SustainNOW Podcast - Learn from entrepreneurs & scientists about climate solutions

11# - Winning the 100m USD carbon removal XPrize - Interview with student initiative CircularHorizon

July 31, 2022 Friederike von Waldenfels Season 1 Episode 11
11# - Winning the 100m USD carbon removal XPrize - Interview with student initiative CircularHorizon
SustainNOW Podcast - Learn from entrepreneurs & scientists about climate solutions
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SustainNOW Podcast - Learn from entrepreneurs & scientists about climate solutions
11# - Winning the 100m USD carbon removal XPrize - Interview with student initiative CircularHorizon
Jul 31, 2022 Season 1 Episode 11
Friederike von Waldenfels

This is a short episode to present the CircularHorizon initiative, with Stella Harper and Darius Stulz. Darius co-founded the student initiative Circular Horizon with the goal of developing a scalable carbon removal project based on biochar.

They are participating in the 100m USD XPrize Challenge by Musk Foundation. To win the grand prize, teams must demonstrate a working solution at a scale of at least 1000 tonnes removed per year.

Stella Harper is an ETH Material Science Student and joined the team later in the communication team. The student initiative already has 40 student members, and they are actively searching for companies to support them with expertise and financing.

In this episode, we are addressing the following questions:

  • Can you please explain to my listeners what Circular Horizon is and why you started it? 1:40
  • It is part of the Musk Foundation Project / Challenge Xprize - Can you explain that a little bit more? 3:18
  • Can you explain what Biochar is? 6:27
  • Which projects will you submit? 7:56
  • What makes your solution different and more scaleable? 10:16
  • What are the limits to using biomass and how would you overcome them? 11:41
  • How far in the project are you? 12:56
  • What have been your roles in this project? 14:37
  • How do you finance your projects? 16:53
  • If someone wants to support you, how can they do that? 18:25
  • What kind of support do you need from the community? 20:40



Please check out show notes and background information: www.sustainnow.ch
Ideas for a podcast episode? Please contact us here: fvw@forestrock.ch


Show Notes Chapter Markers

This is a short episode to present the CircularHorizon initiative, with Stella Harper and Darius Stulz. Darius co-founded the student initiative Circular Horizon with the goal of developing a scalable carbon removal project based on biochar.

They are participating in the 100m USD XPrize Challenge by Musk Foundation. To win the grand prize, teams must demonstrate a working solution at a scale of at least 1000 tonnes removed per year.

Stella Harper is an ETH Material Science Student and joined the team later in the communication team. The student initiative already has 40 student members, and they are actively searching for companies to support them with expertise and financing.

In this episode, we are addressing the following questions:

  • Can you please explain to my listeners what Circular Horizon is and why you started it? 1:40
  • It is part of the Musk Foundation Project / Challenge Xprize - Can you explain that a little bit more? 3:18
  • Can you explain what Biochar is? 6:27
  • Which projects will you submit? 7:56
  • What makes your solution different and more scaleable? 10:16
  • What are the limits to using biomass and how would you overcome them? 11:41
  • How far in the project are you? 12:56
  • What have been your roles in this project? 14:37
  • How do you finance your projects? 16:53
  • If someone wants to support you, how can they do that? 18:25
  • What kind of support do you need from the community? 20:40



Please check out show notes and background information: www.sustainnow.ch
Ideas for a podcast episode? Please contact us here: fvw@forestrock.ch


Can you please explain to my listeners what Circular Horizon is and why you started it?
It is part of the Musk Foundation Project / Challenge Xprize - Can you explain that a little bit more?
Can you explain what Biochar is?
Which projects will you submit?
What makes your solution different and more scaleable?
What are the limits to using biomass and how would you overcome them?
How far in the project are you?
What have been your roles in this project?
How do you finance your projects?
If someone wants to support you, how can they do that?
What kind of support do you need from the community?