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From Grass Fields to CO2-Storing Building Materials

GrassCO2mposites

Can grass grown in Danish fields help store CO2 in the buildings of the future? That is the question at the heart of the GrassCO2mposites research project, which aims to develop new building materials from clover grass and residual streams from the paper industry.

The project is based on a simple but promising idea: the carbon absorbed by grass from the atmosphere can be put to better use if the biomass is turned into long-lasting building materials rather than being used for biogas production, where the carbon is quickly released back into the atmosphere.

Through green biorefining, clover grass can first be processed to extract protein for animal feed and food. This leaves behind a fibre-rich residual fraction, which is currently used primarily for biogas production. GrassCO2mposites explores how these fibres can instead be upgraded into composite materials, partly by combining them with lignin from the paper industry.

The ambition is to develop building materials that make better use of biomass resources, store biogenic carbon and offer alternatives to more climate-intensive materials used in construction.

About the project

GrassCO2mposites is a research and innovation project developing composite materials and building components based on clover grass and lignin from the paper industry.

Project lead: The Royal Danish Academy, led by Professor Isak Worre Foged.

Partners: Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Vandkunsten, Bollinger+Grohmann, Davidsen, Pond Bio Resins, Vestjyllands Andel, Green Protein, We Build Denmark and Klimafonden Skive.

Funding: DKK 14 million from Innovation Fund Denmark through the InnoCCUS programme.

Project period: 1 June 2026 – 30 November 2029.

Carbon from the field becomes part of the building

The construction sector needs new materials that can reduce its climate footprint and support a more circular use of resources. Grass-based composites could offer new opportunities.

The project develops and tests materials and building components with different technical and architectural properties. Potential applications include insulation, acoustic elements, façade components and partition wall panels.

By retaining the carbon absorbed by grass in long-lasting building materials, the project has the potential to contribute to negative emissions. At the same time, it explores how the materials' thermal and acoustic properties can make them attractive for future construction.

A new value chain connecting agriculture and construction

GrassCO2mposites brings together agriculture, green biorefining, materials research and the construction industry in a new value chain. Grass becomes not only a crop for food and feed production, but also a raw material for building products and long-term carbon storage.

This creates opportunities for both agriculture and emerging bio-based and nature-based industries. Clover grass is also a perennial crop that can help reduce nitrogen leaching and pesticide use while building up carbon in the soil. Developing new materials can therefore create value at several levels – from farming systems and soil to industry and construction.

For Klimafonden Skive, the project is a concrete example of how agricultural resources can contribute to the development of new CO2 solutions and industrial value chains. It is about connecting local resources with new markets and creating greater value from the carbon already captured in our landscapes.