Biorecro news

 

The EDGE Challenge Monaco selects Biorecro

2013-04-11

In competition with over 80 businesses from five continents, Biorecro has been chosen as one of five to present at The EDGE Challenge Monaco. The event gathers the leading international impact investors to Monaco, investors who demand not only a high return on investments, but also an environmental and social added value.

The EDGE Challenge is opened by HSH Prince Albert II and features a large number of notable speakers from Europe and beyond. See more in the interview with Monaco Venture Capital & Private Equity Association Chairman Zsolt Lavotha on CNBC.

Biorecro presenting to investors in Paris

2013-03-22

The Swedish Cleantech Tour invited Biorecro to the Swedish Embassy in Paris for an exclusive afternoon of cleantech startups' showcase and networking. The Tour offered company pitches, insights into the investment scene in Sweden and a unique opportunity to meet one-to-one with young cleantech companies that are all addressing international markets, providing scalable solutions and have an interest in meeting investors as well as establishing business partnerships.

Investors within cleantech as well as industry representants with an interest in cleantech innovations attended the presentations at the Embassy.

More information on http://www.swedishcleantechtour.com/projects/paris/

Pictures from the following reception in the Swedish Ambassador Residence in Paris:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.600813756613530.1073741826.218440834850826&type=1

Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson speaker at the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK

2013-03-13

The Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Tranfer Network held an event at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, UK, on the potential for Negative Emission Technologies (NETs) for mitigating climate change.

Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson held a presentation on the BECCS technology, including an overview of present deployment, challenges and opportunities.

Read more here.

Biorecro CEO panelist at Policy Exchange, UK

2013-02-25

Policy Exchange, Nesta and the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford presented an event in London, UK, on the theme Manipulating the Planet: Is there a role for Negative Emissions Technologies in tackling climate change?

The speakers and panelists included:

Guy Newey, Head of Environment and Energy, Policy Exchange

Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office

Mike Childs, Head of Policy, Research and Science, Friends of the Earth

Henrik Karlsson, CEO, Biorecro

Oliver Morton, Briefings Editor, The Economist

Professor Steve Rayner, Co-Director, Oxford Geoengineering Programme, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

Looking specifically at Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs), which target the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the event considered:

What are the major technologies being developed? What are NETs and what contribution can they make to climate change mitigation?

How should policymakers manage the risks created by such technologies, and how can such research be responsibly governed internationally?

Will support for NETs undermine or complement efforts at mitigation?

Is this the kind of technology Governments should support at all? And what is the role for the private sector, if any, in the development of these technologies?

Read more here.

Venture capital firm Intercapital invests in Biorecro

2013-02-06

The Portugese Venture Capital fund Intercapital Investimentos e Gestao de Activos, S.A., after an extensive review of the company, has selected Biorecro as their first venture in Nothern Europe and has invested 1 MSEK. Intercapital is now the lead investor in Biorecro's current offering.

Intercapital's Managing Director Joao Paulo Champalimaud observes that Biorecro has created a scalable business model within a rapidly growing sector, and is one of the most exciting cleantech companies in Europe. "In addition, the BECCS techonology Biorecro is developing for their services is also a key technology required to meet critical global climate goals. For these reasons we are confident in our investment decision in Biorecro," states Mr Champalimaud.

Biorecro's Chairman Lennart Byström says, "We are very pleased with the great interest and recognition we're attracting from international VC firms. We are definitely a solid Swedish company, but ever since the launch of Biorecro, our goal has been to be the global leader within our sector. It is exciting to now have expanded our group of British, American and Swedish investors to also include Portugese owners."

Biorecro is a Swedish cleantech company founded in 2007. The company removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology. With BECCS, carbon dioxide-generated through photosynthesis in trees and plants-is captured from the atmosphere, and then permanently stored thousands of meters below ground. By applying the BECCS technology, Biorecro achieves a removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Climate Cleanup service offered by Biorecro is a new alternative beyond traditional carbon offsets. Instead of just offsetting for carbon emissions, through the implementation of BECCS carbon emissions can now actually be permanenty removed from the atmosphere.

During the first half of 2013 Biorecro has initiated a new offering of shares raising 25 MSEK to fund an expansion of the sales organzation in Sweden, the UK, Germany and other parts of Europe. In addition, Biorecro is pursuing several new production-related BECCS projects in North America, Europe and Brazil.

Biorecro CEO "New Thinker of the Year" 2013

2013-01-31

Henrik Karlsson, founder and CEO of Biorecro, is the "New Thinker of the Year" on the 2013 list of "Swedish Super Talents", published annually by the business magazine "Veckans Affärer". Biorecro is the first company in the world that can remove large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and offer this as the service Carbon Cleanup, an alternative beyond traditional carbon offsetting.

After the announcement, Henrik Karlsson stated: "I'm very happy to receive this acknowledgment by Veckans Affärer. I'm also proud of their recognition of Biorecro's effort to provide a commercially viable process that utilizes Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology, and can reverse the trend in the area of climate change. The announcement is also timely, we have recently launched our sales efforts and are now introducing Biorecro on the international market."

An article with the headline "The New Thinker", published in the Veckans Affärer, states the following:

He signed the contract during the intermission between the first and second act while singing Belmonte in Mozart's " The Abduction from the Seraglio" at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, Austria. He initially had the idea for the business while watching TV reruns late one evening.

"I realized that when removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere it would be best to use biomass as the initial source," he says and describes the process where carbon dioxide is captured after biomass combustion, and then gets stored at a great depth under ground in the United States. Biorecro's customers are corporations with a commitment to being environmentally responsible - the first one being Inrego. The second customer was the public transportation company Värmlandstrafik.

Henrik Karlsson said: "The voluntary carbon market is currently valued at 3.5 BnSEK, with a predicted growth rate of 40 % per year. I don't have time to sing professionally now as all my time is focused on saving the climate. I do however still enjoy singing a few High C's when I get a chance."

Biorecro is a Swedish cleantech company founded in 2007. The company removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology. With BECCS, carbon dioxide-generated through photosynthesis in trees and plants-is captured from the atmosphere, and then permanently stored thousands of meters below ground. By applying the BECCS technology, Biorecro achieves a removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Climate Cleanup service offered by Biorecro is a new alternative beyond traditional carbon offsets. Instead of just offsetting for carbon emissions, through the implementation of BECCS carbon emissions can now actually be permanenty removed from the atmosphere.

In November 2012, Biorecro announced the signing of the first corporate customers for Carbon Cleanup. These companies are Inrego, specializing in refurbishing computers and IT equiment, and Värmlandstrafik/Nobina a provider of public transportation in Hammarö, outside of Karlstad.

Related to their dynamic growth phase, Biorecro has initiated a new offering of shares to fund an expansion of the sales organzation in Sweden, the UK, Germany and other parts of Europe. In addition, Biorecro is pursuing several new production-related BECCS projects in North America, South America and also in Europe.

The world's first large scale BECCS project is as of November 2011 in operation in Illinois, USA. The planning for two additional BECCS facilities is under way. Biorecro's vision to return to pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, below 350 ppm, in order to avoid global climate change.

Biorecro has been awarded the "Climate Solver" prize by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is one of the finalists in the "Virgin Earth Challenge" launched by Richard Branson and Al Gore. This is a $25 million initiative for the successful commercialization of ways of taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and keeping them out with no countervailing impacts.

The list of Sweden's 101 Super Talents for 2012 was compiled by "Veckans Affärer". To be eligible for this list, a person must be under 40 years of age, be active within business, research or the political arena. The selection is based on the talents' qualities within five areas: knowledge, results, drive, sensitivity to trends and personal brand.

PDF from Veckans Affärer (in Swedish)
Press Release Biorecro (in Swedish)

Article on BECCS and Biorecro in Veckans Affärer

2012-12-06

The Swedish weekly business magazine Veckans Affärer reports about BECCS and Biorecro in an interview with Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson.

TV4 Värmlandsnytt reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-20

Television channel TV4 Värmlandsnytt reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro. See the program here (in Swedish). The story is 2:20 into the sequence.

Arbeteekonomi.se reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-20

Arbeteekonomi.se reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

Res och Trafikforum reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-19

Res och Trafikforum reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

Busstidningen reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-19

Busstidningen reports about Värmlandstrafik and Nobina's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

Värmlandstrafik and Nobina buys Carbon Cleanup from Biorecro

2012-11-19

Together with the buss company Nobina, Värmlandstrafik (the public transport authority of the county of Värmland) takes a leading position in environmental work by using the new BECCS technique. In the municipality of Hammarö, buses already run on biofuel and with the help of green technical solutions and ecodriving, less fuel is needed for them. When the remainder of the carbon dioxide emissions is cleaned up with the use of BECCS, Värmlandstrafik will take a leading role in environmentally friendly public transportation.

Since 2012, a pilot project in which 33 buses run on the biofuel RME is under way in the municipality of Hammarö, operated by Nobina. Fossil fuel dependence has diminished by 20% since the start, the target being 30% for 2015 and 90% for 2020.

Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage, or BECCS, is a technology that has been developed over the past decade. Through photosynthesis, plants capture atmospheric carbon dioxide and build it into their structures. In various industrial processes such as renewable fuel and electricity production, carbon dioxide is currently released back into the atmosphere. With the help of BECCS technology, carbon dioxide can be captured and compressed into a liquid and then injected to depths of thousands of meters below ground, where it gets absorbed and remains for millions of years.

Biorecro is a Swedish start-up company that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using BECCS. This service is offered as Carbon Cleanup, which serves as an alternative beyond carbon offsetting, for companies and organisations with the ambition of assuming full climate responsibility.

Many environmental organisations such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and The Natural Step (TNS) support the work done by Biorecro with BECCS. One of the proponents is Pär Holmgren, renowned Swedish meteorologist who formerly did weather forecasts on television but is now a climate expert lecturing and writing about climate change.

'Not only do we need to diminish our emissions, we also have to start taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Therefore the initiatives taken by Värmlandstrafik and Nobina are crucial for reaching climate mitigation goals. Biorecro's climate clean-up with BECCS is a world leading service and a crucial measure for turning the course of events the right way,' says Pär Holmgren.

"The buses at Hammarö are a good example of public transportation going carbon neutral", says CEO Lars Bull at Värmlandstrafik. "We also know the exact cost of the measure, which is 2.9 million Swedish Kronor per year, or 2.20 SEK per km." Eleven Hammarö buses each run 12000 km per year. Area Director Lennart Samuelsson at Nobina claims that Carbon Cleanup is a global concern -"Through this co-operation with Värmlandstrafik we assume a pole position in public transportation even globally, using this novel technology", he says.

"Thanks to this initiative from Värmlandstrafik and Nobina we can accelerate our work with removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We are happy that they are fore-runners with their climate mitigation leadership, assuming full responsibility with our help", says Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson.

For more information, please call Värmlandstrafik CEO Lars Bull at +46 705 860214, Area Director Lennart Samuelsson +46 701 871013 or Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson +46 707 127569.

Värmlandstrafik is owned by the municipalities and the regional council through Region Värmland. Chairman of the Board is Per-Inge Liden (MP), Karlstad, and Vice Chairman is Tommy Ternemar (S), Kristinehamn. More information on www.varmlandstrafik.se.

NyTeknik reports about Inrego's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-16

NyTeknik reports about Inrego's Carbon Clanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

Miljö & Utveckling reports about Inrego's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-16

Miljö & Utveckling reports about Inrego's Carbon Clanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

MiljöAktuellt reports about Inrego's Carbon Cleanup with Biorecro

2012-11-16

MiljöAktuellt reports about Inrego's Carbon Clanup with Biorecro. Read the article here (in Swedish).

Inrego first company world wide with Carbon Cleanup

2012-11-16

Inrego becames the first company in the world to clean up its emissions of carbon dioxide. The emissions generated during Inrego operations are collected from the atmosphere and returned permanently underground. The climate cleanup is managed by the Swedish cleantech company Biorecro, using the new technology Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) - resulting in removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The World Wide Fund for Nature WWF as well as the International Energy Agency, IEA/OECD, have determined that BECCS is crucial in order to achieve global climate mitigation targets.

In connection with Inrego's Climate Cleanup, Anders Wijkman, President of the Club of Rome and former Euro MP, stated: "It is gratifying that Inrego is assuming full responsibility for their emissions. It is essential that companies not only report their emissions, but also take steps to eliminate them. In order for us to stop climate change, the effort to greatly reduce emissions must be combined with the actual removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I believe that many companies and businesses would like to be reponsible, and here is an example showing what is possible".

The carbon dioxide Inrego emits into the atmosphere, a total of 113 tonnes, or the equivalent of seven hot air balloons filled with carbon dioxide, will be captured, compressed and deposited below ground. The liquid carbon dioxide is stored at a depth of 2000 meters below the surface where it will be transformed into stone over the coming millennia.

Inrego focuses on the recycling of computers and other types of IT equipment, and Erik Pettersson, Inrego's Environmental Manager stated: "We have completely removed our carbon footprint and become carbon neutral in a way that was not previously possible. Simply offsetting carbon emissions through emission rights makes no real difference in the current volume of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Through our carbon dioxide cleanup we are however able to totally eliminate Inrego's carbon footprint. The implementation of BECCS technology will make it possible to halt the climate change and I hope other Swedish companies join us in this endeavor."

Biorecro and BECCS technology have received considerable international attention among researchers, environmental commentators and politicians in recent years. The company has been designated as a Climate Solver by WWF and is one of 11 finalists in the Virgin Earth Challenge, an atmospheric carbon removal competition with a prize of 25 million USD, launched by Richard Branson and Al Gore.

"Inrego is taking the first step towards reversing climate change. It will be crucial to expedite the adoption of BECCS technology and corporations will play a key role in this area. Biorecro is very pleased to have Inrego as our first corporate customer, their current operation is already aimed to support the environment and reduce the impact on the climate" states Henrik Karlsson, CEO of Biorecro.

A number of researchers claim that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere should not exceed 350 ppm (parts per million) - higher levels could cause climate change with serious consequences. Today, the concentration is 393 ppm and is increasing by more than 2 ppm per year. Returning to the 350 ppm level will require massive reductions in emissions as well as negative carbon emissions using BECCS technology. These claims are also endorsed by organisations such as the WWF and the IEA/OECD.

Inrego is a leading reseller in the area of refurbished computers and other IT equipment. The company purchases used equipment, performs reconditioning, erases any stored data, and makes the equipment available for purchase. The company is committed to using climate conscious processes through the entire workflow, and together with their customers, Inrego was able to recycle 120,000 computers during 2011. This corresponds to reducing the environmental impact by 5,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Inrego provides full service support to organizations thoughout Europe, assisting them with the installation of new equipment as well as the removal/transport of products that are being replaced. Inrego was founded in 1995, has 60 employees in Sweden and Norway, and annual sales around 120 MSEK. The company meets many ISO standards, for example ISO-9001 (quality); ISO-14001 (environment); ISO-27001 (information technology) as well as the OHSAS 18001 standard (occupational health and safety). During recent years, Inrego has received several prestigeous awards, for example been named the "Super Company of the Year" (by "Veckans Affärer"), received the "The Gazelle Company" award (by "Dagens Industri") and the "Durability Prize" (Hållbarhetspriset, awarded by Swedbank). For additional information see www.inrego.se.

Swedish Biotech Days visits Biorecro

2012-11-02

The Biotechnology programs in Sweden arrange The Biotech Days annually, where selected students from six universities participate. The aim is to let the students be inspired by scientists and companies. This year, the event was held at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Among many activities, the students got the chance to visit Biorecro and listen to CEO Henrik Karlsson.

Biorecro's CEO nominated Sweden's most influential environmental leader 2013

2012-10-31

Biorecro's CEO Henrik Karlsson is nominated for Sweden's most influential environmental leader 2013. The award is given by Swedish environmental industry's magazine MiljöAktuellt. The purpose is to recognize people with great environmental impact who are using it for a good cause.

Biorecro at this autumn's Imorgon Grön conference

2012-10-16

For the second time this year, the conference Imorgon grön was held at Bonnier Conference Center in Stockholm and Biorecro participated as exhibitor. The Swedish magazine Miljö & Utveckling arranged the conference and the theme was sustainable profitability. Biorecros working Chairman of the Board Lennart Byström, Anders Dahlquist and Biorecros advisor Prof. Lars Kristoferson participated.

Anders Wijkman new advisor to Biorecro

2012-10-08

Anders Wijkman joins Biorecro's Advisory Board, together with former secretary general of the World Wide Fund for Nature Prof. Lars Kristoferson, former CEO of Statoil Sweden Staffan Riben and climate researcher at IIASA in Austria Michael Obersteiner.

- Biorecro's work is too important to go without support, says Anders Wijkman. We are now in a situation where it is too late just to decrease emissions. The vast melting of the Arctic ice this summer is one of many signs of this. To avoid dangerous climate changes we have to decrease emissions radically, as well as removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. I hope that more companies now take their responsibility and clean up their carbon dioxide emissions with Biorecro.

Anders Wijkman is chairman of the Club of Rome and The Swedish Recycling Industries' Association, commissioner in The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Tällberg Foundation and The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. Wijkman has written several books on topics like disaster prevention, the HIV/aids epidemic and sustainable development. His last books are "Bankrupting Nature" and "The Great Denial". Both are written together with Johan Rockström, CEO at Stockholm Resilience Center. Wijkman has previously been secretary general for the Swedish Red Cross and The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, and elected to the European Parliament two times where he was responsible for the reports "Winning the battle against climate change" and "Global Climate Change Alliance". He has also been assistant secretary general in the United Nations and policy director in United Nations Development Programme.

Biorecro performs Carbon Cleanup at the conference Eco Now

2012-10-05

On the 5th and 6th of October Eco Now was arranged at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm, a branch conference with focus on the environment and sustainability. The conference is open for both companies and individuals and you could find everything from climate friendly cars to organic food. This year, Biorecro was responsible for the carbon cleanup of the conference. Exhibitors could choose to remove the carbon dioxide emitted due to their participation at the conference with the help of Biorecro. The companies which used Biorecro's carbon cleanup were Africa Now, Arla, Ekobanken, Fisker Karma, Icing on the cake, Kebony, Lowtox living, Não do Brasil, Sioo Wood Protection, Smart, Smart Microfiber, SolVind & Veranda, Spara Kvittot, Supreem Card Green, Svensk Direktreklam, Tretum, Vivius, Äkta vara.

Read more at www.econow.se

Biorecro selected to participate at Stockholm Cleantech Venture Day 2012

2012-09-27

The business networks Stockholm Innovation and Growth (STING) and Stockholm Cleantech arranged the event Stockholm Cleantech Venture Day 2012 together. The aim was to function as a link between entrepreneurs in sustainable development and investors. Biorecro was one of 20 selected cleantech companies who got the chance to present their investment opportunities.

Read more about the day here.

TreeHugger writes about Biorecro

2012-09-24

On the 24th of September, a blog post about BECCS and Biorecro was published at TreeHugger. The post explains how the BECCS technology works, mentions the deployment status of BECCS facilities and discusses the gigatonne potential for BECCS.

TreeHugger is an American sustainability website owned by Discovery Communications. In 2009 TreeHugger was in Time Magazine's blog index as one of the top twenty-five blogs.

Read the blog post here.

"The carbon cleanup that Biorecro performs with BECCS technology gives us a possibility to avoid dangerous climate change."

2012-09-21

"Cutting the amount of carbon that we emit into the atmosphere is not enough - we also need to take away that which has already been emitted," says Pär Holmgren, famous Swedish meteorologist and environmental debater.

"We already have atmospheric concentrations of nearly 400 ppm, whereas we need to reach 350 ppm to avoid dangerous climate change. When I am on tour with my electric moped, trying to raise consciousness around the climate issue, I often mention Biorecro and the BECCS technology as one of the solutions that will help us overcome the environmental challenge that we face today."

As a meteorologist, Pär Holmgren has been a weatherman in Swedish television for many years, but lately his focus has shifted more and more to spreading knowledge about environmental problems by writing books, holding talks and making tours around the nation. He was recently elected Honorary Doctor at Uppsala University, an institution at which he also does some teaching.

Moreover, he has received Disapriset, the environmental prize of the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers, and was nominated for Augustpriset, a Swedish literary prize of distinction. More information about Mr. Holmgren is available at his website: www.parholmgren.se.

Biorecro helps Alexander af Jochnick clean up his carbon footprint

2012-08-27

Climate activist and member of various boards, Alexander af Jochnick, has purchased 100 tonnes of carbon cleanup from Biorecro.

"I support Biorecro in their mission to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; innovative solutions of this kind are necessary if we are to meet our climate goals," says Mr. af Jochnick. "By doing this," he continues, "I hope to inspire others to do what is necessary for the creation of a more sustainable society."

"We are happy to see Alexander af Jochnick as one of the pioneers in this field, who has chosen to take responsibility for his carbon emissions with our help. This is the kind of initiatives that we need if the great challenge of climate change is to be surmounted," says Henrik Karlsson, CEO of Biorecro.

Among other things, Mr. af Jochnick has previously arranged the conference 'Sustainable Business in a Sustainable World' in cooperation with Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Center. He is the man behind Serious Nature, an environmental foundation helping companies improve their climate programs through the use of good examples, education, and project development. In addition to this, he serves as a member of the board of Oriflame Cosmetics SA, CL Intressenter AB, Credus Management AB, af Jochnick Foundation and Postkodlotteriet.

Biorecro speaks at Stanford seminar on negative emissions

2012-06-15

Under the topic of Energy Supply with Negative Carbon Emissons, Stanford University (California, U.S.) hosted a seminar on the 15th of June. Including guest speakers ranging from prominent scientists to entrepreneurs within the field, as well as representatives of companies from four continents, the discussion was to focus on current research on negative carbon emissions. Henrik Karlsson, CEO of Biorecro, was invited to give the first talk, on the subject of "The Current Status of BECCS".

All the talks given were filmed and can be found here.

The program can be obtained here.

The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) hosts BECCS seminar together with Biorecro

2012-06-11

On june 11th, the KTH Energy Platform arranged a seminar on BECCS technology at the university campus in Stockholm following an initiative by Biorecro and KTH, one of the leading institutes of technology in Northern Europe. Speaking at this event was Dr. Stephan Singer, director of global energy policy at WWF, Dr. Wolf Heidug, head of the CCS unit at IEA, Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson and KTH professor of Global Energy Climate Studies Semida Silveira. Prof. Ramon Wyss of KTH moderated the seminar.

The day, which comprised the official talks as well as a Q&A session with the audience and subsequent mingle, conveyed the overall picture of BECCS as an emerging technology with large potential in mitigating climate change. There was also discussion of the challenges faced by the technology, most notably the issue stressed by Prof. Silveira of how to scale BECCS up in the long term. Mr. Karlsson, on the other hand, stressed the urgent need for action that BECCS-proponents face in the short term, with the only operational BECCS-plant closing in 2016.

The program for the day can be obtained here.
Additional information is available here.

Royal Institute of Technology KTH releases short film about BECCS and Biorecro

2012-05-29

The Royal Institute of Technology KTH in Stockholm, Sweden has conducted research into BECCS for more than a decade and Biorecro founders Lennart Byström and Henrik Karlsson met each other at the master program in Industrial Engineering and Management at KTH. The short film BECCS - Innovations for the future has been released by KTH as part of its international promotion campaign. The film features KTH professors Semida Silveira and Jinyue Yan, World Wide Fund for Nature WWF adviser on climate innovations Stefan Henningsson as well as Biorecro president and CEO Henrik Karlsson.

Swedish Left Party: "Use CCS to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

2012-05-11

As a bill in response to the Swedish government's bill regarding carbon capture and storage in Sweden, the Swedish Left Party made a proposal to use CCS to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by combining the technology with biomass.

The Swedish government's bill referring to Biorecro report

2012-05-11

The Swedish government with environmental minister Lena Ek made a bill in reaction to EU's CCS directive. The bill refers to Biorecro's report about the possibility to create large-scale negative emissions in Sweden with the BECCS technique and that the cost for this will be lower than the current Swedish tax on carbon dioxide emissions.

Biorecro participates at Imorgon grön - Swedish conference for sustainable and profitable business

2012-05-09

At Bonnier Conference Center in Stockholm, Imorgon grön, Swedish magazine Miljö & Utveckling's conference for sustainable and profitable business, was held the 9th of May. Biorecro participated as exhibitor and answered questions about Carbon Cleanup and the BECCS technique in a pleasant atmosphere.

Biorecro exhibitor at the conference Tillståndet i miljön

2012-05-08

The 8th of May Biorecro participated at the annual environmental conference Tillståndet i miljön, arranged by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Swedish magazine MiljöRapporten. The program included a debate about the CCS technique between professor Filip Johnsson from Chalmers University of Technology who pointed out the important role of CCS in climate change mitigation and Martina Krüger from Greenpeace who proposed that the technique is untested and potentially dangerous. Biorecro's CEO Henrik Karlsson asked a question which illustrated that the BECCS technique is something totally different than so called "clean coal". On the contrary, BECCS is crucial for reaching the Two-Degree Target as well as the 350 ppm and 450 ppm targets.

We at Biorecro believe that the Greenpeace stance against CCS is counterproductive and unsupported by scientific research. With several incorrect and tendencious facts, Greenpeace creates an alternative picture of reality far away from the conclusions backed up by institutions such as Chalmers University of Technology and the IPCC.

The debate was broadcasted on Swedish Television SVT and can be watched here.

Biorecro on Sustainability Day 2012

2012-04-17

Photo: Daniel Söderberg

Sustainability Day, Sweden's largest branch conference for Corporate Social Responsibility and environmental solutions was held on the 17 of April. Biorecro was there to talk about Carbon Cleanup and how companies can remove their emitted carbon dioxide with help of Biorecro.

Biorecro's founders writes debate article in MiljöAktuellt

2012-04-12

In the Swedish environmental industry's magazine MiljöAktuellt the founders Henrik Karlsson and Lennart Byström writes a debate article on why traditional climate compensation is no good enough. In the article it is described how one can remove emitted carbon dioxide with BECCS.

Biorecro is performing Carbon Cleanup in
Stockholm City

2012-04-02

In a manifestation connected to WWF's Earth Hour, several 300 kg leg cuffs shaped as carbon dioxide molecules were placed out in Stockholm. The art duo Bigert & Bergström made the leg cuffs and the idea was that people passing by should get the opportunity to tie themselves up to their climate debt.

Biorecro is offering carbon cleanup, so it is our job to make carbon dioxide go away. Therefore, dressed up employees went to Stureplan in Stockholm by truck to clean the carbon dioxide molecules up.

Biorecro's CEO interviewed in Swedish newspaper SvD's article about housing shortage in Stockholm

2012-03-22

In an article in Swedish newspaper SvD Biorecro is given as an example of a company affected by the housing shortage in Stockholm. CEO Henrik Karlsson explains how the problem affects the company's potential to grow. Biorecro wants to recruit talents from all over Sweden, but it is hard for potential employees to find an apartment in Stockholm.

Read the article in Swedish here.

Blog post on the Swedish Institute about Biorecro and BECCS

2012-03-12

Sara Jeswani, founder of the Swedish climate magazine Effekt, writes about Biorecro in a blog post on the Swedish Institute's website. The author describes the BECCS technique, discusses safety aspects and the need of climate mitigation in order to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

MiljöAktuellt's article about Biorecro

2012-03-01

The Swedish environmental industry's magazine MiljöAktuellt writes about Biorecro. Biorecro's alternative to traditional climate mitigation is mentioned among other things, where carbon dioxide from biomass is stored geologically with BECCS.

Biorecro in Swedish Radio channel SR P4

2012-02-29

SR P4 in Sjuhärad, Sweden, aired a show about Biorecro. The new BECCS facility in USA was discussed, as well as the need to remove emitted carbon dioxide and Biorecro's carbon cleanup as an alternative to climate mitigation.

The founders of Biorecro selected alumni of the month at KTH Royal Institute of Technology

2012-02-28

Lennart Byström and Henrik Karlsson, the founders of Biorecro, are February 2012 alumnus of the month at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. In an article published at the alumni network at KTH, the founders discuss their earlier carriers and how they came up with the idea to clean up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Interview with CEO Henrik Karlsson on Klimatsmart.se

2012-02-27

On the Swedish portal for climate friendly companies and products, Klimatsmart.se, Biorecro's CEO and founder Henrik Karlsson was interviewed about Biorecro's unique business concept to sell negative emissions. Henrik Karlsson talks about how most companies evaluate their carbon emissions. To not clean up your carbon emissions will in the future be something to be ashamed of, according to Henrik Karlsson.

Read the whole interview in Swedish here.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology's press release about Biorecro

2012-02-27

KTH Royal Institute of Technology published a press release about Biorecro, "Environmental responsibility is the next big export of Sweden". The release mentions the new BECCS facility in the USA, the successful equity issuance and the latest statements from OECD and IEA about the importance of BECCS in order to achieve the climate goals.

Biorecro speaker at the University of Oxford

2012-02-06

The University of Oxford manages a research program with the aim to inform about negative emissions. The project is a part of the Geoengineering Programme at Oxford Martin School. Among many things, several seminars are held. Biorecro participated as a speaker in a seminar on BECCS together with prof. Tim Lenton, University of Exeter, prof. Nilay Shah, Imperial College London, and Dr. Jan Ole Kiso at UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Biorecro and BECCS in The Saigon Times

2012-01-22

An article about technical solutions to the climate change was published in the well-known Vietnamese newspaper The Saigon Times. The BECCS technique was mentioned as an example of an effective way to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the author brought up Biorecro as a company which uses BECCS.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance writes about Biorecro

2011-12-26

In the December issue of Bloomberg New Energy Finance Biorecro is mentioned as a world leading company based on negative emissions. The potential of the BECCS technique and the new facility in the USA are discussed.

Biorecro's CEO as featured guest in The Economist

2011-11-25

The Economist invited Biorecro's CEO Henrik Karlsson as as featured guest in a debate about carbon storage, called CCS. The article emphasizes CCS, not only as a way of decreasing emissions from fossil fuels, but as a critical component in order to reach the Two-Degree Target with negative emissions and BECCS.

DN Debate about Biorecro

2011-11-20 to 2011-11-25

On Swedish news paper Dagens Nyheter's debate section, Lars Kristoferson, Biorecro's advisor, professor at the University of Stockholm and former secretary-general of WWF, wrote a comment about the BECCS technique and its important role in order to reach the Two-Degree Target.

Filip Johnson, professor in sustainable energy systems at Chalmers University, Gothenburg, Sweden, gave Biorecro as an example of a Swedish leading BECCS company.

OECD: BECCS is crucial in order to reach climate mitigation targets

2011-11-24

At the climate summit meeting in Durban, South Africa, OECD published an abstract of a report which discuss the climate in a global perspective. BECCS is discussed and it is established that:

"Achieving lower concentration targets (450 ppm) depends significantly on the use of BECCS."

Swedish Television's Scientific News about Biorecro

2011-11-09

Swedish Television SVT Science published an article about Biorecro's first BECCS facility with the title "the World's First Negative Emissions". In the article the BECCS technique is described and Biorecro's CEO Henrik Karlsson is interviewed.

The first large-scale facility in the world is now in operation

2011-11-04

4 of November, the storage of carbon dioxide in the world's first full-scale BECCS project begins in Illinois, USA. The project is lead by Illinois State Geological Survey at the University of Illinois, and other than Biorecro, 47 different partners and advisors are participating in the project through the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC). The storage is taking place in connection with an ethanol industry which emits great amounts of carbon dioxide from biomass. The capacity is 1 000 tons per day, and during 2013 will be 3 000 tons a day, or a million day per year. This is equivalent to the total emissions from 100 000 Swedes, or 350 000 cars.

Article in Swedish Newspaper SvD about Biorecro as a finalist in Virgin Earth Challenge

2011-11-02

In a news item in Swedish newspaper SvD CEO Henrik Karlsson is interview by Carolina Neurath about Biorecro being finalist in Richard Branson's competition Virgin Earth Challenge. Henrik Karlsson comments their success and their prospects.

Biorecro finalist in the Virgin Earth Challenge

2011-11-03

All of us at Biorecro are very excited to have been short-listed for the Virgin Earth Challenge this month! Swedish Biorecro is among around a dozen remaining groups that emerged from an extensive review process of over 2,600 submissions.

Biorecro competes with a technology called BECCS (Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage). The technique builds on the natural absorption of carbon dioxide that happens when trees and plants grow. When these trees and plants are combusted, carbon dioxide is captured, compressed and then pumped into the underground. In this way, carbon dioxide is permanently removed out of the atmosphere. The process is the opposite of fossil fuel emissions, whereby carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere. The result is therefore called negative emissions.

"Biorecro is proud to receive this sign of recognition and support of its entrepreneurial approach of using BECCS to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere," said Henrik Karlsson, President and CEO of Biorecro.

The BECCS technology has been tested in pilot facilities over the past decade and larger-scale storage is now being initiated. In 2013, a total of one and a half million tons of carbon dioxide per year will be stored away from the atmosphere in a handful of projects. In order to meet the climate change mitigation challenge, this capacity must be expanded rapidly. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2050 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide need to be returned from the atmosphere into the ground using BECCS technology in order to effectively reach the two-degree target to avoid serious climate change.

Launched by Sir Richard Branson in February 2007, the Virgin Earth Challenge is a $25 million initiative for the successful commercialisation of ways of taking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and keeping them out with no countervailing impacts.

As of October 2011, the leading organisations in the Earth Challenge are: Biochar Solutions, from the US; Biorecro, from Sweden; Black Carbon, from Denmark; Carbon Engineering, from Canada; Climeworks, from Switzerland; Coaway, from the US; Full Circle Biochar, from the US; Global Thermostat, from the US; Kilimanjaro Energy, from the US, the Savory Institute, from the US and Smart Stones from the Netherlands.

We are collaborating with other groups to help responsibly further the work being done by these organisations," explained Dr. Alan Knight, VEC Director. "There's no silver bullet but each option can do its bit. We are looking at how we can make sure the Virgin Earth Challenge is a useful catalyst for all of the good work out there."

"Beyond the potential of sustainably taking carbon out of the air and keeping it out, each technique has its own potential applications, markets, challenges and opportunities," he added.

The leading organisations bring expertise and solutions from a wide range of areas which includes air capture, biochar, bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, enhanced weathering on land, and land management. It is hoped that by finding different ways of collaborating with these organisations, the VEC will provide them with new levels of support whilst advancing the entire concept of carbon negativity and recycling, as well as achieving further traction in the climate change debate.

David Addison, the VEC's Research Executive, said "Currently all of these concepts have varying hurdles but these issues need to be discussed and explored if everybody's work is to sustainably advance to the full commercial proof of concept stages. It has been a privilege getting to know the leading organisations and VEC are looking forward to working with them further".

"This is a complex issue and one which cannot be solved by a single group. The Virgin Earth Challenge now plans to collaborate with other organisations to further the work being done by the leading companies", said Mr. Nick Fox, a spokesperson for Sir Richard Branson. "The world needs better developed climate change mitigation and adaptation tools. We are exploring how we can help this pioneering work move forward in the near term, and want to encourage others to do the same".

Workshop with Biorecro on BECCS, London, UK

2011-09-26

Arena International held the 6th annual EXPPerts Europe conference at the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel in central London, a two-day event on how to achieve emissions reductions in power plants through cutting-edge technologies and strategies. Biorecro hosted a pre-conference workshop, focusing on strategies with BECCS and negative emissions for power plants and large industrial emitters.

The IEA and UNIDO publishes roadmap on CCS including BECCS

2011-09-20

The IEA and UNIDO published a new technology roadmap on Carbon Capture and Storage in Industrial Applications. It shows that carbon capture and storage (CCS) has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from industrial applications by 4 gigatonnes in 2050. The roadmap stresses the importance of BECCS and the potential for negative emissions with this technology option.

The roadmap is a joint report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Biorecro has been involved in the development of the roadmap as a project reviewer providing expertise on BECCS.

More information is found here.

Blog comments on Biorecro report

2011-04-29

Derek Taylor and Tone Knudsen of Bellona Foundation wrote a blog post and commented on the report Global Status of BECCS Projects 2010.

Global BECCS Projects 2010

2011-04-14

The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute released the full report Global Status of BECCS Projects 2010, written by the Biorecro team.

"Bio-energy with CCS (BECCS) is a very useful tool for the future as it is the only technology by which we can actually reduce the level of CO2 in our atmosphere, rather than stabilize it," said Bob Pegler, Global CCS Institute General Manager - Europe. "The application of BECCS would make it possible to reach agreed climate targets at lower costs, and involves opportunities to raise the ambitions for the level of emission reductions." Click here for more information.

For the full report, fact sheet and slides, see here.

Swedish National Television SVT featuring BECCS and Biorecro

2010-12-13

The evening news program Rapport 19:30 as well as the science program "Vetenskapens Värld" featured stories on Biorecro and the newly published report on BECCS in Sweden. The report shows how Sweden can become a net negative emitter of carbon as early as 2030, using readily available BECCS technology, at a cost at below present Swedish carbon taxes.

The science covererage in "Vetenskapens Värld" also included a number of comments from researchers, including Professor Louise Trygg at University of Linköping, who said: "The report focuses on CCS in combination with biomass, and is both an interesting and much needed overview, where the benefits of the technology is analysed, and where also the economic savings and other alternatives are presented. The report is even in many respects an educational and easily accessible textbook in the field."

First findings of BECCS report at COP-16 in Cancun, Mexico

2010-11-29 to 2010-12-10

The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute releases the first findings from a project carried out by Biorecro on the deployment status of BECCS projects world-wide at the UN climate conference COP-16 in Cancun in Mexico.

See the presentation here.

Biorecro WWF Climate Solver

2010-11-10

Biorecro is awarded the title of Climate Solver by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In a ceremony at the TryggHansa corporate headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, the newly appointed Secretary General of WWF, Håkan Wirtén, presented the award to Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson.

According to a study carried out by the WWF; Biorecro and the BECCS technology can achieve a net negative emission of 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year in 2020. The World Wide Fund for Nature WWF is one of the largest environmental NGO:s in the world, with 90 offices in over 40 countries. The organisation was founded in 1961, has the well known Panda symbol as its trademark, and is involved in thousands of projects world wide within environment, conservation and climate change.

Watch the movie here.

For more information, visit the WWF Climate Solver website.

Article in Svenska Dagbladet

2010-10-25

Biorecro Chairman Lennart Byström and CEO Henrik Karlsson published an article in the Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet together with Per Bolund (MP for the Greens), Anders Wijkman (Vice President Club of Rome and former Member of the European Parliament) and Lars Kristoferson (professor and former Secretary General WWF Sweden). The article, published in Brännpunkt debate section, stressed the need for Swedish efforts to deploy BECCS to meet climate targets through large scale and cost effective measures.

The article can be found here.

First International Workshop on Biomass with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), University of Orléans, France

2010-10-14 to 2010-10-15

The First International Workshop on Biomass with Carbon Capture and Storage was held in University of Orléans, France. Its objective was to bring together experts with different backgrounds and opinions on the issues surrounding BECCS and also to provide opportunities for young researchers to meet and interact with key experts in the field.

CEO Henrik Karlsson presented on Biorecro's latest research and a report about BECCS in Sweden at this workshop.

For more information on the workshop, please visit http://www.univ-orleans.fr/leo/bccs/.

Workshop on BECCS in Laxenburg, Austria

2010-10-10 to 2010-10-11

Together with BECCS experts from the IEA and IIASA, Biorecro participated in a half-day workshop in Laxenburg to discuss the current status of BECCS as well as potential projects and studies to enhance knowledge in this field.

Stockholm Cleantech Venture Day 2010

2010-09-30

Biorecro was one out of the 25 companies that had been chosen to attend and pitch at the annual Stockholm Cleantech Venture Day 2010.

Stockholm Cleantech Venture Day is an annual full day conference and meeting place for investors and innovators/entrepreneurs within the Cleantech sector. It has gained recognition and a well deserved audience among Swedish Nordic Cleantech companies, national and international investors as well as by the various public organization representing parts of the Swedish innovation system.

For more information, please visit http://stockholmcleantechventureday.com.

Interview on Sveriges Radio

2010-09-22

In conjunction with the release of the BECCS report on Sweden, CEO Henrik Karlsson was featured in an interview by John Bergendorff in the Klotet program on the Sveriges Radio channel P1, as part of their coverage of climate change.

Read more about it on Klotet here.

To listen to the full interview, click here.

New report on BECCS

2010-09-22

The report "BECCS som klimatåtgärd" analyzes the opportunities and potential for BECCS in a Swedish and Norwegian context.

There are several and large point sources of biogenic carbon dioxide emissions in Sweden. In Norway, these industries are significantly smaller. However, there are very good opportunities for carbon dioxide storage in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

Using existing technology, carbon dioxide from Swedish biogenic sources can be separated and shipped by boat to Norwegian storage formations. At a cost of 700-900 Swedish crowns (approx. €75-95) per ton, 27.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from Swedish biogenic sources could be stored annually by 2020. The potential amount increases to 30.0 million tons per year by 2030, while the cost is estimated to decrease by several hundred crowns per ton.

Comparison with three other reports shows that an implementation of BECCS will radically improve the possibilities of fulfilling, and exceeding, Swedish climate goals. Ultimately, a number of measures in combination with BECCS can make Sweden achieve net negative emissions, i.e. that Sweden as a nation is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The report can be found here.

IEA GHGT-10 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

2010-09-19 to 2010-09-23

The Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT) conference series is held once every two years. In September 2010, GHGT-10 is intended to provide a platform for fruitful discussions on ways to overcome the barriers to - and to find opportunities for - implementing greenhouse gas mitigation technologies. Discussions about technological and other policy-related developments will play a prominent role in the conference.

Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson will be co-chairing a session on BECCS in this the biannual conference which is hosted by the City of Amsterdam, in cooperation with the IEA GHG and partners from Dutch Universities and research institutes.

More information can be found at www.ghgt.info.

Biorecro participates in UNIDO Global Technology Roadmap for CCS in Industry Sectoral Workshops, Abu Dhabi

2010-06-30 to 2010-07-01

UNIDO is a specialized agency that aims to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition as well as working towards improving living conditions in the world's poorest countries by drawing on its global pool of resources and expertise. It prepares and implements projects that support the development of new and efficient technologies that aim to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gases in support of the Climate Convention and Kyoto Protocol negotiation process.

Biorecro participated in a meeting of interntional experts to take part in the development of a roadmap for CCS in Industry, in a two day workshop hosted by MASDAR in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The report can be found here.

BECCS - Beyond Mitigation of Carbon Emissions, Public Seminar, Stockholm

2010-05-18

With the large potential of BECCS to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, this seminar aims to provide more insight into the BECCS technology, its sustainability potential and current status of development and implementation, with case studies from around the world.

Hosted by SIANI, Henrik Karlsson, CEO of Biorecro, presented on the potential to commercialize BECCS with the vision to return to pre-industrial levels of CO2 in the atmosphere during this century.

SIANI is a multi stakeholder platform for government, civil society, private, research and education sectors to lay the foundation for collective action on concrete, urgent issues in development cooperation in which agriculture plays a vital role. It is a network initiative aiming to provide a long term form of institutional cooperation and support for Swedish actors.

Programme details can be found here.

Featured on Nordisk Energi Magazine

2010-04-12

An interview with Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson on BECCS and Biorecro's project plans was featured on the Nordisk Energi Magazine that was published in April as well as in a weekly feature on http://www.energinyheter.se/

Click here to read the full interview!

Interviewed on Think Globally Radio

2010-03-28

Biorecro CEO Henrik Karlsson was interviewed on Think Globally Radio on the possibility of BECCS to mitigate climate change.

Think Globally Radio is a debate/discussion style radio program intended to help spread awareness and deeper understanding on issues of the environment and sustainable development. Each episode focuses on an important environmental issue, with experts invited to the studio to provide insight and expertise. Guests on Think Globally Radio typically come from academia, industry, the policy making sector, advocacy organizations, the scientific community, state authorities, and research institutes. It is being aired weekly at 19:00 CET in Stockholm at and 16:00 CET in Gothenburg.

Click here to listen to the podcast.