Category: Upcycling

Wood Pellet Market Expands To Minimize Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The demand for wood pellets is getting a boost. As global warming awareness reaches new heights and greenhouse gas emissions are minimized, governments the world over are moving to lower their climate change impact.

To encourage the adoption of renewable resources, tax incentive programs are being offered all across the globe. These incentives include state sales tax exemption, corporate income tax deduction, local property tax exemption, and state income tax credit, to name a few.

It’s no surprise then that wood pellets are increasing in popularity for their heating applications. Since this process takes us away from dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels, heating applications of wood pellets are good for the environment and the wood pellet market.

By using biomass for heating applications in both residential and industrial establishments, the pellet fuel global market is expanded and boosted.

What Is Biomass?

Biomass energy refers to energy produced by a material that is living or was recently alive. Wood is one such material. The use of biomass as an energy source is encouraged because it minimizes our dependency on non-renewable fossil fuels. The use of wood pellets as a biomass energy source is a sustainable and beneficial act that adheres to responsible agriculture and forestry practices.

When it comes to considering a carbon footprint, biomass energy is ideal because it creates something called a “closed carbon cycle.” A closed carbon cycle occurs because biomass material takes carbon as it grows but returns the carbon when it’s burned. Thus, a closed cycle.

Wood pellets are just one example of biomass energy that contributes to and encourage environmentally-friendly practices.

Use Of Wood Pellets Incentivized

Talk of climate change, carbon footprints, and sustainability are ubiquitous. In response, governments are offering both support and incentives to non-profits, businesses, and organizations that engage in responsible operating practices.

This support comes not only in the form of tax incentives, but also from subsidies, grants, funding programs, and the modified accelerated cost recovery system (MACRS).

These incentives and programs are giving the wood pellets market a boost. Such a heavy focus on renewable energy sources and environmental responsibility will only benefit the global wood pellets market in the months and years to come.

Noteworthy Developments In Wood Pellets Market

Below are some further developments in the global wood pellet market:

U.S.-based pallet manufacturer PalletOne, Inc. acquired North East Texas Pallet, improving both the customer service experience and efficiency.
South Alabama-based Westervelt Company expanded its lumber manufacturing capacity and is set to produce 250 million feet of lumber per year.
AAR won an order from USAF worth $27.5 million for cargo pallets.

The global wood pellets market is expected to be valued at around $14.5 billion by 2027. Wide use in heating applications and the current popularity of pellet fuel as an ethical, environmentally-friendly practice should continue to drive the market.

Although solar and wind energy has received a lot of attention in recent years, biomass energy is still less capital-intensive and therefore more appealing in many sectors.

Wooden Pallets: An Eco-Friendly Alternative To Plastic

At any given time, there are an estimated 4 billion pallets circulating in the United States. With these numbers in mind, the environmental impact is significant. But there is a long-standing debate over whether plastic or wood pallets are more eco-friendly.

To get to the bottom of this mystery, Penn State researchers conducted an in-depth study of comparisons between the two materials. As a result, they have determined that wood pallets are more sustainable and eco-friendly than pallets made from plastic.

The Study

The Penn State study involved a “life-cycle assessment” for both plastic and wood pallets. Some of the factors taken into consideration were the environmental impact of resources consumed and released emissions. To further gauge environmental impact, Penn State researchers considered the following factors: aquatic ecotoxicity, non-renewable energy, global warming, and influence on ozone layer depletion.

Their findings were published in the Journal Of Industrial Technology and established that wooden pallets create a slightly lower carbon footprint than plastic pallets. One important consideration is how wooden pallets are treated. For example, heat-treated wooden pallets have a carbon footprint 20-30% smaller than those treated with methyl bromide fumigation.

Although plastic pallets tend to have a longer life cycle than wooden pallets, the sources they are derived from make their carbon imprint significant. Although the wooden and plastic pallet industries have conducted their own sustainability studies in the past, the Penn State study was intended to provide an unbiased alternative.

The Big Picture

As the globe moves toward more environmentally sustainable practices and considers carbon footprints, studies like the one by Penn State are necessary and beneficial. With millions of pallets circulating at any given time, understanding the environmental impacts of these items is important.

Although the superior sustainability of wooden pallets is labeled as “slight” by the Penn State study, experts remind us that taking small, deliberate steps in the right direction is far more effective than doing nothing at all.

Wooden pallets are used in a wide variety of ways and are in integral aspect of the transportation of necessary goods in the supply chain. Pallet reuse is common, and durable, high-quality wooden pallets can effectively last a long time.

Wood: An Eco-Friendly Choice

It’s no secret that wood is one of the most eco-friendly materials on the planet. Wood can be recycled into any number of things and grows naturally. Even if a wooden pallet has reached the end of the line in terms of shipping, it can be repurposed in any number of useful ways.

It’s also quite simple to refurbish a worn-out wooden pallet. This makes wooden pallets a cost-effective choice with a lot of potential for longevity and sustainability. When synthetic material is rejected in favor of wood, carbon emissions are impacted in a positive way.

Wood is not only less expensive and more durable than plastic, its carbon footprint makes it the clear eco-friendly option. By reducing costs and carbon emissions, wooden pallets help impact an organization’s carbon footprint, and the environment, in a positive way.

Upcycling Bookshelves Using Recycled Pallets

There’s nothing like a good book. While the avid reader enjoys collecting and sharing the books they’ve read over the years, they may not always have a nice central location to store and display all their various titles. The right bookshelf can really tie a room together, and the most beautiful book shelves can be assembled using the reclaimed material from wood pallets. Finding a new use for an old thing not only makes the world a little bit nicer, but also saves you money, which means more money for books! You can have a nice and unique bookshelf at a fraction of the expense of buying a manufactured bookcase that will likely require assembly anyway.

Plans for building a variety of book shelf styles using the upcycled planks from wooden shipping pallets can be found on woodworking and upcycling websites. With wooden pallets as construction material, you have a low-cost opportunity to build something unique and new out of something that has otherwise served its purpose.

When selecting discarded pallets for your bookshelf woodworking projects, you’ll want to pay attention to whether the wood used to make the pallet was treated chemically or not. If you cannot find any labels or markings anywhere, it is likely to be untreated wood used in domestic shipping. Treated wood may also be heat-treated, indicated by the letters HT, but if you see the letters MB, you’ll know the manufacturer used Methyl Bromide to treat the wood, which is a preservative and pesticide you’d be better off not interacting with. If the maker used chemicals to treat the wood, wash it as thoroughly as you reasonably can before using it to make it as safe to touch and be around as possible, before attempting to sand, treat, cut, or assemble anything.

Using reclaimed wood from wooden pallets as your bookshelf building material is a great way to use the reclaimed wood. The rustic quality of unfinished woods like oak and hickory makes wood pallets perfect for building bookshelves and bookcases that attract attention and enhance the ambiance of the room they’re in. If you want to finish the wood with a stain and a clear coat, you’ll find that the natural beauty of the wood is enhanced, and enhances the character of the area where it sets. Choose from various finishes to adapt your reclaimed pallet wood for a suitable bookcase for any decor style.

Bookshelves and bookcases made from upcycling wooden shipping pallets make amazing gifts to give. The effort you put in to designing and building the piece adds tremendous value in the eyes of the beholder, and has a deeper meaning than some store-bought gizmo or plywood pressboard cookie-cutter factory furniture.

Making wooden pallets ready for an up-cycling project

A pallet can be made into so many different works of art from picture frames, shelving, and coffee tables to armoires, and bunks after they have been used to transport goods via truck, ship, and forklift.

To also make this interesting, pallet is free since it grows almost every where it might seem like an easy job collecting pallets, but you should know that some kinds of pallet are dangerous.

This guide will assist you to get valuable information in getting the best pallet, destroying them and also making use of them for your next home improvement or project.

Style Of Pallets

A lot of people are of the opinion that pallets are all the same, but their styles are different. Making the right choice of the pallet can make the between getting the safest and the best versus using damaged wood which may contain poisonous chemicals.

Choosing A Safe Pallet

Pallets can be vulnerable to spills coming from different kinds of nasty products and liquids since they are used for transporting quite a wide range of materials. The very first thing to note when selecting your pallet is checking if there is any visible spill on it. It is best to stay with clean pallet. When you finally find a clean pallet, the next important step is to confirm that there are no marking on its stringers and sides. If this is confirmed, then you have seen a safe pallet. This is because an untreated wood pallet has no markings for domestic transportation.

Apart from the logo of the company, other formal marks that are on the pallet usually imply that the pallet is sent from abroad. Things you should look out for apart from an originating country abbreviation and registration number include:

1. Treatment Code: This code is generally found in the middle of the mark, it is a two or four letter code that describes what was used in the treatment of the pallet materials.

2. IIPC Logo: if this seal of approval does not come with your pallet, then you do not know what your pallet had been used for, or what it was treated with.

Identifying The Perfect Pallet

This list will help you get through the problem of where you can get a wooden pallet that is safe from chemicals, pesticides, and also other harmful substances.

• Feed and Tack Supply: A feed, tack, or pet supply store is among the best places where you can find used pallets. These pallets usually carry non- toxic pet food supplies, and are generally made from soft wood.

• Construction Site: These residential sites often contain non- toxic compounds such as felt paper, joint compound and cement. You should also try to keep away from commercial construction site because they may have some poisonous pallets in their custody.

• Newspaper Distribution Centers: Make sure that you get permission from the authorities of the center and you are ready to go. These centers are good places to find non- toxic pallets.

• Landscaping Companies: hard wood pallets can be found at the support natural plants, sod, and shrubs.

Preparing A Pallet

In order not to cut into pieces your hard earned work, you have to be very careful in handling your pallet. Here is how you can break down a pallet into different component.

1. Pry bar and Hammer, cat’s paw: this is what you need in tearing separately a pallet without destroying the wood’s surface of.

2. Nail punch: the use of nail punches in removing nails is a preferred alternative on spiral-shanked, stubborn ring nails. Using pneumatic punches can even be more efficient but can at the same time be expensive.

3. Oscillating tool: you can open up the nail shaft to the blade of a swinging tool to make rapid work of the rusty nails.

4. Drill: it can be used to ancient nails when the above method will not work

5. Clean cut: slash the pallet plank leaving the nails still joined with the stringer.