrielle Werke Basel ( IWB ) will process the 245 cubic meters of sawdust used for the sawdust rings and the wood chips from other areas of the festival site into around 8 tons of biochar, IWB informed in a statement . Around 20 tons of CO2 are stored long-term in this biochar. The project is part of the federal government's sustainability strategy.

    Sawdust is in itself a climate-friendly material because it is CO2-neutral, explains IWB. However, the conversion into biochar further improves the CO2 balance. Because the biochar obtained in the pyrolysis process in the absence of oxygen and at temperatures of 600 degrees Celsius removes the CO2 from the atmosphere over the long term. As a "welcome by-product", the pyrolysis also produces waste heat, which IWB feeds into the district heating network.

  • Watt d'Or honors innovative companies

    Watt d'Or honors innovative companies

    The Swiss Watt d'Or 2022 Energy Prize was awarded on January 6th. The Federal Office of Energy ( SFOE ) has been presenting this seal of approval for energy excellence every year since 2007 on the occasion of its New Year's event. The prizes are not endowed. They should motivate business, politics and the general public to discover the advantages of innovative energy technologies for themselves.

    Schaerraum ag received the award in the building and space category. In just eight months of construction, she built a climate-neutral multi-storey residential and office building made of regional wood in Horw LU. According to a press release by the SFOE, it produces 50 percent more electricity than it needs. In addition, the rental prices are around 20 percent below the local average. This is made possible by the modular planning principle RaumRaster.

    In the renewable energies category, Verora AG is awarded to a group of farmers from the Zug mountain region. Since 2012, it has been producing biochar from tree and shrub cuttings with a pyrolysis system that has been further developed in-house. As a feed additive, it reduces the formation of gas during the digestion of cows and the smell of ammonia in the barn. It also increases the nutrient content of fertilizer and compost and binds CO2 for centuries.

    No winner was chosen in the mobility category this year. SBB receives the Watt d'Or 2022 in the energy technologies category. It has developed intelligent load management software that replaces the construction of new, expensive electricity production plants. In the event of peak loads, for example when many trains are accelerating at the same time, it switches off the train car and point heating for a short time. In this way, SBB can flexibly control 70 megawatts by 2023, according to the SFOE: "It is thus assuming a role model for the general electricity grid in Switzerland."