Are there alternatives to electromobility and CO2 reduction? “Yes!” is Prof. Radermacher’s clear answer. “The problem is that combustion processes release CO2 into the atmosphere. So, the question is: Can we prevent this?”
To achieve this, we need to capture CO2 where it’s emitted, such as at coal power plants and cement factories. The greenhouse gas can then be used to produce e-fuels or pumped into depleted oil and gas fields.
Germany has so far given little thought to this method. The situation is different in North America and Norway, where this process – known as Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) – has been in use for 30 years.
What environmentalists and climate activists have not achieved, the coronavirus seems to accomplish. The economy is at a standstill, air traffic is halted worldwide, and people are driving significantly less. Is the pandemic saving the climate? Or is it only giving it a brief respite? And most importantly: what happens once the shutdown is lifted? In an interview with the Südwest Presse, Prof. Radermacher discusses the benefits that COVID-19 may have for the climate and the lessons that can be learned for the period after the crisis.
You can download the full interview: “COVID-19 Pandemic Helps the Climate” here.
https://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/restaurant_closed.png9271626FAW/nhttps://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Logo_oben-300x121.pngFAW/n2020-05-04 15:33:002025-10-23 15:44:51Interview with Prof. Radermacher in the "Südwest Presse" Newspaper
The use of biochar for the active reduction of greenhouse gases is at the heart of carbonauten GmbH’s work. Since its founding in 2017, this start-up has been developing innovative and sustainable products based on biochar, produced through the pyrolysis (carbonization) of biomass. According to carbonauten, in December 2019, under the brand name carbonauten OCM – Organic Carbon Materials, they introduced a conventionally injection-molded bowl made of biochar: “This patented material family could replace many petroleum-based plastics and building materials in the future. After use, products made from carbonauten OCM are either recycled or shredded and incorporated into the soil“. Incorporating biochar into soil acts as a CO₂-storing super fertilizer. Studies on Terra Preta – the fertile black soil created through human activity in South America – confirm this effect. Biochar therefore plays a key role in combating climate change by enabling negative emissions: plants absorb CO₂ during growth and convert it into biomass. Excess biomass (e.g., plant residues, cocoa or coconut shells) is converted into biochar through pyrolysis and added to the soil, effectively storing CO₂ underground.
Additionally, soil fertility improves because microorganisms can build humus more efficiently with the help of biochar. On degraded soils, biochar can help restore agricultural productivity – representing a major opportunity for promoting sustainable development, especially in non-industrialized countries.
At present, carbonauten is conducting a test with a German automobile manufacturer in which 30% of the plastic polypropylene (PP) is replaced by the company’s biochar. The product’s impact on climate change, measured as its Greenhouse Warming Potential (GWP), is 2.67 kg CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of conventional PP. With 30% biochar, this value drops by over 3 kg CO₂ – to –0.47 kg CO₂!
Further positive side effects include the natural black coloration of the material, eliminating the need for conventional industrial carbon black, and the renewable thermal energy generated continuously (24/7) in significant quantities during biochar production.
About carbonauten GmbH
carbonauten GmbH was founded in August 2017 by Torsten Becker and Christoph Hiemer in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany. The company’s goal is the active reduction and permanent storage of greenhouse gases. Woody biomass residues are carbonized through pyrolysis into biochar, while the surplus renewable energy generated is used as electricity or heat. From these biochars, carbonauten produces materials for the forestry and agricultural sectors, as well as the food, packaging, technical, and construction industries, in addition to architecture and design. In the coming years, the company plans to establish dozens of decentralized, highly efficient production sites worldwide, capable of producing hundreds of thousands of tons of specified biochar annually.
https://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Pflanzentopf_Basilikum.png9271626FAW/nhttps://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Logo_oben-300x121.pngFAW/n2020-03-06 16:26:002025-10-23 16:32:09Biomaterials Against Climate Change
An Important Building Block of the Alliance for Development and Climate
At the official press conference held at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin, Federal Minister Dr. Gerd Müller, Plant-for-the-Planet, FAW/n, and the Senate of Economy Germany presented a study from ETH Zurich. The study demonstrates that large-scale global reforestation has the potential to reduce global warming by up to 1 degree Celsius.
Federal Press Conference on Reducing Global Warming through Forest Restoration, July 3, 2019
Reforestation and forest conservation are key project categories of the Alliance for Development and Climate, which was launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with GIZ and FAW/n. Supporters of the Alliance contribute voluntarily to help preserve forest areas in developing countries and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere through reforestation. Projects that promote humus formation in agriculture, develop renewable energy sources, or expand the use of efficient cookstoves achieve the same effect. In addition, these projects generate enormous co-benefits for sustainable development and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The fact that so much forest is still being lost, too little reforestation is taking place, and insufficient progress is being made in development is largely due to a lack of financial resources. Public funds alone are not enough to meet the challenges ahead. That is why the Alliance for Development and Climate brings together private-sector actors whose goal is to become climate neutral in the long term. Recently, Robert Bosch GmbH announced that it intends to operate climate-neutrally as of 2020. The company invests around one billion euros annually to achieve this goal, using high-quality climate protection and development projects in developing countries.
In July, Federal Minister Müller will travel to Brazil to discuss, among other things, the fastest measure against climate change — forest conservation — with the responsible ministers there.
https://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Wald.png9271626FAW/nhttps://www.fawn-ulm.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Logo_oben-300x121.pngFAW/n2019-07-05 14:31:002025-10-30 15:08:29More Forests, Less Climate Change
Cookie-Zustimmung verwalten
We use a few cookies to give you the best possible online experience.
Funktional
Always active
Die technische Speicherung oder der Zugang ist unbedingt erforderlich für den rechtmäßigen Zweck, die Nutzung eines bestimmten Dienstes zu ermöglichen, der vom Teilnehmer oder Nutzer ausdrücklich gewünscht wird, oder für den alleinigen Zweck, die Übertragung einer Nachricht über ein elektronisches Kommunikationsnetz durchzuführen.
Vorlieben
Die technische Speicherung oder der Zugriff ist für den rechtmäßigen Zweck der Speicherung von Präferenzen erforderlich, die nicht vom Abonnenten oder Benutzer angefordert wurden.
Statistiken
Die technische Speicherung oder der Zugriff, der ausschließlich zu statistischen Zwecken erfolgt.Die technische Speicherung oder der Zugriff, der ausschließlich zu anonymen statistischen Zwecken verwendet wird. Ohne eine Vorladung, die freiwillige Zustimmung deines Internetdienstanbieters oder zusätzliche Aufzeichnungen von Dritten können die zu diesem Zweck gespeicherten oder abgerufenen Informationen allein in der Regel nicht dazu verwendet werden, dich zu identifizieren.
Marketing
Die technische Speicherung oder der Zugriff ist erforderlich, um Nutzerprofile zu erstellen, um Werbung zu versenden oder um den Nutzer auf einer Website oder über mehrere Websites hinweg zu ähnlichen Marketingzwecken zu verfolgen.
