Air Curtain Burner ROI: Why It's Cheaper Than a Grinder or Shredder

before and after of a merris air curtain burner burning wood

Air curtain burners are gaining traction with contractors, land clearing professionals, and municipalities looking to manage wood waste more efficiently. If you're renting or operating a grinder or shredder, you might be spending more than necessary. Here's a clear breakdown of why air curtain burners are often the better investment.

What is an Air Curtain Burner?

An air curtain burner is a machine that uses high-velocity air to create a clean-burning curtain over a burn pit. This dramatically reduces smoke and particulate emissions, making it a more environmentally friendly way to dispose of wood waste onsite.

air curtain burner in operation — Air curtain burners are used for disposal and land clearing of wood and other organic materials

Key Applications

Land Clearing Projects: Remove brush, stumps, and trees without hauling material off-site.
Forestry Management: Reduce fire fuel loads while complying with environmental guidelines.
Urban Wood Waste: Cleanly manage tree trimmings and debris near residential or commercial zones.
Construction Site Cleanup: Process pallets, framing scraps, and site-cleared vegetation directly onsite.

Before and after - wood in a merris air curtain burner — Before and after - wood in an air curtain burner

Air Curtain Burner vs Grinder/Shredder: The ROI Breakdown

1. Lower Operating Costs

Grinders and shredders are fuel-hungry and maintenance-heavy. Here's a monthly comparison based on typical usage:

ROI table of money saved using an air curtain burner over a grinder — ROI saved using an air curtain burner over a grinder

That’s a savings of $6,300 per month just in operational expenses.*

(Values can change depending on machine and fuel costs. Contact Machinery Partner for an accurate ROI calculator for your business)

2. Faster Permitting and Compliance

In many states, open burning is heavily restricted. Merris air curtain burners are EPA-recognized and often meet clean air standards that open burn pits or older grinders don’t. Faster permitting means quicker deployment and fewer fines. To find out all the permits required to run an air curtain burner check out our blog.

3. Simpler Maintenance and Longer Life

Air curtain burners have fewer moving parts than industrial grinders. That means:

Less downtime
Easier repairs
Fewer replacement parts

Merris models, for example, often operate for 5,000+ hours with basic upkeep.

4. Onsite Cost Reduction

Grinding or shredding material often requires additional hauling, tipping fees, or secondary processing. Air curtain burners eliminate most of that.

Let’s say you're processing 100 tons of waste wood per month:

Tipping fees saved: $50 per ton = $5,000/month
Hauling avoided: $1,200/month

That’s an additional $6,200 in monthly savings.

large truck hauling waste — Hauling and landfill fees can cost thousands a month

5. Faster Time-to-Payoff

Assume you finance an air curtain burner at $120,000 over 5 years. At $2,300/month payment and $6,300 monthly savings, you break even in less than 2 years. After that, it’s pure savings.

Example: Land Clearing Business ROI With Air Curtain Burner

A small land clearing company in Georgia switched from a tub grinder to a Merris air curtain burner:

Initial Cost: $110,000
Operating savings: $6,500/month
Payback time: 17 months
No tipping fees, no emissions violations, and fewer complaints from neighbors

merris air curtain burner in operation — Save money with an air curtain burner

Find Out More About Air Curtain Burners

Ready to lower your costs and simplify your wood waste processing? Talk to a Machinery Partner expert about Merris air curtain burners today. Call 888-297-0623 or visit machinerypartner.com.