Whole-log woody biomass power plant commissioned in Florida

ElectraTherm, a distributed, waste heat to power generation technology company based in Reno, Nevada, has partnered with Air Burners to develop the first whole-log wood waste burner utilizing ElectraTherm’s Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power generating technology. The product, called the PGFireBox, eliminates large amounts of wood waste without any preprocessing, converting the woody biomass to fossil-fuel free electricity while providing a significant improvement in environmental impact by eliminating the production of methane as the wood decomposes in a landfill or forest, the company says. The first PGFireBox was commissioned in Jacksonville, Florida.

Air Burners, a worldwide air curtain burning system, utilizes patented technology to dispose of vegetative waste without preprocessing requirements. The self-contained unit generates electricity from vegetative waste at a rate of between 6-8 tons per hour, according to the company.

The PGFireBox is portable and can be deployed close to the location where the woody biomass is collected, applicable at sites such as landfills, forest maintenance, fire prevention, and natural disaster clean up. For more information on Air Burners and the PGFireBox, based in Palm City, Florida, visit www.pgfirebox.com.

ElectraTherm’s Power+ Generator feeds off the heat from the burner to generate up to 110 kilowatt electric (kWe) of fossil-fuel free electricity. Through the ORC process, hot water heats a working fluid into pressurized vapor. As the vapor expands, it drives ElectraTherm’s patented twin screw power block, which spins an electric generator and produces power.