Open burning is commonly used to dispose of piles of forest residues generated by forest management activities; however, this method is associated with smoke emissions and damage to forest soil. Air curtain burners (ACB), such as the Firebox (FB) and CharBoss® (CB), offer an alternative to open burning. This study evaluated the performance of FB for biomass disposal and CB for biomass disposal and biochar production with the objective of quantifying the benefits and limitations of each machine. Ponderosa pine biomass obtained from harvesting after a wildfire event and freshly cut wood from ponderosa pine trimmings were used to evaluate the performance of each machine. We measured the combustion rate for both machines and biochar produced from CB. The burning rate for large-diameter (>10 cm) biomass using FB machine was 1.1 GT/h (924 C) while small-diameter (<5 cm) biomass burned at the rate of 2.4 GT/h (814 C), and for biomass consisting of mixed-sized materials it was 2.5 GT/h with the highest recorded temperature of 1089 C. The biochar yield from CB operations ranged between 8.8 % and 17 % on a bone-dry ton basis. The size of biomass material, machine type and moisture content influenced the burning rate. The FB is most appropriately used in a centralized setting where large quantities of biomass are available near harvest operations, while the CB is better used for biochar production in a mobile setting. These results are useful for understanding alternative biomass management options, the long-term financial implications, and environmental benefits.

中文翻译：

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FireBox 和 CharBoss：露天燃烧木质生物质的替代方案


露天焚烧通常用于处理森林经营活动产生的成堆的森林残留物；然而，这种方法会产生烟雾排放和对森林土壤的破坏。 Firebox (FB) 和 CharBoss® (CB) 等风幕燃烧器 (ACB) 提供了露天燃烧的替代方案。本研究评估了 FB 用于生物质处理和 CB 用于生物质处理和生物炭生产的性能，目的是量化每台机器的优点和局限性。使用从野火事件后收获的黄松生物质和从黄松边角处新鲜砍伐的木材来评估每台机器的性能。我们测量了机器和由炭黑生产的生物炭的燃烧速率。使用 FB 机器的大直径（>10 cm）生物质的燃烧速率为 1.1 GT/h（924 C），而小直径（<5 cm）生物质的燃烧速率为 2.4 GT/h（814 C），并且对于由混合尺寸材料组成的生物质，其速度为 2.5 GT/h，最高记录温度为 1089 C。按干吨计算，生物质炭产量在 8.8% 至 17% 之间。生物质材料的尺寸、机器类型和含水量影响燃烧速率。 FB 最适合用于集中环境，在收获作业附近可以获得大量生物质，而 CB 更适合在移动环境中生产生物炭。这些结果有助于了解替代生物质管理方案、长期财务影响和环境效益。