1 + 1 = 3

Switzerland is not exactly blessed with raw materials. However, one natural resource that is quite abundant is wood. Around a third of Switzerland is forested, with slightly rising trend. The ingenious thing about it is that the material grows back, binding CO₂ at the same time. And it is much more versatile than you might think. There is almost nothing that cannot be done with wood and the materials obtained from it.

Did you know, for instance, that wood can glow in the dark? Or that cellulose fibers can be used to produce green electronics, for example sensors that indicate environmental changes? All this and much more is possible when resource 1 (wood) is combined with resource 2 (bright minds), as this Quartely impressively shows.

Incidentally, the latter also investigated how Swiss wood should be best used in order to generate high added value on the one hand and to bind the CO₂ it contains for as long as possible on the other. Their conclusion: It should only be used for energy, i.e. burnt, after as long a lifespan as possible in various incarnations – as building material, furniture or some such. This is known as cascading use.

Besides wood, our forest also offers another source of new materials – fungi. In fact, these are what make the wood mentioned at the beginning of this article glow in the dark. They can also be used to make mini-batteries, for example to power sensors in agriculture or environmental research. Once their work is done, they simply turn to dust.

Michael Hagmann
Head of Empa communication