Air Curtain Destructor vs. Chipping of Wood Debris

Cost Comparison Example
for the Disposal of 100 Tons of Wood Waste
Air Curtain Burning vs. Chipping
vs. Landfill Dumping

S-220
Air Curtain
Burning

Chipping & Landfill Disposal

Direct Landfill Hauling & Disposal

Cost of Machine

$98,700

$220,000

Operating Costs

Fuel Cost (S-220: 10 hrs; Chipper: 6 hrs)

$109

$630

Maintenance
(S-220: $0.60/hr; Chipper: $16.00/hr)

$96

Hauling of Residual to Landfill
(50 Miles @ $4.00/mile
with 20-ton Dump Truck)

$200
(1 load)

$2,400
(12 loads)

$5,000
(25 loads)

Tipping Fees at Landfill ($30 per Ton)

$90

$2,940 (Note 4)

$3,000

Total Disposal Cost for 100 Tons or approx. 500 cubic yards (1 Day)

$407

$6,066

$8,000

NOTES:

Individual results may vary.
Chipper: approx. 400HP, Diesel fuel consumption: approx. 30 gal/hr. Diesel Fuel at $3.50/gal
It is assumed that chips cannot be reasonably sold for beneficial re-use.
Chipping process and chip handling produces large amounts of particulate matter (PM) in the form of wood dust that can cause serious illness in exposed workers. Wood dust is a proven carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Chipping losses, mostly in form of wood dust, are approx. 2% or 2 tons in this example. Only 98 tons of wood chips are deposited into the landfill.
Air Curtain Burner residual is 3 tons of ash, hauled by 1 truck, but is usually land-applied on site; Chipper residual yields no weight reduction, but does provide significant volume reduction. In this example, waste is hauled by at least 12 trucks, each carrying approximately 22 cubic yards or 5 – 6 tons.
Direct hauling of land clearing wood waste to landfill will require approximately 25 trucks.
The S-220 is a medium size above ground refractory walled firebox. Larger and smaller models and trench burners are also available. See www.airburners.com.

Rev. 10.20.2011G