SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop a technology that can effectively capture ventilation air methane (VAM) generated in coal mine operation and convert it to fuels. VAM is the #1 cause of coal mine explosion. Currently, the only available method to reduce this risk is to use powerful ventilation systems, which are costly to maintain and insufficient to handle emergencies. Methane is also a greenhouse gas that is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat than CO2. Each year tens of millions tons of methane are released into the atmosphere due to mining activities. The proposed technology will provide an ideal technical solution that can solve all the main concerns of VAM - safety, environment, and energy. Compared to existing methods, such as ground VAM burners, the proposed technology features underground operation, room-temperature operation, portable in size, stand-alone, energy efficient and much lower costs. The broader/commercial impacts of this research are the reduction of coal mine accidents, reduction of mine shut-down time, increase of work place safety, a technology that may lead to further development and applications for the treatment of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), a constant threat to people safety and health. Although, this project targets at the coal mine industry at Phase I, the technology developed in this project can be easily adopted for applications in other industries without significant modification, such as petroleum, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals and residential air quality control etc.

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project proposes to develop innovative technical solutions and products that reduce coal mine gas explosion. Methane explosion is the major cause of mining casualty and economic loss. The list of world coal mine explosion is a long and shocking one. Even today, 300 years after human?s initial mining of coal, methane explosion still kills thousands of miners each year worldwide. Developed naturally within coal seams, methane is known for explosion hazard and chemical neutrality, which makes it highly dangerous but difficult to remove. Although modern technologies have been developed to pre-release methane or to dilute it by ventilation, it is practically impossible to eliminate the threat due to frequently occurred gas bursts and accumulation. Due to economic concern, mine owners and managers hesitate to take prompt action in response to each gas alarm. Sometime, their hesitation proved to be deadly. Torrey Hills invented a technology that can effectively capture methane from ambient atmosphere and convert it to safe chemicals, and thus can reduce explosion risk and operation shutdown loss to coal mine owners. The main features of the technology are room-temperature and room-pressure operation, complementary to ventilation, attendance free, and portable. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project includes not only addition of economic value to coal mine owners and operators, but also contribution to the overall society wealth in a broader sense by reducing life loss and improving environmental protection. The world coal market is estimated to be $400-600 billion per year. According to World Coal Association, the direct economic loss caused by coal methane explosion is over $10 billion worldwide each year. Nevertheless, the broader indirect costs are difficult to measure, including loss of life, hardship on the affected families, disruption to the local business, legal burden on the companies, and associated costs to governments and the society.