CO₂ as a resource: opportunities for industrial defossilisation

Translated with DeepL

Representatives from research, business, administration and associations discussed international developments and Swiss application examples, for example from Climeworks, Neustark and Holcim. New business models - such as the "Defossilisation Development Fund" - were also presented. The discussions showed that CCU is not a standardised approach, but comprises a wide range of technologies with different levels of maturity. Many are scalable, but not yet in industrial use.

The energy requirements of CO₂ capture are a particular challenge for Switzerland. Implementation requires targeted investments, pilot plants, a calculable CO₂ pricing system and a clear regulatory framework.

A central focus was on the chemical industry, which is dependent on CO₂ as a raw material in the long term if fossil sources are abandoned. This is where Switzerland can play to its strengths as a location for innovation - provided that strategic fields of action such as infrastructure development, standardisation and cross-sector cooperation are driven forward.

Industrial biotechnology is an area that has received little attention to date. The SATW is planning a further forum to systematically examine bio-based CCU solutions and network new players.

The following report summarises the most important findings and discussion points of the second SATW expert forum on CO₂ use and shows which technological and political steps need to be taken to successfully defossilise the industry.