"The utilization of organic and other waste materials spares fossil resources and makes a substantial contribution to climate and environmental protections," said Prof. Dr. Dr. Konstantin Terytze from Freie Universität, who heads the project. He says that biocoal could become an important tool within a sustainability strategy. Over the long term, biocoal stores CO2 from the atmosphere, reduces greenhouse gases during composting, and minimizes the leaching of nutrients into the groundwater. In addition, the production of biocoal provides energy that can replace fossil fuels.

With an area of 160 hectares, the Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde is one of the largest landscaped animal parks in Europe, and it is therefore an excellent location for research on and application of biocoal technology, explained the coordinator of the project, Dr. Robert Wagner. He said, "Especially the amount of foliage, 16,000 cubic meters annually, is a huge untapped potential for the production of biocoal and the associated storage of carbon." Building on the findings and experiences of the TerraBoGa research project in the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin from 2010 to 2015, the scientists will test this technology in the Tierpark zoo and include new and expanded aspects.

"In this project, the researchers will investigate the suitability of foliage for the production of biocoal to improve the efficiency of carbon and energy (use of waste heat for heating the display rooms and animal housing)," said Prof. Dr. Dr. Konstantin Terytze. For this purpose, the collected leaves are treated and pelletized. The biocoal is produced from the foliage pellets in the carbonization facility at the Botanical Garden Berlin at Freie Universität. The plans also include controlled composting of the manure and plant wastes with biocoal and the production of substrates tailored to the different planting concepts of the zoo park. The various environmental effects, such as greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient leaching, and effects on plant growth will all be tested on site.

Once the project has been completed, the findings will be compiled into an overall ecological survey, and economic considerations will be analyzed in the context of cost-benefit analysis. A manual will be prepared to facilitate the transferability of the research results to other locations and by other actors.