Products / Oil/Gas-to-Biomass Retrofit (OBR) Kit
Keep your boiler or heater. Swap the fossil fuel for biomass.
The Oil to Biomass Retrofit kit converts your furnace oil, diesel or gas-fired boiler or thermic fluid heater to run on biomass. And Steamax does not stop at the kit: we can supply the fuel, run the plant and dispose of the ash, so all you buy is steam or heat.
30 to 60%
lower fuel cost than oil or gas
60 to 70%
cheaper than buying a new biomass boiler
Within 6 hours
switch back to oil or gas if you ever need to
Below 50 mg/Nm³
particulate matter on biomass, with bag filter, ESP or other air pollution control
Same boiler. New fuel end.
Today
- 1An oil or gas burner fires the boiler or heater from the front.
- 2The boiler or heater itself.
- 3The flue runs straight to the chimney. Fuel is the biggest cost, and it comes with fossil CO₂.
With the OBR kit
- 1A biomass furnace replaces the burner, fed automatically from hoppers.
- 2Your boiler or heater stays, so you skip the cost of a new one.
- 3A cyclone takes out the coarse dust.
- 4A bag filter (or ESP) keeps particulate matter below 50 mg/Nm³.
- 5An induced draft fan carries the clean flue gas to the chimney.
Convert, don't replace
The pressure body is the expensive part of a boiler or heater, and you already own it. If it is in sound condition, the OBR kit rebuilds only the end that burns the fuel. That is why converting is 60 to 70% cheaper than buying a new biomass boiler, and far cheaper to run than staying on oil or gas.
| Topic | Stay on oil or gas | Buy a new biomass boiler | Convert with the OBR kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel cost | The highest per unit of heat, and it moves with oil and gas markets. | Low, on the same biomass fuel prices. | 30 to 60% lower than oil or gas. |
| Upfront cost | None. | The full price of a new boiler, plus civil work and approvals. | 60 to 70% cheaper than a new biomass boiler. Nothing at all under BOOT. |
| Time to switch | Nothing to do. | Months to design, build, install and commission. | Fitted to the boiler or heater you already have, so there is no new-build programme. |
| Approvals | None. | A new boiler needs full approval and registration under the Indian Boiler Regulations. | OBR Lite needs no IBR approval. OBR Max does, and we guide you through it. |
| Your boiler or heater | Keeps ageing on the costliest fuel. | Retired or left idle. | Keeps working, on cheaper fuel. |
| Fuel flexibility | One fuel. | Biomass only. | Switch back to oil or gas within 6 hours if you ever need to. |
| Stack emissions | Little dust, but the highest fossil CO₂. | Depends on the air pollution control fitted. | Particulate matter below 50 mg/Nm³ on biomass, with bag filter, ESP or other air pollution control. |
| Fossil CO₂ | Highest. | Near zero net. | Near zero net. |
| Running it | Your team runs it and buys the fuel. | Your team runs it, and manages the biomass fuel and the ash. | You run it, or Steamax does. Under BOOT we supply the fuel, run the plant and dispose of the ash. |
How the OBR kit works
The oil or gas burner comes off, and a biomass furnace with automatic feeding goes on. Primary air burns the fuel in an external furnace, and secondary air pushes the flame into your boiler or heater. A cyclone, bag filter and fan then clean the flue gas before it reaches the chimney.
Project Videos & Case Studies: Real boiler and heater conversions, filmed on site.
1
Audit your boiler or heater
We check the pressure body, tubes and site to confirm it can take biomass.
2
Design the kit
Furnace, grate and air system sized to your equipment's output and your chosen fuel.
3
Replace the burner
The oil or gas burner comes off and the biomass furnace goes on the front.
4
Add feeding, ash and dust control
Automatic fuel feeding, ash removal and tube cleaning, plus a cyclone and bag filter or ESP for the flue gas.
5
Commission and train
Start-up, tuning and operator training, then lifetime service support.
Oil or gas stays available as a backup, and you can switch back within 6 hours.
Work out what the switch saves you
Enter your boiler or heater and what you pay for fuel today. The example values are only there to start you off, so replace them with your own.
Ash disposal and handling.
Estimated fuel saving a year
₹ 0
Enter your values
- Fossil CO₂ avoided
- 0 t a year
- Biomass needed
- 0 t a year
- Payback
- Add a quote
Indicative only. Assumes 85% efficiency on oil and gas, 75% on biomass, biomass at 4,300 kcal/kg, and about 0.63 Gcal of heat per tonne of steam (a thermic fluid heater's capacity is used as entered). Fossil CO₂ uses IPCC default factors, and biomass CO₂ is counted as zero. Steamax projects typically see 30 to 60% lower fuel cost.
Cut fossil CO₂. Keep the stack clean.
Burning a litre of furnace oil releases about 3 kg of CO₂. Biomass from agri and wood residues releases carbon that plants absorbed only recently, so standard greenhouse-gas accounting counts it as near zero net.
Changing the fuel is the quickest way to cut Scope 1 emissions at a plant, because your process stays the same and only what heats it changes.
Biomass makes more dust than oil or gas, so we do not leave it to chance. Every conversion comes with air pollution control, such as a bag filter or an ESP, that keeps particulate matter below 50 mg/Nm³ on biomass.
Below 50 mg/Nm³
particulate matter on biomass, held by air pollution control devices such as a bag filter or ESP
Furnace oil, per litre
about 3.0 kg CO₂
Diesel, per litre
about 2.7 kg CO₂
Natural gas, per SCM
about 2.2 kg CO₂
Biomass from residues
near zero net
Fossil figures use IPCC 2006 default emission factors and typical fuel properties.
The right OBR for your boiler or heater
Two versions cover everything from a quick, approval-free conversion to a full-output one. Both fit steam boilers, thermic fluid heaters and hot water generators. We audit first and recommend the one that fits.
OBR Lite
No pressure-part changes, no IBR approval required. The fastest, simplest way to switch to biomass. Suitable for boilers up to 5 TPH.
Fuels: Astillas, Wood Pellets
OBR Max
Additional pressure parts added, with no derating of the boiler. Suitable for boilers 5 TPH and above.
Fuels: Astillas, Wood Pellets, Briquettes, Wood Chips, Agri-Residues
Inside every kit
Biomass combustion system
We engineer the complete combustion system to your fuel: fixed grate, fluidised bed, travelling grate or reciprocating grate.
Automatic fuel feeding
Custom designed fuel handling system for the boiler capacity and fuel type.
Automatic ash removal
Biomass makes more ash than oil or gas, so we provide optional upgrade for automatic ash conveying & handling system (mechanical/pneumatic).
Air pollution control
A bag filter, ESP or other device holds particulate matter below 50 mg/Nm³ on biomass.
Oil or gas as a backup
Your original fuel stays available, and you can switch back within 6 hours.
Lifetime service support
The team that fitted the kit stays on call for its whole life.
We convert it, then we run it
Steamax does more than supply the kit. Once your boiler or heater runs on biomass, we can take on everything that comes after.
Fuel supply
We source, process and deliver the biomass, and we carry the price and quality risk.
Operations
Steamax operators run and maintain the plant, so you stop hiring and training for boiler duty.
Ash disposal
We collect the ash and dispose of it, so it never becomes your problem.
Two ways to work with us
Buy the OBR kit
You pay for the conversion once and own the converted plant. Add Steamax fuel supply, operations and ash disposal whenever you want them.
How you pay
60 to 70% cheaper than a new biomass boiler, with the fuel saving yours from day one. Fuel supply, operations and ash disposal are optional, billed per tonne of steam.
OBR under BOOT
Steamax funds the conversion, owns the converted plant, supplies the fuel, runs it and disposes of the ash. It transfers to you at the end of the term.
How you pay
No capital outlay. Fuel, operators, ash disposal and upkeep are all inside the steam price.
BOOT means build, own, operate, transfer. See all the ways to switch for how it works across conversion, new boilers and existing plants.
Oil and gas to biomass conversion: frequently asked questions
If the pressure body is in sound mechanical condition, usually yes. The kit works on steam boilers, thermic fluid heaters and hot water generators fired on furnace oil, LDO, LSHS, diesel or gas. We audit first, and we recommend a standby unit so production keeps running during the changeover.
Downtime for the changeover is measured in hours. The kit is designed and fabricated beforehand, so your boiler or heater keeps running until it is time to fit it.
Yes. The kit keeps your original fuel available, and you can switch back within 6 hours.
Not for OBR Lite, which adds or changes no pressure parts. OBR Max does need IBR approval for pressure parts, and Steamax guides you through each step.
Biomass firing typically runs at about 75 to 80% efficiency, against about 85% for oil. Fuel is so much cheaper per unit of heat that the saving holds. Where you need the full output of your oil-fired equipment, OBR Max is built for that.
No. The OBR kit removes the old oil or gas burner and mounts an external biomass combustion furnace onto the existing boiler structure, keeping capital expenditure down to a fraction of a new system.
The OBR Lite system accommodates uniform biomass fuels like Astillas & wood pellets. OBR Max can be custom designed to burn agricultural residues and briquettes. If you would rather not manage fuel at all, Steamax can supply clean biomass fuel with a steady calorific value and low moisture and ash.
Biomass makes more ash and dust than oil or gas, so every kit comes with air pollution control, such as a bag filter or an ESP. We keep particulate matter below 50 mg/Nm³ on biomass. Ash removal and tube cleaning keep heat transfer efficient.
It depends on the size of your equipment, the fuel you want to burn and the OBR version. As a guide, a conversion costs 60 to 70% less than a new biomass boiler. Or pay nothing upfront under BOOT. Tell us about your boiler or heater and we will quote.
You can run it yourself, with operator training and lifetime service support from Steamax. Or we take on the fuel supply, operations and ash disposal, and you pay per tonne of steam under Steam-As-A-Service model
Tell us about your boiler or heater. We'll price the conversion.
Share its size and what it burns today. We will come back with next steps for an audit.
