The innovative start-up installs technology that injects carbon dioxide into concrete granules. SERV supported the company with its recent sale of a plant to Germany.
Neustark AG removes CO₂ from the atmosphere by capturing the CO₂ produced by biogas plants and storing it in mineral waste materials such as demolished concrete. The company sold a plant for injecting carbon dioxide into concrete granules to Germany. SERV supported this transaction by providing contract bond insurance and a counter guarantee.
05.03.2025
By 2050, Switzerland’s greenhouse gas emissions should not exceed the volume that can be captured in natural or technical carbon sinks (net-zero target). But even if Switzerland makes huge progress in reducing its emissions, some are difficult or even completely impossible to avoid. To achieve net-zero by 2050, a considerable volume of CO₂ also needs to be removed from our atmosphere.
Start-up creates negative emissions
Demolished concrete is already a viable raw material for recycled concrete, but it also offers a great deal of additional potential beyond that. Neustark has developed a technology that converts this demolition waste into a “CO₂ sink”. The solution functions alongside the usual recycling process for demolished concrete. The biogenic CO₂ is captured at biogas plants and mineralised – in other words turned into stone – in demolished concrete, thus being removed permanently from the atmosphere. Neustark can store around 10 kg of CO₂ per tonne of demolished concrete. One plant can do in one hour what 50 trees do in a year.
To source the CO₂, neustark works with biogas plants that recover biomass waste for biogas upgrading. During the process, the biomethane produced is separated from CO₂, which is released into the atmosphere. The CO₂ is biogenic, as biomass absorbs CO₂ at the start of its lifecycle. So when neustark captures this CO₂ and stores it permanently in demolition concrete, it creates negative emissions: CO₂ is actually removed from the atmosphere.
CFO, neustark AG
An innovative start-up
Neustark, an ETH spin-off, was founded in July 2019 by the current co-CEOs Valentin Gutknecht and Johannes Tiefenthaler. Shortly afterwards, neustark applied for a patent for its mineralisation technology. The Berne-based company now holds all the pieces of the value chain, from sourcing and transporting the CO₂ to storing it permanently in demolished concrete and issuing carbon removal certificates. It currently has 29 capture and storage sites in operation.
A vision for a better future
The SERV policyholder neustark has a clear vision: to provide a better future for current and subsequent generations by enabling CO₂ to be stored permanently. We are particularly pleased to be supporting this visionary company. SERV takes the burden off neustark’s shoulders and allows it to focus on its strengths, in other words limiting global warming.
“If we are to hit our net-zero targets, climate technology solutions such as neustark’s must be scaled up as quickly as possible. To do this, we need to rapidly develop and deploy our technology, which is also an enormous financial undertaking. Knowing that SERV has our back when we export a plant helps us maintain this high tempo,” says Jakob Wrulich, CFO of neustark AG.
The export to Germany
SERV provided cover for the export of a plant to Germany. The purchaser specialises in earthworks, demolition and recycling and is an expert in the circular economy. We support the project by providing contract bond insurance and a counter guarantee.
Contract bond insurance and counter guarantee
Under the terms of the contract, neustark asked its bank to issue an advance payment guarantee to the foreign debtor. SERV contract bond insurance covers the loss of the sum guaranteed if, for example, the foreign client wrongfully exercised the guarantee.
The contract bond insurance was complemented by a counter guarantee. Acting on behalf of neustark, SERV provides the bank issuing the advance payment guarantee with protection against the risk of neustark being unable to fulfil its payment obligation to the bank in the event of the guarantee being called.
The neustark plant is now successfully in operation at the recycling partner’s site in Kirchheim unter Teck.
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