Review: Two events on the topic of carbon management as part of TransBIB
In spring and summer 2025, two consecutive events on the topic of Carbon Management were organised as part of TransBIB. The events pursued several objectives: Central challenges of carbon management were to be identified, initial solutions developed and project ideas collected. At the same time, interested stakeholders were to be recruited to form a joint working group. This group will work on the development of a joint project initiative in the future;
The first event, a virtual Meet & Match on 13 May 2025, was moderated by Dr Annette Hurst (Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region) and Dr Lucas Baumgart (Provadis University). The focus was on impulses from practice, including from CENA Hessen (Dr Janine Heck) with the Carbon4PtL project, which deals with the question of how CO2 can be provided for the production of e-fuels, ICODOS (David Strittmatter) with an approach to methanol production from CO₂ and CLIB (Dr Markus Müller) with the ReCO₂NWert project, which focuses on the biotechnological use of flue gases. The second half of the event was organised as an interactive workshop in which potentials, challenges and initial project ideas were discussed using digital tools.
On 26 June 2025, a face-to-face workshop led by Dr Markus Müller (CLIB) took place as part of the TransBIB Symposium. The focus was on the development of new business models. The participants discussed which approaches are particularly suitable for developing competitive solutions and where collaborations have an advantage over individual initiatives.
Central results of the events
It became clear at both events that carbon management offers considerable potential for the circular economy, decarbonisation and the transformation of industrial and energy sectors. Particular emphasis was placed on the material utilisation of CO₂, for example for the production of green methanol or innovative building materials, as well as the use of biogenic residues, for example from landscape conservation, as a starting point for new value chains;
At the same time, it became clear during the exchange that the implementation of carbon management strategies is associated with numerous challenges. These relate to political and economic framework conditions as well as technological and social factors:
Regulatory and political uncertainties: There is a lack of reliable legal framework conditions, long-term political objectives and clear guidelines, which creates planning uncertainty and investment barriers for companies.
Technological and infrastructural barriers: The technological maturity of many solutions is still limited, while central infrastructures such as CO₂ transport and storage systems are lacking. The high energy requirements also make economic scaling difficult.
Economic risks and lack of incentives: The economic viability of many carbon management approaches is still unclear. There is a lack of targeted funding instruments, financing models, market incentives and sufficient demand on the customer side.
Low social awareness and lack of market integration: The topic of carbon management is still not very present among the general public. At the same time, there is a lack of standards, product specifications and awareness of the opportunities offered by CO₂-based products.
Nevertheless, the discussions showed that carbon management can open up new market segments - particularly through the development of innovative business models, international standards, new partnerships and an open, coordinated transfer of knowledge.
Outlook: Next steps
The planned working group on the topic of carbon management will start in August 2025 with a group of interested parties who were acquired through the two events. In future, it will work on the further development of the ideas generated during the events. The aim is to formulate concrete project ideas, identify synergies between the stakeholders involved and tackle key challenges together.