Bioturbines Ltd uses their technology which causes wood particles to burn like a liquid fuel, with lower capital and operating cost than other on demand renewable technologies.

The Bioturbines system utilises the intense, high temperature combustion flame in a gas turbine to cause the near instantaneous destruction of the cellular structure of the wood particles. The cell walls rupture with explosive force releasing combustible gasses.

An essential part of the Bioturbines concept recognises that, when wood is burnt, the ash, which makes up only 0.5-2% of the wood is solid once the temperature falls below 850°C. The gas turbine inlet temperature is kept below this, so that the ash particles which are small enough to be dragged through the turbine in the gas flow, do not impact on the blades and on reaching the turbine inlet, passes through without eroding or sticking to the turbine blades.

Provided the fuel is ecologically sourced, the Bioturbine is CO2 neutral and a 40kWe prototype (photo) gave confidence that emissions regulations can be achieved. The Bioturbines system diagram, (system diagram) shows how the wood waste feed and subsequent gas flows are managed, to generate power and high quality heat.

Suitable simple and robust gas turbine gensets with considerable operating experience are available commercially. The direct combustion of the fuel means that no gas cleanup is required before combustion.