UTS and Howden Develop Catalytic Technology to Cut Mine Methane Emissions

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and industrial air and gas handling company Howden are developing a pilot-scale methane mitigation system that researchers say could reduce methane emissions from mining operations by more than 90%.

The pilot plant is being constructed at the UTS Tech Lab facility in Botany, Sydney. It will combine catalytic methane oxidation technology developed by UTS researchers with high-efficiency heat exchangers, with the aim of determining how the system performs under conditions relevant to industrial deployment.

The project is initially focused on methane contained in mine ventilation air, one of the more technically challenging sources of mining emissions because methane concentrations can be too low for conventional recovery or combustion systems. If successfully demonstrated, the technology could also have applications at landfill sites, waste processing facilities, and other industrial operations where low-concentration methane streams are present.

Targeting a Significant Source of Near-Term Warming

Methane has become an increasingly important focus of climate policy because of its strong warming effect and relatively short atmospheric lifetime. UNEP estimates that methane has a global warming potential about 80 times greater than carbon dioxide over the 20 years following its release and remains in the atmosphere for roughly a decade.

The International Energy Agency estimates that methane is responsible for nearly 30% of the increase in global average temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. Fossil fuel operations remain a major source. According to the IEA's Global Methane Tracker 2026, oil, natural gas and coal operations emitted about 124 million tonnes of methane in 2025, including approximately 43 million tonnes associated with coal.

Coal mines can release methane trapped within coal seams as mining activity changes underground pressure and exposes methane-bearing material. In underground mines, ventilation systems are typically the largest methane source because large quantities of air are circulated through mines to prevent dangerous concentrations from accumulating.

Ventilation creates an important safety benefit, but it also produces large volumes of air containing relatively small concentrations of methane. Treating such dilute streams economically has historically been difficult.

Lower-Temperature Catalytic Process

UTS researchers are seeking to address this challenge through catalytic oxidation, which enables methane to be converted at lower temperatures than many conventional thermal systems.

Professor Michael Stockenhuber, head of the UTS Catalysis and Process Engineering group, said the technology has demonstrated consistent methane conversion under standard operating conditions for more than six months at temperatures as low as 460°C.

According to the researchers, operating at lower temperatures can reduce energy requirements and allow equipment to have a smaller physical footprint compared with thermal oxidizers. Lower operating temperatures could also reduce some of the operational risks associated with deploying high-temperature equipment at mine sites.

UTS says its technology is particularly suited to low-concentration methane emissions and has been developed to offer long-term catalytic stability while reducing the required reactor volume.

The pilot project will now test how these characteristics translate from research and prototype systems into equipment that could operate under industrial conditions.

Howden will contribute experience in ventilation, air handling and industrial equipment. The company has supplied ventilation systems to the Australian mining industry for more than a century and is working with UTS to turn the research into a commercially deployable system.

Pilot Expected to Begin Operating by the End of 2026

Development of the technology follows more than 10 years of collaboration between the researchers and Howden. The organizations have now formalized an agreement aimed at commercializing the system within three years.

UTS expects the Botany pilot plant to begin operating by the end of 2026. The next stage would involve construction of a demonstration system capable of treating ventilation air directly at an operating mine site.

This progression will be important because methane concentrations, airflow rates, temperature, and other conditions can vary considerably between mines. Successful laboratory performance therefore does not automatically translate into commercially viable mine-site operation.

A demonstration project would provide data on methane conversion rates, equipment reliability, maintenance requirements, energy consumption, and operating costs. These factors will determine whether the system can compete with alternative methane management technologies at commercial scale.

Growing Regulatory Relevance in Australia

The development also comes as Australia strengthens the measurement of fugitive emissions from coal mining.

From July 1, 2026, open-cut coal mines covered by Australia's Safeguard Mechanism are required to use more mine-specific methods for calculating fugitive emissions under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme. The Australian government is also reviewing one of the methodologies used to estimate methane and carbon dioxide released from open-cut coal mines.

Improved measurement does not itself reduce emissions, but more precise data can increase the visibility of methane sources and improve the economic case for mitigation technologies.

For mine operators subject to emissions limits or corporate climate targets, technologies capable of treating previously difficult methane sources could eventually provide another pathway for reducing reported emissions rather than relying on offsets or reductions elsewhere in the business.

Commercial Viability Will Determine Wider Adoption

The potential environmental impact of the UTS technology will ultimately depend on whether it can operate reliably and economically across different methane concentrations and mine conditions.

Catalytic systems must maintain performance over long periods despite exposure to dust, moisture and other substances that can affect catalysts. Equipment must also be integrated with mine ventilation systems without compromising safety or operational reliability.

If those challenges can be addressed, the technology could have relevance beyond coal mining. UTS and Howden have identified landfills, waste facilities, energy infrastructure and other industrial applications as potential future markets for low-concentration methane treatment.

The broader opportunity is significant. The IEA estimates that fossil fuel methane emissions remain above 120 million tonnes annually despite the availability of established mitigation technologies, indicating that technology deployment and implementation remain major barriers to reducing emissions.

For the UTS and Howden project, the Botany pilot will therefore represent an important transition from extended laboratory research toward industrial validation. If the pilot and subsequent mine-site demonstration confirm the expected methane conversion, operating cost, and reliability performance, catalytic oxidation could become an additional tool for addressing one of the mining industry's more difficult sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au