Biothermica announces the operational launch of the largest underground mine methane abatement facility in the United States

MONTREAL, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Biothermica Technologies Inc., a Canadian cleantech corporation (www.biothermica.com), announced today the delivery and full operation of its first full-scale Vamox® unit developed for the abatement of ventilation air methane (VAM) from one of the largest metallurgical coal mines in Buchanan County, Virginia (USA) owned by Coronado Global Resources, an Australian public corporation listed on ASX.

Approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, Safety, Health and Mine Administration (MSHA), the Vamox® unit was delivered on July 26, 2022. It is a specifically optimized regenerative thermal oxidation process that, when preheated, oxidize diluted methane in the ventilation air without using fossil fuel. It will result in an annual reduction of some 300,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e), which is equivalent to taking about 65,000 gasoline cars off the road per year. The carbon credits generated by the project will be registered according to the rules defined by the California Air Resources Board, under the Mine Methane Capture (MMC) protocol and sold on the U.S. market.

"We are proud of the delivery of our 160,000 cfm Vamox® unit. This follows more than fifteen (15) years of development that began in 2007 with an initial 25,000 cfm pilot plant at the JWR metallurgical coal mine site in Brookwood, Alabama. The involvement of our engineering team and the support of several strategic suppliers were necessary to successfully complete the project on budget and on schedule. The Vamox® unit offers a treatment capacity that exceeds any other technology on the market, positioning Biothermica as a leader in the destruction of methane in underground mines," said Dominique Kay, Vice President of the Air and Technologies Division.

Well established in the carbon market for over 20 years, Biothermica is recognized as a technology leader in the development and implementation of technologies related to the destruction of methane from landfills and underground coal mines. A powerful greenhouse gas 28 times more harmful than CO₂, methane represents 20% of all GHGs emitted by the planet. Its fast reduction, as recommended by more than 100 countries who signed the methane pledge at COP26, is a key to keep the average world temperature under 1.5°C.

"Protecting the environment is a core concern for us at Coronado Global Resources. We are very pleased to be able to participate in this important project. This project will reduce the methane emission footprint at our Buchanan Mine and contribute to our GHG reduction commitments in line with the Global Methane Pledge initiated by the United States and the European Union at COP26," said Bob Cline, VP of business development and engineering, Coronado Global Resources.

Underground coal mine methane accounts for nearly 10% of all methane emitted to the atmosphere, or 1.3 billion tCO₂e according to recent satellite measurements of emissions. The major emitters are China, India, Australia, the United States, Russia, Poland and South Africa.

"The destruction of methane by the Vamox® technology covers a significant potential sales market. Other projects are being discussed in the United States and elsewhere in the world as well as in mines other than coal mines. Our company is part of the solution to global warming," said Dominique Kay.

"GHG mitigation concerns us all since across the planet, we share the same air. It is through immediate and tangible GHG reduction actions such as the implementation of the Vamox® in Virginia that we will be able to reach the +1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement. At Biothermica, we have the technologies, we have the expertise, we take action," said Guy Drouin, President of Biothermica.

Founded in 1987, Biothermica Technologies Inc. (www.biothermica.com) is a leader in the development, finance, construction and operation of methane removal and recovery projects from landfills and underground coal mines. As an integrated developer, the company also trades the carbon credits and electricity generated by its projects in domestic and international markets. Biothermica has completed carbon credit and electricity generation projects in North and Central America. The company also provides turnkey solutions for industrial emissions control.

SOURCE Biothermica Technologies Inc.