Our friend Pol Knops, co-founder of Paebbl, shares insights about his innovative company’s journey. Paebbl, founded three years ago, developed a groundbreaking process that combines CO2 with olivine to create stone powders for cement and concrete production. This technology could potentially store millions of tons of CO2 in cement, significantly reducing global emissions.
Pol, who has worked on the concept for over 15 years, candidly discussed the challenges he’s faced, including the construction industry’s slow adoption of new methods and investors’ difficulty understanding the needs of hardware-based startups. Pol emphasizes the crucial role of practical demonstrations in proving the technology’s viability and safety, which is essential for gaining acceptance in the construction industry.
Pol Knops (first row left) with the Paebble team
Fixing the Broken Water Cycle to Restore Ecosystems—Groothuis Bouwgroup’s Carbon Farmer Experience with Scature
Elton Wolf, ecosystem analyst at Scature
“When we fix the broken water cycle, we can create rain where it’s needed.” This was one of the insights the team from Groothuis Bouwgroup gained during their Carbon Farmer Experience, organized by Scature.
Scature, a broker of ONCRA nature-based carbon removal credits, connects organisations with local carbon farmers to not only offset their residual emissions but also to support small-scale farmers transitioning to regenerative agriculture. This approach contributes to biodiversity, improves soil health, and helps repair broken ecosystems—all while addressing the pressing challenges of climate change.
During their visit to Paulownia Cultures, the Groothuis Bouwgroup team learned about the potential of Paulownia wood—an innovative biobased material that can store carbon in constructions. This pioneering example of biobased building demonstrates how carbon can be effectively sequestered in construction materials, creating new opportunities for the industry to become part of the solution.
The day included a presentation by Scature on the critical differences between carbon reduction and carbon removal credits, highlighting how nature-based solutions can help restore the water cycle and fight desertification. The team discovered how regenerative practices can heal ecosystems while providing long-term sustainable benefits.
After the presentation, participants toured the farm to experience regenerative agriculture firsthand. The event was capped off with a team-building exercise, strengthening not only their bonds but also their understanding of how they are interconnected with nature. The day concluded with drinks and local delicacies like farm-fresh cheeses, giving everyone a chance to reflect on their experience.
For many, carbon credits are often seen as a distant or abstract concept, but Scature’s Carbon Farmer Experience brings sustainability to life. It provides a tangible, hands-on opportunity to see how these solutions work in practice, raising awareness from the ground up and empowering employees to recognize how nature-based solutions are vital for both ecological and corporate sustainability.
By investing in regenerative farming and exploring innovative uses of biobased materials like Paulownia wood, businesses are taking real steps toward embedding sustainability into their core operations. Together, we can make a difference! Learn more at scature.com.
Sinking Sargassum
Sven Jense, director at Climate Cleanup
We meet with Mr. Iván Penié MSc, at Cafe Acentos in Puerto Aventuras. The Cuban-born marine chemist has been working on one of the region’s pressing environmental challenges: sargassum. Continuing our previous work on Sargassum as a climate solution, I’ve come to the Yucatan coast of Mexico to explore the potential of ocean-based carbon removal. As we discuss his work, Penié outlines his approach to the sargassum issue. We want to learn to work with the oceans, and today Mr. Penié is our teacher.
A Three-Tiered Strategy
Penié proposes a prioritised three-line approach to manage sargassum and mitigate coastal ecosystem and economic damage:
- Intercept sargassum 3-5 km offshore, shred it, and help it sink.
- Stop it 1km from the coast, either bringing it onshore or sinking it further out.
- Implement damage control on beaches.
“The key is to act before it reaches the shore,” Penié explains, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures.
Ocean Carbon Storage Potential
Working on scalable carbon removal, I’m particularly interested in the potential of sinking seaweed. The ocean’s capacity to store carbon is significant, and his approach to sargassum management could significantly contribute to climate change mitigation efforts. Penié’s method involves sinking shredded sargassum below the photic zone, potentially sequestering carbon for centuries. “We’re not just addressing a local problem,” he notes, “we’re exploring a solution that could have broader implications while restoring the ecosystem’s balance.”
Looking to the Future
Penié outlines our plans for a field test in Akumal, detailing the equipment needed, including a catamaran, pump, shredder, sampling equipment, and aerial monitoring tools. As our meeting concludes, we reflect on the potential impact of this approach. The oceans already play a major role in balancing climate impacts. We set sail to learn by doing how to work with oceans and remove carbon with nature at scale. More to follow!
ONCRA welcomes Syntrophic Agroforestry farm: A Little Wild
Hajna Tijssen, project analyst at Oncra
Syntrophic Agroforestry (AS) is a farming method with the interaction with ecosystems at its centre. It uses a diverse set of trees in accordance with their life cycle, natural succession and natural position in the forest.
A Little Wild is putting AS into practice in Johor, Malaysia. They are creating a dynamic forest and carbon sink while producing high quality food. A Little Wild is located on 55 hectares of land and started in 2020. The carbon storage of the first 6 hectares of agroforestry has been certified by ONCRA. This is just one way of how climate change can be reversed with people and nature. Explore
EU CRCF Update – Expert Group meeting
From this Monday October 21 to Wednesday 23rd, the EU expert group on Carbon Removals meets again in Brussels, as well as online. We provided input for the certification and verification processes of the new Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation, and Sacha Brons is joining on Tuesday as the commission discusses storage in materials. Do you have questions for Sacha to bring into the discussion? Please reply to this e-mail. And find the agenda and link to join here.
Opinion on ONCRA
Guus de Hart, partner at Proyeto Palo
Any certification body thrives on trust. Most ONCRA projects are seeking funding in form of an ex-ante agreement, making the market a startup financier. The following issues will need to be attended by ONCRA to enhance trust. An opinion.
First, the pricing of the credits. Recently the question arose if a minimum price is needed, because cheap credits are not additional. I think, just let the pricing mechanisms do its work. I do not think a minimum price prevents startup problems or will be any sign of market trust. If ONCRA systematically floats above the market, in the end a price correction will occur, or the ONCRA project will need to show really well, why this pricing is justified.
Then the issue with verification. ONCRA stakeholders need cheap but reliable and transparent in situ verification. People with knowledge and track records in reforestation are abundant. Create a register with these people, their track record and the project they are linked to, contract them with proper binding terms and make it possible for the financiers to contact them and allow unannounced verification visits. I deem this paramount for trust.
Project should be presenting a simple but transparent risk assessment sheet. Make it very clear what the imminent risk factors are and how is the project hedging them. One thing all projects have in common, is that they do not cooperate to hedge risk. When people buy shares in a market they often spread the risk. ONCRA should review its projects and elaborate a way in which financiers have the ability to invest, avoiding risks, by distributing their investments into several projects. Perhaps that is now provided by the growing group of resellers like Scature Green Carbon?
Final point of view: nobody will dedicate a doctorate study to a failure. Researches tend to promote on success stories, making an enormous gap between real world biomass growth and literature. Which means that projects based on literature, are likely to need to readjust carbon caption capability, thus harming trust. These actual adjustments we see everywhere in GoldStandard projects. Please adhere to ONCRA’s reliance on actual measurements.
Guus de Hart is partner at Proyecto Palo, an ONCRA certified agroforestry project, and has extensive experience in agroforestry and carbon markets. He is living and working in Nicaragua.
Meet the Team: Neeraj Kand
” My name is Neeraj Kand, and I am pursuing a master’s degree in International Management and Economics in Germany. During my studies, I took a course that sparked my interest in sustainability and carbon sequestration. This interest led me to an internship at Climate Cleanup, where I have the opportunity to work with a friendly and supportive team. Also, I have the freedom to choose tasks that align with my interests, allowing me to gain in-depth knowledge about various forms of carbon sequestration and sustainable solutions. My current focus is on bio-based products and construction-related protocols. On the other hand, I am also contributing to key projects aimed at improving land-stored carbon metrics. The learning environment is incredibly open, providing me with constant opportunities to take on challenges and make meaningful contributions. This internship is not only strengthening my skills but also deepening my commitment to sustainability, all within a welcoming and inspiring setting. “
Dutch Bamboo at Dutch Design Week
Go and visit our friends from the Dutch Bamboo Foundation at the DDW in Eindhoven, which highlights the Trilix Bamboo Paviljon. The paviljon located at Ketelhuisplein during the DDW, is designed and built by Studio akēka and master carpenter & bamboo consultant Vince Math.
The Trilix Bamboo Paviljon promotes bamboo as a sustainable material, demonstrating bamboo’s potential to replace less sustainable materials in construction. The Trilix Bamboo Pavilion is innovative and eco-friendly crafted primarily from rapidly renewable European bamboo, the Trilix serves as a shining example of carbon negative architecture, showcasing the possibilities of modern day sustainable construction practices.
Read and see more at DDW 19th until 27th of October in Eindhoven
