Controlling Emissions from the Burning of Vegetative Debris
Finding ways to reduce the emissions caused by burning biomass waste in open piles or by chipping and grinding it for trucking and depositing it landfills is of considerable importance in protecting the environment during disaster recovery operations. Air curtain FireBoxes, sometimes called air curtain destructors, have demonstrated proven effectiveness in controlling the amount of particulate matter or smoke that is released and they have been one of the tools of choice that DHS/FEMA included in the lineup of machinery required for prepositioned disaster recovery contracts and cleanup endeavors in general for many years. (See https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/508-7_public_works_resources.pdf Page 12-14.)
Preparing for Natural Disasters
The EPA has repeatedly focused on the potential for air curtain burners (destructors) to be used in clearing debris and destroyed vegetation, especially downed trees, after a natural disaster occurs. As is the case with all hurricanes, such as hurricanes Michael, Katrina, Rita and Wilma, numerous structures and trees had been destroyed and required immediate removal and disposal to prepare the area for rebuilding and make them habitable once more. This storm debris presented a serious challenge for cleanup crews and disaster relief workers who were tasked with entering areas damaged by the storm and restoring them to a safe condition. Homeowners and local governments were also faced with a huge biomass disposal challenge. All too often the first method employed is grinding, chipping and hauling the debris to area landfills. The use of air curtain burners is the preferred method, however, and is usually FEMA’s method of choice thereby discouraging the open burning of wood and other biomass debris in areas hard-hit by these damaging storms.
Practical Uses for Air Burners Systems
Many federal and state agencies already entrust their vegetative debris disposal tasks to systems manufactured and marketed by Air Burners. Air Burners are suitable for use in a wide range of industries and government activities. By disposing of wood and vegetative debris in an Air Burners system, forestry agencies, construction companies and landscapers can reduce their impact on air quality by avoiding dumping biomass debris into landfills or open burning it in piles while enjoying the fastest and most practical solutions for disposing of wood, brush and other plant debris generated by their regular activities.
Choosing the Right Air Burners System for Your Needs
Air Burners offers an extensive lineup of systems designed to suit the needs of small businesses, large companies and federal agencies alike. Choosing the right system is critical to the success of your biomass disposal project. Some of the most popular options in the Air Burners lineup include the following:
• The FireBox is an innovative solution that has been put to work by agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Armed Forces to dispose of vegetative waste in an environmentally sound way. By eliminating the need to process the wood waste before placing it in the Air Burners FireBox, this system allows for fast processing of wood and other vegetative debris to create a safer environment in forests, on construction sites and in other areas of the United States.
• The BurnBoss® was designed as a response to the needs of the U.S. Forest Service to perform fuels management in hard to reach woodlands, like parks in mountainous areas as part of wildfire mitigation efforts. Mounted on a dual-axle trailer, the BurnBoss® is powered by a small diesel engine and can be moved by pickup truck or tractor to the location where biomass disposal is required. It is often loaded by hand where manual forest thinning is performed, for example along hiking trails which cannot be reached by larger forest equipment. Fire departments also use the BurnBoss as they establish and maintain defensible zones in the wildland urban interface, in order to help protect homes and businesses from forest fires.
• The PGFireBox® is the newest addition to the Air Burners lineup and adds the ability to generate electrical power and make thermal energy available to its large-volume biomass disposal capabilities. The PG FireBox powers itself and can make excess power available to support other equipment powered by electricity at the processing yard.
All FireBoxes produce an appreciable amount of Biochar as part of the residuals from the elimination of clean woody waste material. Biochar is a valuable material that can be used to enrich soil for agricultural and forestry applications. This will furthermore help your organization or company to achieve the most cost-effective solutions for getting rid of biomass waste, including wood, undergrowth and other vegetation that has been cleared from your area.
Green-Friendly Solutions to Biomass Disposal
At Air Burners, we have earned an outstanding reputation for quality equipment and innovative solutions for disposing of unwanted biomass quickly and efficiently. BurnBoss® systems feature an enclosed burn chamber that controls particulate or smoke emissions well for small-scale wood waste disposal operations. For larger wood waste elimination endeavors, the well-proven FireBox® should be used and the PGFireBox® systems where appropriate.
At Air Burners, we work with you to determine the most appropriate system for your needs and the best solutions for environmentally-friendly disposal of clean wood waste, woody brush and other suitable vegetative debris. Our systems are used by federal and state agencies to provide the most practical and positive solutions for woody debris elimination for example, for forest fuels management as part of wildfire mitigation efforts and land clearing projects. Air Burners equipment is in use on every continent of the world except Antarctica. Give us a call today at 772-220-7303 to request more information about our exclusive lineup of products. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you.