Biofuel for the fireplace: features, types, safety

Biofireplaces are becoming more popular every day. There are many reasons for this. This is the absence of the need for a chimney device, small dimensions, original design and the ability to create in your home a unique atmosphere, generated by a magnificent game of light and shadow, a dance of a living flame. But we must not forget about safety. It is necessary to create good ventilation and use only high-quality biofuel for the fireplace - a special kind of liquid fuel. This is the only way you can guarantee security.

Fuel for biofireplaces

Biofuel - a kind of combustible material, which is obtained by processing the products of vital activity of plant and animal organisms. It is a liquid without color and odor. The raw material for its production is ethanol, an alcohol obtained by fermentation of plant cultures containing a large amount of sugar in their composition.

In its pure form, ethanol is prohibited for sale. It is not intended "for oral administration", this is inadmissible due to its high toxicity. Therefore, the producers went to the trick and modernized pure alcohol, making it uninteresting for fans of alcoholic beverages.

Modern biofuel for the fireplace is a denatured ethanol. The alcohol processed in this way does not emit substances harmful to living organisms during combustion, but decomposes into water, carbon monoxide with the release of heat.

Features of biofuel

During combustion, denatured ethanol practically does not emit carbon monoxide into the atmosphere, so that the formation of soot and soot is completely eliminated during the operation of the fireplace. This is also due to the lack of the need to arrange a chimney.

To maintain combustion, natural air circulation is sufficient, and there is no need to create an air draft. Thanks to these properties, the home fireplace on biofuel is small in size.

But due to the fact that in the process of combustion of ethanol only carbon dioxide and water are formed, the color of the tongues of the flame turns unnatural - there is no orange shade. To solve this problem, manufacturers add special additives to the fuel composition, which gives a natural appearance of the flame.

Types of liquid fuel

The main global supplier of biofuel is Brazil. Fuel production is also established in the countries of Europe, as well as in India and China, and even in Africa. Everywhere biofuel for a fireplace is made by its own technology using different raw materials. This is the reason for the great variety of renewable energy sources.

All world biofuel is divided into several dozens of species, among which the most popular are:

• Biodiesel - produced by processing fats of vegetable or animal origin, as well as food industry waste, is the most popular in European countries;
• Bioethanol - alcohol without color and odor, which is obtained by "distillation" of sugar-containing crops (beets, potatoes, corn) followed by denaturation.

New developments of scientists will soon allow to receive biofuel for the fireplace from algae, as well as from waste wood processing industry and waste paper, that is, from the pulp and paper mixture.

Burning biofuel

When one liter of ethanol burns, more than 6 kWh of heat is released, which corresponds to the hourly operation of an electric heater with a power of 3 kW. At the same time the fuel consumption is only 500 ml per one hour of operation. In addition, energy is not "lost" in the chimney, but remains inside the room, because of which the efficiency is about 95%.

But for heating the premises it is inappropriate to use only biofuel for the fireplace. The price for a liter of such combustible material starts to increase from 500 rubles. It all depends on the type and composition. So, some manufacturers offer customers biofuel in a gel-like form with the content of sea salt, which creates not only a pleasant aroma, but also allows you to enjoy the imitation of the sound of crackling logs.

Self-made biofuel production

We have already found out that biofuel for fireplaces is an alcohol, in the combustion of which only carbon dioxide and water are released. Therefore, it is not difficult to establish own production of fuel. To do this, you can use a regular homemade or purchased home-made device. Preference should be given to commercial copies, since in them the liquid passes several degrees of purification.

To make biofuel made for the fireplace with their own hands during the burning illuminated the room with a pleasant orange flame, it must be added with gasoline. It is best to use sports fuel AI-100 or AI-116. But it is not easy to get it, so you can take AI-95, the main thing is to make sure of its quality.

Alcohol with gasoline is mixed in a proportion of 20: 1. The resulting composition must be used immediately, because the components are very quickly separated. Such biofuel can be used not only in the fireplace, but also in kerosene lamps, lamps .

Safety precautions

When using biofuel, you must be extremely careful and careful. Inaccurate treatment will necessarily cause a fire. Therefore, when operating fireplaces on biofuels, observe the rules:

1. Do not add liquid to a burning fire. Extinguish the flame and wait until the structure is completely cooled.
2. Do not store biofuels near open sources of fire and heaters. Use a light-shielded room for this.
3. Kindle liquid only with special lighters with metal tips.

In every corner of our country you can buy biofuel for fireplaces. Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Samara, Rostov, St. Petersburg - in any major city you will certainly find a specialized store.