Research and Development
Where Steamax builds and tests the next fuel and the next burner.
Steamax runs an in-house fuel testing laboratory alongside our research into new biomass fuels and combustion technology. Our current work runs from torrefaction through to an entrained-bed gasifier aimed at green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel.
3 patents granted
on the OBR kit, the Renewable Energy Combustor and Biocoil
200 to 300°C
our torrefaction R&D platform
In-house lab
bomb calorimeter, muffle furnace, hot air oven and ball mill
Entrained-bed gasifier
R&D toward green hydrogen and SAF
An in-house fuel testing laboratory
Our in-house fuel testing laboratory characterises biomass fuel samples and supports the research behind our fuel blends and combustion designs.
Bomb calorimeter
Measures the gross calorific value of a fuel sample, the number a boiler operator's steam-to-fuel ratio depends on.
Muffle furnace
Burns a sample at a controlled high temperature to determine its ash content.
Hot air oven
Dries a sample at a controlled temperature to determine its moisture content.
Ball mill
Grinds a fuel sample into a fine, uniform powder for consistent testing.
Torrefaction: a denser, drier, longer-lasting fuel
Torrefaction is a mild roast, not a burn. Held at 200 to 300°C with little or no oxygen, biomass loses moisture and some volatiles, and what's left packs more energy into less weight.
1
Biomass goes in
Wood, agricultural residue or other biomass, sized for the reactor.
2
Heated to 200-300°C
With little or no oxygen, so the biomass roasts rather than burns.
3
Moisture and volatiles leave
The product loses weight but keeps most of its energy content.
4
A denser, hydrophobic fuel comes out
Higher energy density, better grindability, and a longer shelf life than raw biomass.
Why it matters
Energy density
Higher per kilogram
Moisture
Resists picking it back up
Grindability
Easier to mill uniformly
Storage
Longer shelf life
Feeds into
Pellet production and gasification
Our own torrefaction unit is one of two Steamax patent applications currently filed.
Beyond steam: green hydrogen and SAF from biomass
Our longest-horizon research pushes the same torrefaction platform further, into an entrained-bed gasifier aimed at green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
1
Biomass is torrefied
The same process described above prepares a denser, more consistent feedstock.
2
Fed into an entrained-bed gasifier
Torrefied biomass reacts at high temperature to produce syngas, rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
3
Syngas is processed further
Toward green hydrogen, or toward sustainable aviation fuel through further synthesis.
This work has been underway for about a year and builds directly on our torrefaction research and our fuel testing lab. It is early-stage: our near-term business stays focused on steam and heat, and this is the research track we are building for what comes after.
If you work in green hydrogen, SAF, or biomass gasification and want to compare notes, we would like to hear from you.
Fuel Booster Blends
A proprietary additive line, developed in-house and optimised for locally available biomass, that improves how a fuel burns rather than replacing it.
What it changes
Improved combustion, reduced slagging and fouling on heat transfer surfaces, and higher thermal efficiency across boilers and thermic fluid heaters.
Where it's headed
A booster-enhanced version of Astillas is one of the two Steamax patent applications currently filed.
Published studies
Research Steamax has carried out and published.
Biomass feedstock for bio briquettes
A study of which biomass feedstocks make the most consistent, effective briquette fuel.
Thermally cracked CNSL fuel study
The characterised hydrocarbons in thermally cracked cashew nut shell liquid, and what they mean for its fuel properties and how it burns.
Coffee waste bio-briquettes
Turning coffee processing waste into a briquette fuel.
Cashew shell waste bio-briquettes
Turning cashew shell waste into a briquette fuel, alongside our main Astillas line.
This lab is why our products work the way they do
Astillas
New fuel blends are characterised here before they go into production. See Astillas.
OBR kit and REC
Both grew from patents granted to this R&D program. See the OBR kit or the REC.
Bag filters
Our combustion and emissions research feeds directly into how we design air pollution control. See bag filters.
Questions about our R&D
This lab is dedicated to our own R&D. If you need your fuel analysed, write to us and we'll point you in the right direction.
Not yet. Torrefaction feeds our pellet and fuel research now, and the entrained-bed gasifier work toward green hydrogen and SAF is still in R&D. Our commercial products today are Astillas, the OBR kit, the REC, the Auto Feeding Kit and bag filters.
About a year. It builds directly on our torrefaction work and our in-house fuel testing lab.
Yes, on torrefaction, or the gasification and green hydrogen and SAF research. Write to us with what you have in mind.
Write to us and we'll point you to the specific study you're after.
Have a question for our R&D team?
Tell us what you're working on, whether that's fuel testing, torrefaction, gasification research, or one of our published studies.
Green steam and heat for Indian industry.
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