From Emissions to Products – Using CO₂ as a Natural Resource
By removing excess CO₂ from the Earth's atmosphere, we transform a global challenge into a scalable industrial opportunity, paving the way towards a post-fossil future.
CO₂ Capture
Removing atmospheric CO₂ with high efficiency and sustainability.
CO₂ Conversion
Turning CO₂ into base chemicals to unlock economic value.
CO₂ Use & Sink
Binding CO₂ long-term for real-world
impact.
Towards a CO₂-binding society
A systemic and holistic approach to evaluate sustainable innovations and socio-economic factors, supporting the development of scalable business models for a carbon-binding society.
Impact
Mining the Atmosphere, a new Empa research initiative, aims at capturing excess CO₂ from the atmosphere and storing it in building materials such as concrete. Empa researchers have now calculated the potential of this approach for the first time: Five to ten billion tons of carbon could be used annually as concrete aggregates – well enough to permanently store the current excess CO₂ within 100 years after the energy transition and thus to bring atmospheric CO₂ back to climate-friendly levels.
Read more here.
In order to achieve the ambitious net zero target by 2050, we as a society need to rethink the standards and procedures we are living by. One of the most impactful sectors is the construction industry. Through the use of advanced technologies, buildings could soon serve as carbon sinks and thus help to ensure that the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere no longer increases.
Read more here.
The construction industry as a CO₂ sink? Researchers at Empa's Concrete & Asphalt lab are working on this. By incorporating biochar into concrete, they are exploring the potential of CO₂-neutral or even CO₂-negative concrete. For optimal applicability, they process the biochar into pellets and use them to replace conventional aggregates.
Read more here.
Collaboration