Circular Horizon: Meet the Students Teaming Up to Solve Climate Challenges

We are Circular Horizon, an association of over 40 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral students from various fields spread across universities in Switzerland. The core founding team comprises former members of Swissloop Tunneling who have long-standing experience in project development. To face the climate challenge, we are not only working on two carbon removal technologies, but also creating a platform to lead critical discussions and raise awareness on the topic.

In September 2021, we started as a group of roughly five students. Over the course of a few weeks, we grew to a team of over 40 members. As one can assume, it is not easy to balance work for Circular Horizon and full-time studies. Nevertheless, we built up our organisation and signed our first partnership contract. Because fun should never be neglected - and, let’s be honest, the best ideas always occur late in the evening when everyone is having a good time - we have organised several team events like a Christmas Fondue dinner, or an outdoor escape route adventure through the heart of Zurich, taking part in exciting team challenges to solve a mysterious riddle.

So, what makes our approach special? Besides the fact that we are all students driven by a mutual passion for actively contributing to finding solutions, we are also working on two different technologies. One subteam is prototyping a reactor that produces biochar, a form of charcoal made through pyrolysis, out of biowaste; the other is working on a technology that can extract CO2 from ocean water. As the ocean absorbs more than two gigatons of carbon per year, it concentrates it to over 140 times atmospheric levels. Our aim is to leverage the ocean’s innate ability to capture CO2 to help reduce its atmospheric levels.

Being a team of young, talented, and highly motivated students, we do not plan to stop there. We envision Circular Horizon as a community that raises questions, discusses, and creates awareness of today’s climate challenges.

We often tend to focus on the problems, and many forget to wonder about the solutions. Is it even possible to capture the needed amount of CO2? Are these technologies economically and environmentally feasible? What else needs to be done? We, as Circular Horizon, will continue to face these questions, and we will work on a scientific approach to fight this global dilemma.

If you are interested in learning more about us or would like to become part of our passionate team, please do not hesitate to contact us. The most important thing is to face the climate challenge together, which is precisely what Circular Horizon is doing.