Air Burners Collaborates To Introduce BioCharger

Air Burners, a manufacturer of air curtain burner systems, has collaborated with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment to develop and test the BioCharger—a portable machine that turns biomass waste into energy.

The BioCharger combines three innovative steps to provide off-grid power from vegetative waste management. First, it eliminates vegetative waste using air curtain technology to minimize the harmful particulate matter entering the atmosphere. Then, it converts the residual heat energy into electric energy and stores it in a connected Battery Storage Module. Finally, with the accompanying charging mechanism, the BioCharger allows for off-grid electric vehicle and machinery charging.

“While electric machinery becomes increasingly popular in the fight against climate change, when it comes to forest management, we must have practical solutions for charging electric machinery away from traditional power sources,” says Brian O’Connor, president of Air Burners. “The Air Burners’ BioCharger provides that solution and manages wood waste, all done in an economical and environmentally conscious way.”

Vegetative waste is a significant and growing problem—70 million tons of wood waste are collected annually in the U.S., but only 48% of that waste is recycled, leaving the rest to open burns or decomposition, which releases particulate matter and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The BioCharger permanently eliminates up to 20 tons of vegetative waste per hour without emitting harmful greenhouse emissions like methane and black carbon—the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide.

Air Burners consulted with Rolls-Royce in developing the Battery Storage Module within the BioCharger, a 450 kWh charging station that can recharge multiple battery-electric machines and tools, from chain saws to excavators. The BioCharger creates and stores enough energy daily to recharge three to six battery-powered machines. In addition, the BioCharger retains enough energy to start itself and continue the cycle the next day.

Volvo Construction Equipment teamed with Air Burners to prove out the charging capabilities of the BioCharger with its new 23-ton crawler excavator, the EC230 Electric.

The BioCharger is a fully portable machine that can be relocated to a new site and be operational in approximately six hours. The machine accepts whole logs, root balls, pallets, crates, and any other clean wood or vegetative waste without sorting, crushing, or grinding.