Air Burners Launches BioCharger® in Collaboration with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment

New air curtain burner creates an environmentally-friendly, closed-looped system for managing vegetative waste, powering electric machinery fully off-grid.

PALM CITY, Fla., Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Air Burners^®, the leading manufacturer of air curtain burner systems worldwide, collaborated with Rolls-Royce and Volvo Construction Equipment to develop and test the BioCharger – an innovative, portable machine that turns biomass waste into energy.

The BioCharger is the first machine of its kind, combining 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," said 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 – seventy million tons of wood waste are collected annually in the USA, 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 chainsaws 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.

"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," said Kevin McKinney, Sales Director at 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 teamed with Air Burners to prove out the charging capabilities of the BioCharger with its new 23-ton crawler excavator, the EC230 Electric.  The EC230 Electric is currently in pilot testing across North America ahead of its commercial launch 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," said Dr. Ray Gallant, vice president of sustainability and productivity services, Volvo Construction Equipment.

Unlike biomass power plants, the BioCharger is a fully portable machine that can be relocated to a new site and be operational in approximately 6 hours. The machine accepts whole logs, root balls, pallets, crates, and any other clean wood or vegetative waste without sorting, crushing, or grinding. Air curtain burners also do not require any secondary fuel sources like natural gas, reducing costs and easing installation. 

Air Burners, Rolls-Royce, and Volvo Construction Equipment will host a demonstration event for the BioCharger in early 2024. To learn more about the BioCharger, visit https://airburners.com/biocharger-launch-event/.

About Air Burners
Air Burners, Inc., headquartered in Palm City, Florida, celebrates over 25 years of developing technology to combat climate change. Air Burners machines are tested and proven by the most stringent environmental agencies worldwide, like the USEPA, the Department of Environment Canada, the Department of Environment Australia, and many others. Discover more at AirBurners.com. 

About Rolls-Royce
The Power Systems division of Rolls-Royce is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany with its North American regional headquarters in Novi, Michigan. Its product portfolio includes mtu-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles as well as for the oil and gas industry. Within its power generation portfolio, Rolls-Royce provides diesel and gas systems and battery energy storage solutions as well as complete microgrids for mission critical standby power, continuous power and combined generation of heat and power. Its solutions are future-ready with a focus on environmentally friendly operation using sustainable fuels, aftertreatment and zero carbon energy storage.

About Volvo Construction Equipment
Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is a global leader in construction solutions, delivering premium products and services that combine power and performance with a more sustainable way of working. We are a company driven by people and together we have a purpose: To build the world we want to live in. Founded in 1832 and with a distribution network across every major market, our many dedicated experts around the world are fulfilling our shared purpose through a focus on sustainability, electromobility and services. As well as our expanding range of electric machines and charging solutions, Volvo CE provides industry-leading haulers, loaders, excavators and much more, all built to suit the demands of our customers' varied construction and infrastructure needs. Volvo CE benefits from being connected to the Volvo Group, which also offers trucks, buses, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and services that increase our customers' uptime and productivity. Through its holistic perspective, Volvo Group is committed to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. For further company information and to explore our values further please visit www.volvoce.com.

SOURCE Air Burners, Inc.