Energy consumption of thermal weeders

Since the increase in restrictions over chemical weeds control in many countries, thermal weeding has become an alternative to chemical weeding. But what about the consumption of thermal weeding equipment? Is it an ecological alternative to chemical weeding?

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THERMAL WEEDING

The term “thermal weeding” refers to different types of equipment that use different energies but have in common that they kill weeds by thermal shock. These solutions allow the bursting of the plant cells and the drying of the plant.

The thermal shock can be done via hot water, foam, steam, hot air, infrared or a flame. Our Ripagreen® products use hot air to produce the thermal shock necessary to dry out the weeds.

As for the energies used for these thermal weeders, they are also varied. Some devices are engine driven and therefore use gasoline or diesel, some are electric and others use gas, such as propane. This is the case for our Ripagreen products.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The environmental impact of thermal weeders varies according to the energy used. The thermal weeders with hot water or steam for example, consume water and need a motor that can be thermal or electric. The water consumption of these devices can go up to 1500L/h for models with a large tank, to which must be added the gasoline or electricity for the engine.

Regarding the hot air, infrared or “burner” models, they have gas or electricity as the only energy required for their operation. The environmental impact is therefore less than for models using water (in large quantities) coupled with an energy source (gas, diesel, electricity).

GAS CONSUMPTION OF RIPAGREEN® PRODUCTS

RIPAGREEN products run on propane and do not require any other energy source. What you need to know is that, thanks to our innovations and our venturi system, the hot air is created from 94% ambient air and only 6% propane. The gas consumption is therefore low, it varies from 3.06 to 4.1kg/h depending on the pressure of use, which itself varies from 1.5 to 2.5 bars.

You are now informed about the different types of thermal weeding and their energy consumption. If you are interested in the Ripagreen® high velocity thermal weeders, our team is at your disposal to answer your questions and advise you if necessary. To do this, you can contact us by e-mail at info@sefmat.com or via the contact form.