In Palm City, Fla., Air Burners, a manufacturer of air curtain burner systems worldwide, showcased the BioCharger, a new tool that turns green waste into green energy. According to the company, the recent destructive wildfires affecting the United States have shown an immense need for more efficient forest management and land clearing in wildfire-prone areas. Developed in collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment and Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the BioCharger addresses that need and reduces black carbon emissions compared to traditional disposal methods.
The BioCharger is a fully portable air curtain burner system that converts radiant heat into electricity, stores the generated power and charges electric vehicles and equipment on-site. The machine uses an Organic Rankine Cycle system to generate electricity, which is then stored in the attached storage module’s 600 kilowatt-hours battery, allowing the end user to charge their machinery locally. This opens potential for forest management, land clearing and wildfire mitigation services.
“Electric machinery is the logical next step in the fight against climate change and concerns over air quality,” said Brian O’Connor, president of Air Burners. “We saw a need for off-grid power generation and charging in the forest and vegetative management space to accommodate that shift. The BioCharger is our response to filling that need.”
The technology was shown off at a live event that took place at an Air Burners demonstration site hosted by TCIRood, a Florida landscaping company. Attendees listened to a presentation explaining the current landscape of vegetative waste management and the technology behind this new product while receiving exclusive access to experience the technology in action. As part of the demonstration, a Volvo compact electric wheel loader was used to show the capabilities of the BioCharger to recharge 48V equipment.
