A small-scale gasifier can provide off-grid electricity and motive power on demand using waste garden prunings and wood scraps. The technology, which is based on the ancient principles of charcoal production, flourished one hundred years ago until oil became cheap. In this book, energy engineer and UK gasification researcher Dr Andrew Rollinson explores the science, history, and potential of small-scale biomass gasifiers, along with providing detailed explanations on how to operate one successfully. For a readership which has to contend with dwindling fossil fuel reserves, increased energy prices, climate change, mountains of waste, and the modern version of a small-scale gasifier system, this book provides a helping hand. It will be relevant to those who want to assess whether the technology is right for them, but also serves as an operational guide for the gasifier operator, explaining what can go wrong, why, and how to achieve long-term operational success.
Full colour. 170 pages.