BioCharger Demo Highlights Possibilities
With Air Burners products, biomass can be converted to energy directly in the woods.
In early March, a diverse group of industrial users, Forest Service scientists and other experts gathered in Palm City, Fla., to experience and evaluate the leading air curtain burner system in the world, the BioCharger, by Air Burners. Developed in collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment and Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the BioCharger directly addresses the need for more efficient forest management and land clearing in wildfire-prone areas, while reducing 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 then charges electric vehicles and equipment on-site. The machine utilizes an organic rankine cycle system to generate electricity, which is then stored in the attached storage module’s 600 kW battery, allowing the end user to charge their machinery locally.
“Electric machinery is the logical next step in the fight against climate change and concerns over air quality,” Brian O’Connor, president of Air Burners, told the crowd. “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 event took place at an Air Burners demonstration site hosted by TCIRood, a Florida landscaping company. Attendees were treated to a presentation covering the current landscape of vegetative waste management and the technology behind this new product. As part of the demonstration, a Volvo compact electric wheel loader was used to show the capabilities of the BioCharger to recharge 48V equipment.
Developed in collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment and Rolls-Royce Power Systems, the BioCharger directly addresses the need for more efficient forest management and land clearing in wildfire-prone areas.