The Albert Koechlin Foundation has announced that its environmental award for 2024 will go to the competence center mycosuisse and eoc energy ocean GmbH. Each award comes with 40,000 Swiss francs and will be bestowed at a celebration on June 7 according to a press release. The foundation has used this to honor services benefiting nature, the environment, and the biosphere since 2005.
The mycologist and product designer Patrik Mürner has dedicated himself to the world of fungi for twelve years. His competence center mycosuisse located in Emmenbrücke in the canton of Lucerne develops applications based on various fungal mycelia. According to the information provided, Mürner is currently leading a large project to successfully restore soil layers with zinc toxicity using fungi and pasture.
Another company based in Emmenbrücke that was co-founded by Mürner, mycostrat, develops sustainable construction and raw materials from fungi. His work also specializes in developing processes to treat seedlings and trees with a mycorrhizal mycelium. This process serves to sustainably support agriculture and forestry.
Eoc energy ocean from Lucerne converts unprofitable biomass from forestry or composting facilities into valuable vegetable carbon. In pyrolysis plants, this creates free energy for heating or electricity. The first plant went into operation in Luthern, also in Lucerne, in September 2023. Vegetable carbon decreases methane and nitrogen emissions. It is used to improve soil as well as for animal health. It can be used to store water in green areas. Additionally, it can be used to create sustainable water filters and construction materials such as concrete and asphalt using fewer resources.
