What Route 11 is
R11 issues verified ex-post avoided-emission tonnes from methane reductions in three distinct operating contexts: landfill gas capture and destruction, anaerobic digestion (AD) and manure management, and rice methane suppression programmes. The output is a voluntary carbon market tonne, settled in stablecoins, with the full lineage from measured methane to the destruction or suppression action visible on-chain.
Methane (CH4) is short-lived but potent. The IPCC GWP100 factor (28 for AR5; values converge in AR6) means each tonne of CH4 prevented from venting is equivalent to 28 tonnes of CO2 over a 100-year horizon. Methane is the second-largest contributor to anthropogenic warming after CO2 and accounts for roughly 30 percent of current warming attribution. The intuitive story for corporate buyers is 'we captured and destroyed methane that would have vented', which speaks directly to Scope 1 and Scope 3 supply-chain hot spots that internal stakeholders understand.
Three sub-paths share one protocol skeleton because they share the same evidence discipline: measured volume of methane that would have gone uncontrolled, destruction efficiency (where applicable) for the destruction system, and conservative deductions for oxidation, slip, parasitics, and leakage.
The three sub-paths
Flow path (landfill). Landfill gas (LFG) is collected through gas wells and pipes, measured for flow rate and CH4 fraction, and destroyed in flares or engines (often with electricity co-generation). The accounting: tCO2e = Σ[CH4_m³ × ρ_CH4 × GWP100 × DE × (1−Uncertainty)] × (1−Buffer). The methane density ρ_CH4 = 0.000716 t/m³ at STP; GWP100 = 28; destruction efficiency typically 98 percent for properly operated flares and engines. Oxidation defaults are applied for any uncollected methane that would oxidize in the landfill cap.
Biogas path (AD and manure). Biogas from anaerobic digestion of organic waste or manure is collected, measured for CH4 fraction (typically 50-65 percent), and either flared or routed to engines or RNG (renewable natural gas) upgrading. The accounting: tCO2e = Σ[Biogas_m³ × CH4_fraction × ρ_CH4 × GWP100 × DE]. Parasitic loads on the reactor, digestate storage leakage, and engine slip are explicitly deducted.
Rice path (paddy methane suppression). Rice paddies emit methane from anaerobic decomposition under flooded conditions. Practices that reduce flooding (alternate wetting and drying, midseason drainage, dry seeding) reduce methane emissions per hectare per season. The accounting uses a per-hectare reduction factor × area × (1−Deductions) × (1−Buffer), with field telemetry and remote sensing per the registered plot plan and leakage modules for rice straw burning where applicable.
The protocol math is path-specific, but the verifier dossier discipline is uniform across all three. Pricing reality for credible R11 projects typically clusters around $10-30 per tonne (illustrative, not guarantees), moving higher for well-metered fleets with strong governance and transparent retirements.
How R11 works
After the eligibility and causality gate passes (uncontrolled CH4 confirmed as the baseline, EDMA financing or incentive causal to the capture or suppression system, rights confirmed), the accounting plan at S02 locks the chosen sub-path's math: the methodology source and version, the destruction efficiency, the uncertainty deduction, the permanence buffer. The locked plan is recorded on-chain; restatement SOP applies for any future factor changes.
Measurement at S03 runs through the PRO evidence chain. For landfill (Flow path), flow meters and CH4 analyzers on the gas stream, runtime meters on flares and engines, calibration certificates. For AD and manure (Biogas path), reactor logs (time, temperature, feedstock), gas-flow logs, lab CH4 fraction analysis, engine and flare destruction efficiency. For rice (Rice path), field telemetry plus remote sensing per the registered plot plan, plus leakage modules for rice straw burning. PRO tokens mint to the project wallet per interval or stream; non-transferable evidence, consumed at issuance.
At S04, the One-Claim discipline applies. Any RNG, RGC (renewable gas certificate), or electricity attributes that exist for the same captured gas or generated electricity must be retired or immobilized in their source registry before R11 will queue any carbon. The Issue and Retire IDs are anchored on-chain.
At S05, the vintage batch dossier is reviewed by an independent accredited verifier from the panel. The dossier contains the PRO records, calibration certificates, runtime logs, EF snapshots, EAC retirement IDs, leakage and parasitic accounting. Cadence is typically monthly or quarterly per the metering plan.
At S06, on a passing verification opinion, the CARBON_TONNE contract mints the vintage batch; the backing PRO tokens are stamped consumed-to-carbon and rendered permanently non-transferable. Sale and stablecoin settlement at S07 follow the standard pattern.
The seven-stage diagram below shows the unified flow with sub-path-specific notes.
Biogas path (AD/manure): Biogas_m3 × CH4_fraction × ρ_CH4 × GWP100 × DE.
Rice path: per-hectare reduction factor × area × (1−Deductions) × (1−Buffer)
Why R11 matters for the climate stack
Methane's short atmospheric lifetime (about 12 years) plus high radiative forcing makes it a particularly high-impact target for near-term climate action. The Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26 commits signatories to a 30 percent reduction in anthropogenic methane emissions by 2030 against a 2020 baseline. Waste and agriculture are two of the three major source categories (the third being fossil fuel operations, which has separate methodology infrastructure).
Corporate buyers procure R11 credits for two distinct reasons. First, supply-chain decarbonization claims under Scope 3: food and beverage companies addressing dairy and rice supply chains; waste-management companies covering landfill operations they own or finance. Second, intuitive internal storytelling: 'we captured methane that would have vented' is a story that lands with internal stakeholders and external audiences in ways that more abstract carbon claims don't.
The R11 design choices follow the methane-specific MRV discipline: measured volume (not estimated), explicit destruction efficiency (not assumed), accounted-for leakage and parasitics (not hand-waved), conservative deductions (uncertainty plus buffer). The discipline is what makes the tonne defensible in a Scope 3 audit.
Stacking with other routes
R11 is compatible with Route 3 (community pool participation), which uses pool assets and does not touch the operator's methane evidence.
If gas or electricity attributes exist for the same unit of benefit (an RNG certificate for the captured biogas, a REC for the electricity generated from landfill gas engines), those must be retired or immobilized at S04 before R11 will queue any carbon. The retire-first rule is uniform across the EDMA protocol: one unit of benefit, one claim.
R10 (Renewable Thermal) and R11 stack cleanly when waste heat from AD or LFG engines is monetised on R10 separately from the methane avoidance on R11. The two revenue streams come from different units of benefit (the methane reduction is the carbon claim; the useful heat is the thermal attribute) and the protocol enforces the separation.
Where it stands
R11 is built on the same protocol-level architecture as the other routes. The R11-specific work is in three areas:
PRO contract. The Process Reduction Observation token, parallel to ETT and HTT but configured for methane-specific evidence: per-interval CH4 mass, sensor IDs, calibration references, destruction efficiency for the destruction system, parasitic and leakage accounting.
Three sub-path schemas. The PRO evidence schema accommodates the three operating contexts: Flow path (landfill flow + CH4 analyzer evidence), Biogas path (reactor logs + lab assays), Rice path (field telemetry + RS). The verifier reviews path-specific dossiers, but the issuance contract is unified.
Methane MRV verifier panel. Independent verifiers with the specific expertise to audit landfill gas systems, AD plant operations, and rice paddy programmes. The panel composition is different from the forestry or coastal verifiers used in R5-R8.
Verifier-panel onboarding is the main readiness dependency for R11. The methodology infrastructure (the IPCC GWP100 factor, the major voluntary registries' methane methodologies, the standard practices for destruction efficiency and leakage accounting) is mature and stable; what is being built is the verifier capacity and the registry bridges.
For the protocol-level architecture R11 depends on, see Proof-of-Verification, One-Claim Ledger, Attestor Registry, and the sibling complex route pages: R9 Diesel-Solar Microgrids, R10 Renewable Thermal, and R12 Tech Removals.
