Cowboy Carbon Dioxide Removal

Cowboy Carbon Dioxide Removal (Cowboy CDR) is the name of the novel carbon removal technology developed and commercialized by Cowboy Clean Fuels, based on what the company calls Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage plus Renewable Natural Gas (BiCRS+RNG). At its core, this approach permanently removes CO₂ from the atmosphere by injecting renewable, carbon-rich organic materials (such as agricultural residues) into subsurface, unmineable coal formations, primarily in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, where native microorganisms convert the biomass into CO₂ and methane. The coal seam acts as a “geo-bioreactor” and, because coal has a natural affinity for CO₂, the gas becomes irreversibly adsorbed and stored deep underground, delivering durable geological sequestration rather than temporary storage. Meanwhile, the methane produced during this biogenic conversion is pumped to the surface as Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and sold into existing pipeline markets, meaning the process yields both carbon removal and a marketable low-carbon energy product simultaneously. This integrated system leverages existing coal bed methane infrastructure to reduce capital intensity, and the company emphasizes that Cowboy CDR is designed to be scalable, lower-cost, and compliant with rigorous monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) standards that support high-integrity carbon removal credits and broader deployment globally.