About
Until 2032, the Climate Cent Foundation will invest its resources primarily in private-sector climate protection projects in which difficult to avoid CO₂ emissions are durably removed from the atmosphere (Negative Emissions Technologies, NET) or directly captured at their point of production and then stored (Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS).
In order to identify suitable projects, in summer 2022 the Climate Cent Foundation carried out a call for proposals in the fields of NET / CCS. Of the proposals submitted, 21 met the conditions for participation. In a second round, 14 of these proposals underwent further development. In February 2023, five projects were granted funding approval. All of these projects involve carbon capture in Switzerland, mainly in biogas facilities. Three of the projects are aimed at storing the CO₂ in building materials in Switzerland, while the other two plan to transport the CO₂ to other countries to be durably stored underground. Funding agreements for an overall amount of CHF 50 million were signed in August 2023.
Current status
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ReCO₂ver, Sika Services Ltd
Project description
ReCO₂ver is a process in which demolition concrete is mechanically separated and broken down into its main components gravel, sand and mineral powder using additives. In a tank, the mineral powder is then injected with CO₂ from various capture points. A mineralisation process transforms it into carbonated powder, which can in turn be used for the production of cement / concrete / mortar. Next to the sequestration of CO₂ in the carbonated powder, the technology reduces resource consumption by making it possible to reuse the original components of demolition concrete.
Project status (August 2024)
The request for assessment of the project’s suitability for the issuance of attestations was submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in due time before the end of 2023 and is currently being processed. Several plants are due to go into operation by 2026, making it possible to store 16’500 tonnes of CO₂ by 2030.
Project owner
Sika Ltd operates worldwide in the field of construction aggregates.
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Sequestration of biogenic CO₂ in concrete granulate, zirkulit Ltd
Project description
Zirkulit Ltd has developed a circular concrete whose special formulation ensures a lower proportion of cement and thus a reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional concrete. This concrete granulate is further injected with biogenic CO₂ captured in biogas plants, storing the CO₂ in concrete via mineralisation.
Project status (August 2024)
The request for assessment of the project’s suitability for the issuance of attestations was submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in due time in March 2024 and is currently being processed. Several plants are due to go into operation by 2025, making it possible to store 16’500 tonnes of CO₂ by 2030.
Project owner
Zirkulit Ltd is a subsidiary of the well-established construction enterprises Eberhard Unternehmungen.
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BEST, Neustark Ltd
Project description
Neustark Ltd has developed and brought to market maturity a process for storing CO₂ in recycled concrete. The project involves setting up liquefaction facilities for CO₂ captured in biogas plants as well as carbon sequestration facilities next to recycled concrete factories, in which concrete granulate is injected with CO₂ in special reaction containers, durably storing the CO₂ in concrete through mineralisation. The programme focusses on the gassing of concrete granulate that is subsequently used not to produce recycled concrete but rather as loose crushed material, for example in road construction.
Project status (August 2024)
The request for assessment of the project’s suitability for the issuance of attestations was submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in due time before the end of 2023 and is currently being processed. The first capture resp. sequestration facility was put into operation in March 2024. The contracted quantity amounts to 16’500 tonnes of CO₂.
Project owner
Neustark Ltd was established in 2019 as an ETH spin-off.
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CO₂ capture and sequestration at the biogas plant Nesselnbach, CO₂ Energie Ltd
Project description
The biogas plant in Nesselnbach processes food waste to produce methane, which is fed into the natural gas grid. To this end, CO₂ is captured from the biogas. Since November 2022, a liquefaction facility has been in operation to bring the CO₂ to food grade quality. Following an expansion of the biogas plant, an additional processing facility is under construction to scale up the feed-in of natural gas. Under the project, the CO₂ captured in this process is to be liquefied and durably stored underground. As such storage sites are not yet available in Switzerland, the CO₂ will be exported by truck, train and boat – storage sites are already under development in Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Project status (August 2024)
The project is currently undergoing validation. The request for assessment of its suitability for the issuance of attestations should be submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in due time before the end of October 2024. The contracted quantity amounts to 13’500 tonnes of CO₂.
Project owner
CO₂ Energie Ltd operates the biogas plant in Nesselnbach.
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TOGETHER, Neustark Ltd
Project description
Under this project, Neustark Ltd plans to build liquefaction facilities next to several biogas plants in Switzerland that already capture CO₂ for natural gas processing, and to transport the liquefied CO₂ to storage sites in Iceland by truck, train and boat.
Project status (August 2024)
The project is currently undergoing validation. The request for assessment of its suitability for the issuance of attestations should be submitted to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) in due time before the end of October 2024. The necessary storage capacity in Iceland has already been secured by contract. The contracted quantity amounts to 13’000 tonnes of CO₂.
Project owner
Neustark Ltd was established in 2019 as an ETH spin-off.
