The ubiquitous wooden pallets are often lifted by forklifts, filled with new compressed packages and then brought to market. Wooden pallets have become so common in the field of logistics that the public does not doubt them or think they have Controversial.
However, when it comes to what happens when the wooden pallets are turned over at the end of their useful life (possibly more than a decade), the situation will change. This is not a trivial subject. According to the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association statistics, the United States daily There are 1.8 billion pallets, 93% of which are made of wood. In Europe, 3.3 billion wooden pallets are used every day. Turning them into a fuel source after recycling nodes not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, but also annually Let millions of tons of solid waste be saved from landfills.
According to the National Wood Pallet and Container Association, there are approximately 1.8 billion wooden pallets in use every day in the United States. Some wood recycling companies recycle pallets that are no longer suitable for use and process them into wood chips.
'Wood pallets are mixed with the building to dismantle the wood,' he said. 'I understand why you don't want that piece of wood. Because you don't know where it comes from, what it is used for or any of its own nature.'
Billy Hoskins, vice president of sales of Easy Heat wood pellets in Charleston, Ohio, also believes that EPA offers wooden pallets the possibility of being a raw material for pellets. He said, 'We think wooden pallets - processed in the right way - is A suitable raw material and sustainable raw materials. '
O'Brien said: It is widely believed that wooden pallets are generally dirty because they are exposed to or exposed to potentially harmful chemicals. This is not accurate. In particular, Eastford's case is mainly to sell recycled wood pallets back to food and The pharmaceutical industry, while cleanliness is not an option at this time - usually a requirement.
'We sell pallets to a beverage company and must be cleaned through a clean room,' he said. 'You can't sell dirty pallets to them. Most pallets are very clean, you don't use processed wood to make pallets. You use dry hardwood or cork, most of which are new. We are not interested in dirty trays because we can't resell them, 'O'Brien continues. 'You must know that it is a clean tray so you can Resell it back to the same industry. '
The raw materials for Eastford wood pellets come from broken planks recovered from damaged pallets and pallets that have reached the end of their life cycle. According to O'Brien, the company produces about 40 to 45 tons per day. Waste wood, which is ground and used for wood pellets.
O'Brien said that the nails in the waste wood are not a problem. 'We have been grinding the pallet wood for 20 years,' he explained. 'If you intend to sell it to anyone, you must remove the metal. There is a big magnet to remove all the metal. We are also recycling metals because they are valuable. We are first engaged in recycling business. '
Eastford Wood Fiber has used wood pallets to grind waste wood at its factory in Eastford, Connecticut for more than 20 years. The company uses clean pallets for processing and removes all nails for use. Metal recycling. Easy Heat wood pellets are produced by BDL Supply, a family-owned company that has been producing wood packaging since 1968. Since 2010, it has been producing pellets. It mainly uses hardwood materials to make pallets, crates, blocks and supports. Grinded waste wood to provide wood pellet raw materials. Easy Heat produces about 25,000 tons of pellets per year, which is sold to residential consumers.
According to Hoskins, one of the unique features of Easy Heat wood pellets is that the material is not exposed to the outdoors and does not become wet, turbid or dirty due to contact with the ground. The company has a powerful internal testing program that can measure Particle moisture, bulk density and other parameters. According to Hoskins, these particles have also been tested to meet the FDA-approved pellet fuels standard for wood pellets. 'We believe in standards, we believe in testing,' he said. We tested it in the same laboratory as the person who manufactured the certified wood pellets. The results showed - most of the time - we passed the standard test. Due to the US Environmental Protection Agency's regulations on pallets, we cannot be part of the PFI program.
an examination
What frustrated Hoskins was that the agency placed wooden pallet materials at the same level as materials that caused significant air quality problems. 'The person who wrote this rule at the US Environmental Protection Agency thought the pallet was the trash in the back lane. I don't think this is The reality of the pallet industry,' he said. 'Trays are produced all over the country today. This is a clean process. Most of us are integrated operators, we care about safety, care about cleaning, and strive to be a good supplier. '
Hoskins and O'Brien recognize that every industry has bad actors and that not all companies have the same level of quality control over their wood pellets. However, they strongly disagree with the US Environmental Protection Agency's 'one size fits all' approach. It is forbidden to use the pallet as raw material for wood pellets.
'If we can pass the testing process and conduct strong internal testing and follow all the content of the PFI standard, then why can't we participate?' Hoskins asked. 'Now, if I can't pass, then for various reasons, we must improve us. The craft, otherwise our raw materials must be improved. I don't object to the standard, I don't object to testing or certification. The only thing I object to is that EPA excludes us.'
From a regulatory point of view, senior policy analyst Lisa Rector refers to a two-year wood chip fuel characterization study released by the organization in June 2013. NESCAUM is a non-profit association representing the Connecticut pollution control agency. Serving science, technology, analysis and policy support in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey and New York State.
Rector pointed out that after analyzing wood chips from more than 100 different manufacturers - buying multiple bags from multiple locations - the researchers found that many particles were classified as 'abnormal'. Elemental analysis found magnesium, lead, mercury, Cadmium, arsenic and other contaminants and even sulfur dioxide. 'In some cases,' she said: 'It is obvious that wood raw materials are contaminated, but it is not certain whether the pollution occurs naturally or from unknown anomalies. ' Therefore, the use of 'non The word 'normal'. 'An interesting aspect is what happens when we think we have an inappropriate product,' Rector said. 'What should we do? It's really complicated. Making contaminated particles is not It's illegal to burn it, but it's illegal to burn it. Now, there's a dilemma in how rules are built. If there's no mechanism to ensure that the particles are clean, you'll leave it to 'buyers'. You don't want to put a burden on consumers. This is not a normal practice, and retailers will not do this.'
NESCAUM studied the use of wooden pallets as a raw material. One problem Rector saw was that pallets can travel around the world, where they are treated with fungicides and pesticides from other countries, sometimes leading to elevated levels of mercury. Point out that we don't know what impact the trays used internationally might have. She praised PFI for its efforts to develop wood chip standards. 'If you want to sell labeled products, if you want quality marks, then It must be a quality product for everyone,' Rector explained. 'The requirements must be focused on: Using clean wood and ensuring clean wood standards.'
One person who is closely involved in the development of PFI wood chip standards is Chris Wiberg, vice president of laboratories at the Lulu Wood Product Inspection and Biomass Energy Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota. He runs an independent third-party laboratory that tests Log raw materials and recycled raw materials. He said that the use of pallets is a hot issue in the wood pellet industry.
'The regulator said there are too many problems to solve. They are not satisfied with this and hope to eliminate it completely,' Wiberg said. 'But should the standard itself decide whether it is used? If there is anything we need to pay attention to, please Tell us what it is. Let's test it and prove it in some way. Both sides of the dispute are participating in the debate.'
Chris Wiberg, vice president of the Wood Products Inspection and Biomass Energy Laboratory, said that both sides have debated whether wood pallets should be used as raw materials for wood pellets. PFI executive director Tim Portz said that the problem of pallet granules must be solved. He said: 'We need to figure out the reality. When you see this problem, I know that more work needs to be done to let consumers and Retailers understand the quality plan to ensure that consumers buy quality products that meet PFI standards. '
O'Brien says manufacturers using pallets as raw materials need to work with the PFI and pallet industry to find a solution. 'Trays work hard for all of their useful lives and then have value in heating someone's home or business,' he Point out. 'This is the best use of renewable resources I can think of. You use some energy to harvest it, and then it is converted into an energy product after 4 to 12 years of use. How can you deny it?'
Hoskins said that there is also a need for an open, honest dialogue with the US Environmental Protection Agency. 'I tend to think that recycling is good - if done properly within the rules and within certain standards - this is true for our world, He said. 'If our company can't pass or Joe's company can't pass, or some other companies can't pass, then we shouldn't make particles. I understand that. Our argument is that we believe we can pass.'
The question of whether wooden pallets represent a viable raw material for biomass fuels will continue to cause some degree of anxiety in the industry before manufacturers, researchers and regulators reach a compromise.
Author: Patrick C. Miller
From the journal of biomass
Pmiller@bbiinternational.com
