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AMS-III.AO — Methane recovery through controlled anaerobic digestion

About this methodology

Projects treat organic matter in controlled anaerobic digesters and recover the resulting methane. The method measures avoided methane releases when the recovered gas is destroyed or used.

Issued by
CDM (UNFCCC) · issuer's site
Version
1.0 · source ·
Status
Active at CDM / UNFCCC · source ·
Climate outcome
Emission reductions
Activity
Organic waste
Official page
cdm.unfccc.int ·
Also used by projects of
1 more

How methodology v3 reads projects of this type

What CarbonMeld reads

  • shown

    Grid emission factor: the methodology sets rules for it in some cases. CarbonMeld reads it in the project's documents. CM-F-AMS-III-AO-GRID-EF

    Link

  • A confirmed investment analysis A-INVEST

    The documents show a project-level additionality test, the validation confirmed it, and it is an investment analysis (a numeric test of the project's finances with and without carbon revenue).

  • A methane activity the law requires A-LEGAL

    The rule applies to projects that capture or avoid methane. These are landfill gas, manure, wastewater, composting and coal-mine methane. They also include orphan wells, oil and gas leaks, rice, enteric methane and household biogas. The documents state that the law requires the activity. Or the documents state that a law requires the capture of the gas. An activity that the law already requires is not additional. If the documents show that the baseline already deducts the amount that the law requires, CarbonMeld takes no point.

Figures set against the methodology's own values

  • Integrity comparison

    The small-scale limit is 60 kt CO2e per year (p. 2). CarbonMeld compares the project's annual estimate with it. CM-F-AMS-III-AO-SMALL-SCALE-LIMIT

    small-scale limit: 60 kt CO2e per year

    Link

Set by the methodology or the programme, not assessed by our current method

  • not assessed

    Leakage: the methodology sets rules for it in some cases (AMS-III.AO v01 para 18, p. 6). Our current method does not assess it. CM-F-AMS-III-AO-LEAKAGE

    Link
  • not assessed

    Social safeguards and consent of communities (FPIC): any such rules come from the programme, not the methodology. Our current method does not assess it. CM-F-AMS-III-AO-SAFEGUARDS-FPIC

    Link

Not applicable to this type — never a gap in our current method

The criterion does not apply to this methodology. Our current method never counts it as a gap.

The general rules apply as well. Read the general rules.

The rules of methodology v2.2, as they were: the archived v2.2 page.

History and transitions

Takes the scope of AMS-III.F

To deconsolidate AMS-III.F to limit the methodology to composting only; anaerobic digestion of biomass will be covered in the new methodology AMS-III.AO.

source ·

  • v01adopted 26 Nov 2010source

    Initial adoption.

Projects using AMS-III.AO

Browse 23 published projects using AMS-III.AO, listed alphabetically. There is no ranking for this methodology yet: it appears here automatically once 5 of its projects not in the pipeline or under validation are rated. Open a project to view its registry details and the analysis available for that project.

Which registries list projects under AMS-III.AO?

In CarbonMeld's data, AMS-III.AO projects are on 5 registries: CDM (14), Verra (5) and Universal Carbon Registry (2), and 2 more. Being listed on a registry is not the same as being registered: the «Registered» column counts the projects each registry shows as registered, and credits are issued only after each verification.

RegistryProjectsRegisteredProjects list
CDM (UNFCCC)146See the list
Verra (VCS)51See the list
Universal Carbon Registry (UCR)20See the list
BioCarbon Registry (BCR)11See the list
Gold Standard (GS)11See the list

Counts of project records in CarbonMeld's data, with or without a CarbonMeld analysis. «Registered» counts the records whose current registry status is «registered», as last read (14 November 2026); projects in a later status, such as awaiting verification approval, late to verify or completed, are not in that column.

3 of these projects have no number: additionality, quantification or both have no public grade of their type of project that applies to them yet. Their pages show the analysis.

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