On 26 October, in its Regional section, El País published an extensive report on the project incorporating biochar made from Andalusian olive stones into street paving across Barcelona.
Selected as part of the ’21st Century Street’ programme, the initiative stems from an alliance between Barcelona City Council, the BIT Habitat Foundation, and the municipal company BIMSA, in collaboration with the Barcelona Provincial Council. Its objective is to reduce CO₂ emissions from pavements and carriageways by up to 76% by replacing conventional asphalt components with Carboliva biochar.
As the report highlights, the project has been awarded a €90,000 grant for research, mix designs, and prototypes. Once laboratory testing confirms their safety and durability, the first urban pilots will be deployed on actual streets from 2027. Trials conducted by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, together with construction firms AMSA and ELSAN, indicate that biochar-modified asphalt performs as well as or better than conventional asphalt, offering superior resistance to moisture and cracking.
The article also covers Carboliva’s operations at its Puente del Obispo plant (Jaén), situated within the Coosur industrial complex, as well as the EBC certification of its biochar.