Various biomass reactors systems and methods of pyrolyzing biomass are disclosed. One type of biomass reactor system comprises a plurality of biomass processing stations configured in series, each station comprising an auger reactor including an auger inlet for receiving biomass and a transfer screw for conveying the biomass through the auger reactor.

A gasifier for disposing of biomass and other waste materials through a gasification and combustion process. The gasifier includes a primary chamber for receiving and holding biomass or a selected waste product. A heat transfer chamber is disposed adjacent the primary chamber. A burner is associated with the gasifier for generating heat and heating the gasifier during various phases or portions of the gasification and combustion process. In the gasification process, the heat transfer chamber is heated and the heat is transferred to the primary chamber where the biomass is heated. During the gasification process, biomass material is volatized generating fumes and gases that later react and release heat through exothermic reactions. Once the gasification process has been concluded, the process enters a combustion phase where the biomass is actually burned. During the gasification-combustion phases, the amount of heat supplied by the burner will vary. Generally the amount of energy or heat supplied by the burner will decrease throughout the process because the biomass itself will supply substantial amounts of heat through exothermic reactions.

A system for incinerating bio-hazardous waste includes a chamber having there within a hydrocarbon feedstock and a plurality of electrodes between which an electric arc is formed, producing an arc-based gas. The system includes at least one primary combustion chamber in which an amount of bio-hazardous waste is incinerated. A source of combustion is interfaced to each of the at least one primary combustion chambers, thereby providing heat and ignition to the bio-hazardous waste. A secondary combustion chamber accepts fumes from the at least one primary combustion chamber and combines the fumes with the arc-formed gas and then the fumes mixed with the arc-formed gas are combusted.

A gasifier may include a chamber wall defining a gasification chamber configured to allow gasification of feedstock material. The gasifier may also include an ash grate disposed in the gasification chamber. The gasifier may further include a rotary crusher disposed in the gasification chamber above the ash grate. The rotary crusher may include at least one crushing element. The rotary crusher may be configured to break apart, between the at least one crushing element and an opposing surface, the feedstock material responsive to rotation of the rotary crusher.

In a method for physical and thermochemical treatment of biomass, the biomass moisture content is reduced in a dryer and ammonia (NH.sub.3) is also released from the biomass during drying. The dried biomass is then either pyrolyzed in a pyrolysis reactor and the pyrolysis gas is forwarded to and combusted in a combustion device to form flue gas, or is combusted in a combustion facility unit to form flue gas. In either case the flue gas is fed to a mixer. Oxygen (O.sub.2) is metered to the flue gas in the mixer and is fed directly to the dryer as drying gas. As the drying gas passes through the dryer, the sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2) contained in the drying gas and/or the sulfur trioxide (SO.sub.3) chemically reacts with the ammonia (NH.sub.3) to form ammonium sulfite ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.3) and/or ammonium sulfate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4). Also a treatment facility physically and thermochemically treats the biomass.

Materials recycling processes that include a combustion stage can operate very efficiently, but can produce exhaust gases that are high in carbon monoxide and the like. We describe a treatment unit which comprises a chamber for receiving the material, a heat source for (preferably) heat-treating the material and for initiating combustion, and a gas outlet from the chamber, which allows the gas that is exhausted via the outlet to be supplied to the air inlet of an associated boiler unit, with the air inlet and a separate fuel inlet feeding a burner for combusting fuel from the fuel inlet in air from the air inlet in order to heat a transfer fluid. In this way, the unburnt elements of the gas expelled from the chamber are included in the combustion process of the boiler unit and fully combusted. A corresponding method is also disclosed.