Climate Projects
Switchback
In November 2023, Delta Brick & Climate Company purchased an abandoned coal mine property near Paonia, Colorado in partnership with Switchback Restoration. Measurements taken via aircraft, handheld sensors and methane detectors indicate methane is leaking at an average of 87 kilograms per hour. These ongoing leaks will be mitigated using a thermal oxidizer, with plans to explore utilization of the resulting H2O and CO2 for onsite energy, elk habitat restoration and agriculture. This work is funded in part by the Department of Energy.
Coal Basin
In partnership with the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, the Coal Basin Methane Project is an effort to understand and quantify methane emissions in the Coal Basin area near Redstone, Colorado. The project has received $1.2 million in congressionally directed spending and $200,000 from Pitkin County for community outreach, permitting and evaluation of methane leaks near the portals of abandoned coal mines.
Water Production
Similar to steam coming from a tailpipe on a cold day, methane can produce steam and water under the right conditions. We use a heat exchanger to produce 200 gallons of water per day, and this process can be scaled to several thousand gallons. This water can be applied to environmentally beneficial uses including wetland restoration and in-stream flows, and represents a new way to create and access water in our drought-stricken region. This work is supported by a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
MethaneRx
MethaneRx is a pioneering methane capture and utilization company founded in 2003 by the late Tom Vessels. Delta Brick & Climate Company currently manages MethaneRx with the goal of reducing coal mine methane emissions. MethaneRx’s active projects in Colorado and Pennsylvania capture a combined one million cubic feet of methane per day.