Agricultural waste is being disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner by a company in Napa Valley.
Piña Vineyard Management has produced a machine that removes the most dangerous smoke particles produced from burning vine clippings, a major public concern from the common agriculture burns each year.
Pina’s company has created an air-curtain burner, a portable incinerator that can be transported into the fields. Waste wood is put into the burning chamber, but a strong jet of air over the top prevents the smoke from escaping, re-burning it until almost all material is vaporized.
There are a few other organic Napa vineyards employing the same approach. Rather than transporting garbage, Piña has developed a burner that can be utilized on-site, thereby reducing transportation costs. The machine also serves a secondary purpose: to draw oxygen from blazing wood until all that is left is carbon.
It’s referred to as “biochar.” What seems to be burnt wood is a light mass of carbon. Biochar will remain in the soil and collect and retain water before slowly dissolving and releasing it back into the environment. Read more about this new approach to reducing agriculture waste.