Pilot · a case study on a real mine
The pilotAuguste Victoria Colliery · Marl, Germany
The pilot is not an imagined site. It is a case study on the best-documented specimen in our inventory: a real colliery on the northern edge of the Ruhr, closed in 2015, that the model says is still breathing methane — and that nobody has measured.
One of Germany’s last hard-coal collieries — very deep, very gassy coal.
GEM June 2024, Kholod decline — second-largest source in the EU inventory.
Flooded, it stopped emitting years ago. Dry, it vents on. The first task on site is answering this one bit.
MCM per year on the dry path — a long tail the 2030 venting ban will not wait for.
Why this site: the data argues for it. Germany already utilises ≈99% of its abandoned-mine methane, the grid and heat-network infrastructure of the Ruhr is dense, and the mine’s flooding question is exactly the kind the platform is built to answer. The plan below is a concept — no budget, no timeline — grounded in the site’s real numbers.
The site, modelled · from the field study
This exact mine, as the model sees it.
The field study’s twin instrument defaults to Auguste Victoria. Flip the flooded-status and seal dice, and watch what the pilot would have to resolve with instruments.
II The shaft
The plan · five systems on one site
What Aftermine would build here.
01
Methane field
- Collection wells and sealed vents
- Continuous emissions monitoring
- Gas conditioning
- Useful methane recovery where practical
- Methanotrophic treatment for suitable dilute streams
02
Mine-energy system
- Mine-water heat pumps
- Solar generation
- Thermal or battery storage
- Heat and power for on-site processes
- Potential connection to nearby users
03
Biological systems
- Modular methanotrophic packed-bed reactors
- Constructed wetlands
- Water-quality and carbon-balance instrumentation
04
Restored landscape
- Native habitat
- Managed wetlands
- Safe public paths
- Ecological monitoring
- Mining-history interpretation
05
Public observatory
- Live emissions dashboard
- Interactive 3D digital twin
- Research laboratory
- Training centre
- Transparent project reporting
What would make it real
The site is the proof, or it is nothing.
The pilot only matters if its numbers hold: methane destroyed measured, not claimed; heat delivered metered; habitat monitored season over season. The observatory exists so that anyone — resident, regulator, sceptic — can inspect the same data the operators see.