CO₂ removal we can quantify. Methane emissions deserve the same.  

By Bryan Epps

Removing CO₂ through waste management is what we do at Vaulted. While tackling CO₂ is essential, methane—a greenhouse gas that traps about 80 times more heat than CO₂ over a 20-year period—is equally as urgent to address. Scientists call it a “superpollutant” for a reason: though short-lived, it’s highly potent, driving significant near-term warming and creating regional ozone pollution that harms surrounding communities and crops.

Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with Google that’s designed to tackle both CO₂ and methane head-on. One component is a purchase agreement to remove 50,000 tonnes of CO₂ by 2030 as a follow on to Google’s offtake agreement through Frontier Climate in March 2024, certified by leading carbon removal registry Isometric. The other is a joint initiative with Google and Isometric to explore quantifying one of our approach’s biggest but least-measured benefits: the prevention of methane emissions.

Quantifying methane emissions is a new and important step forward for Vaulted because as we develop carbon removal projects, we want to maximize our positive impact—both on the local communities where we operate and on the climate. That’s why Google and Vaulted are working with Isometric to bring together carbon accounting experts, engineers, scientists to investigate how our approach impacts methane emissions grounded in the best available science

The air quality costs of methane

The organic wastes Vaulted handles every day—food waste, paper sludge, excess manure, agricultural byproducts, and biosolids—can be major sources of methane. Across landfills, wastewater treatment, and manure management, the waste sector accounts for roughly 40% of U.S. methane emissions.

Certain waste streams are methane powerhouses. When left to decompose anaerobically above ground, biosolids and agricultural residues can generate many times more methane per ton than other common municipal waste materials. That methane becomes a building block for ground-level ozone, a pollutant that leads to asthma risk and agricultural losses. Because ozone forms close to where the methane is emitted, the negative effects are often concentrated in the same communities where the waste decomposes. Essentially, local methane creates local harm.

Colorado’s Front Range is one example of how these effects collide. Agriculture there underpins both the economy and food supply far beyond the state. But the methane that results from farming fuels ozone formation, creating added pressures for this critical sector. A Colorado State University study found that 54% of methane emissions in the Denver-Julesburg Basin came from agricultural operations. Combined with nitrogen oxides from industrial operations, this methane drives some of the highest ozone levels in the country, which adds to the tight margins farmers already face.

Across the U.S., ozone pollution reduces corn and soybean yields by about 10% and 5%, respectively, costing farmers an estimated $9 billion in lost crop value each year. Wheat harvests can be hit even harder, with losses of up to 27% in some regions. Tackling methane at its source in organic waste streams offers a path to cleaner air, stronger yields, and climate gains.

Why methane is so hard to measure

Measuring carbon in organic waste is relatively straightforward. It can be sampled directly and verified over time. Translating carbon in organic waste to CO₂ removed upstream through photosynthesis is also straightforward. Methane emissions are far more elusive. The amount and rate of methane generated depends on a tangle of site-specific factors: the type and composition of waste; how the waste is handled and stored; the temperature, moisture, and pH levels in the storage environment; and even whether methane-producing bacteria have been introduced during processing.

Because of this complexity, there’s no widely recognized standard for quantifying methane in waste management. The absence of consistent, verifiable methods makes it difficult for industry, policymakers, and communities to account for methane’s true climate and health impacts (and to direct resources toward addressing the root causes).

Bringing scientific rigor to quantifying methane

This is why our new collaboration with Google is critical. Vaulted’s technology removes non-hazardous organic waste from the surface entirely, injecting it deep underground into secure geological formations. This stops the conditions that allow methane-producing bacteria to thrive and prevents the gas from forming in the first place.

We know this process is preventing methane emissions. The question is: how much?

Alongside Google, Isometric, and other scientific partners, we’re taking on the challenge of investigating how methane emissions can be credibly measured. This work will unfold in phases: first, aligning on criteria for rigorous methane measurement and accounting; next, producing a detailed scientific report on quantifying methane emissions; and finally, sharing the results openly so the wider industry can benefit.

The focus of our work is on understanding our true climate impact and the science needed to measure methane reliably, not on generating methane avoidance credits. That knowledge can help guide better decisions across sectors.

By quantifying methane avoidance, we can fill in a key missing piece of the climate ledger. That means a more accurate picture of our contribution to climate goals and stronger evidence of local benefits, from cleaner air to healthier crops. In places like Hutchinson, Kansas, where our facility operates, those benefits are clear and close to home.

Our eye to the future

The science tells us that cutting methane is one of the most powerful levers we have to slow warming in the next few decades. The local benefits, from reducing ozone pollution to supporting crop health, make it even more urgent.

This is a complex scientific challenge, and we’re tackling it with partners who share our curiosity and commitment to scientific rigor. We know the impact is there. The next step is proving it.

If you have relevant expertise for our science coalition, work with organic waste and are concerned about methane, or see a future for yourself at Vaulted, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always hiring.