The Forest Operations and Biomass Utilization team at ERI conducted a weeklong experiment/ demo April 24–28 at the Coconino County Public Works Facility in Flagstaff. The ERI team studied burning efficiencies of an Air Curtain Burner (ACB) for biomass disposal and CharBoss (CB) for production of biochar using ponderosa pine slash generated from restoration thinning treatments. Biomass obtained from a previous wildfire was segregated into four diameter classes. The rate of burning was determined based on diameter class, moisture content, and type of machine, while quantity of biochar produced was determined based on diameter and moisture content of the biomass. Time and motion studies for two loading machines, CAT 308 and CAT 299D2, were also conducted.
The results of this study are important for operational planning and logistics of biomass management on spatial and temporal scales and will help outline the benefits and limitations of each machine. A peer-reviewed research paper summarizing the study outcomes will be published in a scientific journal this year. The biochar produced from the CB is intended to be applied in problematic soils, such as vertic (high shrink-swell clay) or fire-affected soils, in Arizona. The team will study the impact of biochar application in different doses to remediate these degraded soils.
