Air Burners, the world’s leading manufacturer of air curtain burner systems, worked with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment to design and test the BioCharger, an innovative portable machine that converts biomass waste into electricity.
The BioCharger is the first of its type, integrating three revolutionary procedures to generate off-grid power from vegetative waste management. First, it removes vegetal waste by utilizing air curtain technology to reduce dangerous particle matter entering the atmosphere. The residual thermal energy is then converted into electricity and stored in a linked Battery Storage Module. Finally, with the associated charging mechanism, the BioCharger enables 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,” Brian O’Connor, president of Air Burners remarked. “The Air Burners’ BioCharger provides that solution and manages wood waste, all done in an economical and environmentally conscious way.”
Vegetative waste is a huge and growing concern; in the United States, 70 million tons of wood waste are collected each year, but only 48% of that garbage is recycled, leaving the remainder for open burning or decomposition, which emits particulate matter and greenhouse gases into the sky. The BioCharger permanently eliminates up to 20 tons of vegetal waste each hour without generating damaging greenhouse gases such as methane and black carbon, the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide.
Air Burners collaborated with Rolls-Royce to create the Battery Storage Module for the BioCharger, a 450 kWh charging station that can refuel a variety of battery-electric machinery and tools, including chainsaws and excavators. The BioCharger generates and stores enough energy daily to recharge three to six battery-powered equipment. Furthermore, the BioCharger stores enough energy to restart itself and complete the cycle the following day.
“The BioCharger is a unique application for our mtu EnergyPack battery energy storage system that I think shows just how versatile energy storage can be,” remarked Kevin McKinney, Sales Director for Rolls-Royce Solutions America. “The BioCharger’s ability to reduce emissions and generate energy through responsible handling of vegetative waste perfectly aligns with our targets to support our customers with innovative solutions for the transition to clean power generation.”
Volvo Construction Equipment partnered up with Air Burners to test the BioCharger’s charging capabilities using its new 23-ton crawler excavator, the EC230 Electric. The EC230 Electric is currently in pilot testing in North America, with a commercial launch expected next year.
“This collaboration with Air Burners for the BioCharger allows us to demonstrate one of the more non-conventional sources to fast-charge our equipment in off-grid locations,” Dr. Ray Gallant, vice president of sustainability and productivity services, Volvo Construction Equipment stated.
Unlike biomass power plants, the BioCharger is a completely portable system that can be moved to a new location and operational within 6 hours. The machine takes whole logs, root balls, pallets, crates, and any other clean wood or vegetal waste without sorting, crushing, or grinding. Air curtain burners also do not require any additional fuel sources such as natural gas, which reduces costs and simplifies installation.
