Fireplaces That Burn Grass Clippings

Health Effects

• Carbon monoxide is an invisible gas that’s produced when grass clippings, which are often moist, burn poorly and incompletely. In addition to carbon monoxide, burning grass clippings can also produce polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, which may be carcinogenic. Hydrogen cyanide is also released, which can cause confusion, headaches and drowsiness, along with rapid breathing, even at low levels. If you use weed killers or other chemicals on your lawn, they will also be released when you burn grass. In addition, burning grass releases tiny particles called particulates, which often contain pollutants. These particles can remain in the lungs for months or years, cause respiratory infections and trigger asthma attacks.

Environmental Problems

• Some chemicals that are released when grass is burned can produce ozone when they combine with nitrogen oxide in the air. Ozone causes eye irritation and makes it hard to breathe. It adds to haze and smog problems, making it hard to see. It damages crops and other vegetation, and causes building materials to degrade. Burning grass clippings also causes acid rain.

Composting

• The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you compost grass clippings along with leaves, manure and vegetable and fruit peelings, rather than burning them. Mixing clippings with other items will help reduce odor problems caused when grass is composted by itself. Alternate thin layers of green grass with thin layers of dried, brown grass to avoid clumping, which can create hot areas in your compost pile. Compost can be used as mulch or fertilizer.

Grass Pellets

• Grass clippings can be made into pellets that can be burned in some pellet stoves. According to plant pathologist Jerry Cherney at Cornell University, grass pellets produce almost as many BTUs as wood pellets do. They emit significantly less greenhouse gases than oil, coal or natural gas, and any type of grass can be used to make them. According to Cherney, grass pellets could be cheaper than any other alternative fuel when it comes to heating homes and small businesses. They do produce more ash, however, so stoves need to be cleaned more often. You can make your own grass pellets at home with a pellet mill, which costs between $3,000 and $4,000.

Stoves

• Grass pellets are burned in pellet stoves. As of 2011, no manufacturers produce pellet stoves specifically designed for burning grass pellets, which can cause a problem in some wood-pellet stoves because of the extra ash they produce. However, according to researchers at Cornell University, the Harman corn stove can handle grass pellets that produce up to 5.2 percent ash without needing to be modified.