Carbon capture, removal and storage: Technologies
The technologies required to capture, remove and store carbon are already well known. Plans for CCS, for example at cement plants or waste incineration plants, are well advanced in Europe. Negative emission technologies (NETs) may be plant-based (e.g. wood utilisation) or technology-based (e.g. direct carbon air filters). However, the solutions are not yet available on the scale required to protect the climate.
There are two methods for capturing, removing and storing carbon: carbon capture and storage, in which CO2 produced when fossil fuels are burnt or in other processes is removed and stored, thereby reducing emissions; and negative emission technologies (NETs), which permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere. NETs include both technical and plant-based approaches. A Federal Council report published in September 2020 provides a systematic overview of the methods known today. These differ in terms of potential, costs, energy requirements and the length of time carbon can be stored. Transporting CO2 and storing it in Switzerland or abroad requires new infrastructure, such as pipelines and underground storage facilities.
Research and innovation
At present, it is mainly the lack of investment security for investors rather than technological hurdles that hinders the widespread application of CCS and NETs. Nevertheless, research and innovation projects play an important role in driving forward CCS and NETs on the scale required. For example, the federally funded DemoUpCARMA project has demonstrated and optimised the cross-border transport of CO2, underground mineralisation (in Iceland) and storage in concrete. This pioneering project will provide important information about feasibility, energy and environmental performance and scaling issues.
Biochar in Swiss agriculture – risks and opportunities for soil and climate
Biochar is produced by carbonising plant biomass in which CO₂ from the air has been captured through photosynthesis. It has the potential to store carbon (C) over the long term. Incorporating biochar into the soil can generate so-called negative emissions. The factsheet ‘Biochar in Swiss agriculture – risks and opportunities for soil and climate’ presents the current state of scientific knowledge together with the current guidelines on the handling of biochar in Switzerland. It is published by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and the Cercle Sol Working Group on Intervention Values and Risk Assessment (AGIR).
The factsheet is now available in its second, updated edition (in German, French and Italian). This revised version reflects recent changes to the legal framework governing the handling of biochar, as well as findings from recently conducted studies.
Further information
Sector Climate
Sector Climate
Mühlestrasse 2
3063 Ittigen