Wooden Pallets Research Articles

Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Biochar Application in Compacted and Uncompacted Soil

Biochar may offer a substantial potential as a climate change mitigation and soil improvement agent; however, little is known about its effects in fertile soils subjected to standard agricultural practices. The aim of this short-term (60 days) lab experiment, under controlled temperature and soil moisture regimes, was to investigate the interaction between soil compaction and fertiliser and biochar addition in relatively fertile Luvisol. Three different biochar types and two soil compaction levels were investigated to describe their interactive effect on soil greenhouse gas emission (GHG). A very strong effect of soil compaction on N2O emission (+280%) and an interaction with biochar were found. The cumulative N2O emissions from the compacted soil were higher (from +70 to +371%, depending on the biochar type) than the uncompacted soil. Soil compaction resulted in a faster onset and a faster decrease of N2O production. Biochar did not affect the temporal dynamics of N2O evolution from either soil. The addition of digestate/crop biomass biochar has resulted in a significant increase in CO2 evolution both in compacted and uncompacted soils, compared to softwood from spruce (mixture of branches and wood chips) and wood pallets from softwood (spruce without bark) biochar. In the compacted soil, NH4+ availability was positively related to N2O efflux, and CO2 emission was positively correlated to both NH4+ and SOC content. An increase in GHGs as a result of an increase in NH4+ availability was seen both in compacted and uncompacted soils, while the rates of N2O emission were modified by biochar type. Our results show a strong interaction between biochar and soil conditions and a strong effect of biochar type on GHG emissions from agricultural soils.

Designing a closed-loop supply chain for reusable packaging materials: A risk-averse two-stage stochastic programming model using CVaR

Reusable packaging material (RPM) provide a circular and sustainable way of transporting parts/products safely along the various stages of supply chain. In the present work, we study a multi-echelon closed-loop supply chain network design problem for wooden RPMs. Initially, a mixed-integer programming model under deterministic setting is proposed to determine the optimal configuration of the manufacturing facilities and distribution centers of RPMs. Further, a risk-averse two-stage stochastic programming model is developed to incorporate the uncertainties associated with the demand, initial inventory and level of reusability of the RPMs. The developed model utilizes conditional-value-at-risk (CVaR) as risk measure since it provides more robust solutions compared to a risk-neutral approach in presence of uncertainty. The applicability of the model is explained using a real-life example of the prevalent supply chain of wooden pallets in several automobile manufacturers and their suppliers in India. The results suggest trade-off among various cost components such as fixed cost of opening facilities and capacity installation, manufacturing, acquisition, refurbishing, and environmental cost. Several managerial insights are drawn by carrying out sensitivity analysis of deterministic model and running the stochastic model with different values of CVaR parameters. Finally, we present numerical results to discuss how incorporating a risk measure affects the computational performance and solution of the CVaR model.

Wood pallet performance analysis with palletized drums in distribution and warehousing

As an integral part of the supply chain, wooden pallets are produced in large quantities, with 849 million new and recycled wooden pallets being manufactured annually in the industry. Pallets are currently designed using a uniformly distributed load to determine the load capacity. This highly generalized approach often leads to overdesign and increased material utilization. Due to a phenomenon called load bridging, when discrete packages such as corrugated boxes or industrial drums are shipped on a pallet, the weight of the load tends to distribute unevenly. This can lead to an increased load capacity for the pallet. Industrial drums are commonly used to transport large amounts of liquids and chemicals; however, their load bridging effect has not been previously researched. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 55-gallon drums on the pressure distribution and deflection of stringer class wooden pallets using multiple support conditions and pallet designs. Results of the study indicated that loading pallets with drums significantly reduces the deflection of the pallet in all support conditions when compared to a uniformly distributed load. It was also observed that plastic and metal drums distributed their load to the pallets differently, which resulted in significantly different load bridging effects for each drum type.

Heuristic based approach for short term production planning in highly automated customer oriented pallet production

Wooden pallets are commonly used as load carriers in many industrial and logistic applications. This article investigates and formalizes the production planning for a highly automated but customized pallet production and provides a solution approach. For completing a specific pallet, the required boards must be cut and stacked in advance to meet the demand at the assembly line. The arising planning problem for producing the required boards consists of both a cutting stock and a constraining open stack problem. Further, both the changeover of raw material at the cutting process and the number of fully automated internal storages, for stacked boards, are restricted. The proposed solution heuristic aims at minimizing the cutting waste. Additionally, feasibility with regard to the buffers is tested using discrete event simulation. Different approaches to generate, select and sequence the cutting patterns are investigated.

Production portfolio analysis of companies form the field of forestry: Case study

In the paper, through a case study of a company from the field of forestry, an analysis of the product portfolio was carried out and the position of each product was defined within the BCG (growth/share) matrix. As well as that, based on the conducted SWOT analysis, the company?s strengths, and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats from the envi?ronment, were identified. The goal of the paper is to identify the best way to use financial resources and define the need to introduce new products, in order to assess the potential and market opportunities of the company ?Gradina Sistem? d.o.o. from Temerin. The purpose of the work is to define directions for (re)directing financial resources towards more sustainable and profitable ones based on the established positions of individual products. The subject of the research is the company ?Gradina Sistem? d.o.o. from Temerin, its current business system and production portfolio, which is mostly focused on: wooden flooring, pallets and crates made of poplar.

Planning of Raw Material for Wooden Pallet using Probabilistic Inventory Model

Wooden pallet industry often experienced either shortage or exceed of raw materials which makes the industry suffer for a significant losses due to the company's inability to provide products to fulfill the demand. This deficiency is due to the fact that the company did not have a proper inventory planning of raw material required for the production, as a consequence the company often has to buy the raw material at a higher price in an urgent condition. In order to make a cost efficiency, the activities of purchase and usage of this raw materials need to be planned at the best possible cost so that companies can avoid unnecessary waste of operational costs. With the unpredicted of raw material resources used by the company and quantity of consumer demand, inventory policy planning is needed to determine the most economical quantity required and the time for the company to place the order in these probabilistic conditions.

Improved Radio-Frequency Heating through Application of Wool Insulation during Phytosanitary Treatment of Wood Packaging Material of Low Moisture Content

Abstract The International Standard of Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM-15) requires signatory countries of the International Plant Protection Convention to use approved treatment methods on wood packaging materials used in international trade to significantly reduce the risk of spreading alien species. One of the approved methods utilizes dielectric heating (DH) to raise the temperature in the wood to 60°C through the profile of the workload for 1 minute to eradicate pests. To improve the uniform distribution of heat within a wood workload using radio frequency, a form of DH, we tested the use of a wool blanket as a thermal insulation material for wood pallet components. Three species commonly used in the pallet industry—yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.)—of low moisture content were used to generate matched sets of stringer samples. Internal wood temperatures were monitored continuously during treatment to comply with the ISPM-15 schedule. Applying a wool (keratin) insulation blanket increased the rate of heating, improved heating uniformity throughout the workload, and reduced moisture loss compared to uninsulated controls for some wood species, but not all. These findings were most significant for pallet materials with higher moisture content and more permeability (white pine and yellow poplar). By reducing treatment time, power consumption costs can be reduced using wool insulation when implementing the ISPM-15 DH treatment schedule.

Evaluation of Low-Grade Yellow-Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) as Raw Material for Cross-Laminated Timber Panel Production

Abstract Utilization of low-grade yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) lumber would provide for alternative structural lumber sources and promote the growth of cross-laminated timber (CLT) manufacturing facilities within the Appalachian Region. A significant amount of low-grade yellow-poplar lumber (i.e., National Hardwood Lumber Association [NHLA] No. 2A and Below Grade) is utilized for wood pallets. In practice, this material is not graded for structural purposes. Additionally, research on yellow-poplar for structural use has focused on grading lumber from a small population of selected logs, not by regrading NHLA lumber from manufacturing facilities. Therefore, the research's objective was to investigate the structural grades of a typical population of NHLA graded No. 2 and lower lumber and evaluate their potential to meet structural grades necessary for CLT panels. NHLA graded lumber was regraded and assigned to visual structural grades following Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association rules and evaluated for flatwise bending modulus of elasticity (MOEb) by nondestructive proof loading. The results of the study indicated that 54.6 percent of the boards possessed a minimal structural visual grade required for CLT panels according to American National Standards Institutes/The Engineered Wood Association (ANSI/APA) PRG 320-2019 (2020). Splits were the most common limiting defect that downgraded boards to nonstructural grades. Also, 96.6 percent of the boards evaluated had a MOEb above the required minimal board value of 1.2 ×106 psi (8,274 MPa) listed in ANSI/APA PRG 320-2019 (2020). The results of the study indicated that a majority of NHLA low-grade yellow-poplar, when regraded for structural purposes, meets or exceeds minimum lumber grade values necessary for use in CLT panel production.

Particleboards from Recycled Pallets

Worldwide production of wooden pallets continually increases, and therefore in future higher number of damaged pallets need to be recycled. One way to conveniently recycle pallets is their use for the production of particleboards (PBs). The 3-layer PBs, bonded with urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin, were prepared in laboratory conditions using particles from fresh spruce logs (FSL) and recycled spruce pallets (RSP) in mutual weight ratios of 100:0, 80:20, 50:50 and 0:100. Particles from RSP did not affect the moisture properties of PBs, i.e., the thickness swelling (TS) and water absorption (WA). The mechanical properties of PBs based on particles from RSP significantly worsened: the modulus of rupture (MOR) in bending from 14.6 MPa up to 10 MPa, the modulus of elasticity (MOE) in bending from 2616 MPa up to 2012 MPa, and the internal bond (IB) from 0.79 MPa up to 0.61 MPa. Particles from RSP had only a slight negative effect on the decay resistance of PBs to the brown-rot fungus Serpula lacrymans, while their presence in surfaces of PBs did not affect the growth activity of moulds at all.

The Impact of Using the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Account for a Reusable Wooden Flat Pallet in Its Operational Phase on Respecting the Principles of Sustainable Development

Despite the commonly observed trend towards mechanization and automation of operational processes, the potential benefits of wooden pallets as an essential element of the infrastructure of logistic processes are often overlooked in considerations related to sustainable development. Aspects that are mentioned more often include the very idea of the economy itself (circular economy), characteristics of logistics (green), features of the supply chain itself (sustainable) or expectations towards transport (ecological). The authors believe that the idea of total cost of ownership (TCO) in relation to wooden pallets can be a key component of holistic thinking in terms of sustainable development. In a situation where in relation to logistics, reasonable expectations for developing sustainable supply chains are made, paying attention to such a common logistic facility, namely a cargo pallet, which is given so little attention in research, is, in the opinion of the authors, absolutely justified. Therefore, the article presents an original approach to the problem of aggregation of all costs that cargo pallets generate in their operational life cycle, using the total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis methodology. The main goal of the article, however, is to show that the total cost of ownership of a pallet (not only owning it) can become an effective tool used to significantly reduce the costs of logistic activity of enterprises (as well as whole supply chains) and support the idea of sustainable development in practice. Using the primary data from questionnaire research, the focus was on considerations that were of identification character (cognitive and explanatory considerations), which are typical for basic research that aims to explain given phenomena. Thus, the presented cognitive process covers two main areas, namely: the general theory of sustainable development and the specificity of wooden pallets as carriers used in goods trading in terms of their total costs of ownership.

The Concept of the “Reverse Iceberg-RIB” in the Application of Account of Total Cost of Ownership for a Reusable Wooden Flat Pallet in its Operating Phase

Purpose: The main aim of this article is to show that the total cost of ownership of a pallet (which is not restricted to simply owning it) can become both a useful philosophy for purchasing these logistic carriers and an effective tool used to significantly reduce the costs of logistic activity of enterprises. Approach/Methodology/Design: Key dimensions of competition in the logistics area include the so-called golden triangle, i.e., time, quality and costs, and that is why they require a revision of the way we consider them, especially in case of the last aspect. This article presents an original approach to the problem of examination of all possible costs that cargo pallets generate in their operational life cycle, using the concept of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as an analysis methodology and the survey method for the research sample. Findings: In the reverse iceberg model, obvious and non-obvious costs have been identified in individual groups of costs related to pallet ownership during its operating phase. Considerations undertaken in this article lead to an obvious conclusion that an attempt to implement an approach to this important element of logistic infrastructure, and one can undoubtedly consider wooden cargo pallets as such, from the angle of account of costs allows to find grounds for taking real action leading to a significant reduction of costs of logistic activity in an enterprise. Practical Implications: The article employs a comprehensive approach to the most complete analysis of cost groups as possible since the authors have adopted a stance that omission of the potential to reduce costs related to material logistics in which wooden pallets are used requires a different perspective. Originality/Value: Numerous authors point to different sources and types of costs, and also present different views on how to define, interpret and identify their structure. The authors of this article propose thinking in terms of TCO as an alternative to the conventional approach to pallet-related costs at the same time postulating a standpoint based on their own model of inverted iceberg (RIB).

Mechanism and application of new prestressed yield bolt for controlling deep high-stress rock mass

The elastic elongation of the bolt itself is insufficient to meet the surrounding rock deformation in deep high-stress roadway, resulting in a large number of breakage of the bolt and the instability of the surrounding rock. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposed a new prestressed yield bolt with the engineering background of Shangping roadway in Huafeng Coal Mine. Based on the analysis of instability of Shangping roadway surrounding rock, the structure, characteristics and mechanical properties of the prestressed yield bolt was investigated. The yielding properties and deformation process of different yielding members were researched in detail. According to the engineering background, the yielding support scheme were designed and applied. The results showed that the yielding effect of yielding pipe was more obvious than that of the wooden pallet. The yielding load, the maximum yielding deformation, the yield stability coefficient of the designed yielding pipe were 190 kN, 25 mm, 1.6 kN/mm, respectively. The stability forces of the bolts in the roof, the top corner of the right side and the bottom corner of the left side of the roadway were almost the same. The overall deformation of the roadway controlled by the yielding support scheme was not large. So, the yielding pipe protected the bolt-rod from being damaged due to excessive deformation, thereby realizing the yield bolt to control the stability of the roadway surrounding rock for a long time.

Storage characteristics of baled alfalfa-grass forages treated with a propionic-acid-based preservative or wrapped in stretch plastic film

The objectives for this study were to assess the storage characteristics of relatively dry, mixed-species forage preserved with a propionic-acid-based preservative, or by wrapping with 7 layers of plastic film as baled silage. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, which included application of a propionic-acid-based preservative at 0.27 ± 0.025% of wet bale weight (yes or no), and wrapping in 7 layers of stretch film (yes or no). A total of 33 round bales (1.2 × 1.5 m) containing 66% legumes (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) and 31% grasses (orchardgrass; Dactylis glomerata L.) were produced at 25.8 ± 2.20% moisture. This number of bales were sufficient for 8 complete field blocks (replications), plus one additional bale assigned to receive preservative, but no plastic wrap. Bales were positioned on wooden pallets for 84 d before final sampling. Internal bale temperatures were monitored daily during the 84-d storage period. The preservative had no clear statistical effect on any measure of spontaneous heating ( P ≥ 0.086). In contrast, application of plastic film yielded reduced maximum internal bale temperatures (41.5 vs. 61.6°C; P < 0.001) and total heating degree days >30°C (111 vs. 732; P < 0.001) when compared with unwrapped bales. These reductions in spontaneous heating also were reflected in measures of nutritive value, where NE l was reduced in unwrapped bales by 9.2% ( P < 0.001), but only by a calculated 1.4% ( P > 0.05) in wrapped bales compared with pre-storage values. The application of plastic film onto relatively dry mixed-species forages proved extremely effective in reducing spontaneous heating during storage, as well as minimizing nutrient losses.

New approach for evaluating the repellent activity of essential oils against storage pests using a miniaturized model of stored-commodity packaging and a wooden transport pallet

Essential oils (EOs) are promising compounds for repellent protection of packed commodities or processed food against storage insect pests. Currently, the efficacy of EOs has been tested only when applied to packages, whereas no tests are available for real-world situations in which products are placed on cardboard spacers and transport pallets. Therefore, the aim of this work was to test the effects of placing products on pallets and the treatment of packaging with bergamot essential oil as repellent of storage pests. Due to the size constraint posed by the size of pallets and packaging, miniaturized models were designed and constructed. In this work, we experimentally determined (i) the pest behavioral modification resulting from placing untreated packaging (i.e., without repellent treatment) containing untreated food on a miniaturized pallet vs. placing it on a simulated floor surface and (ii) the repellent effect of bergamot oil applied separately to carton packaging (containing untreated food), wooden pallets or cardboard pallet spacers located between the pallet and packaging on two key storage pests (Sitophilus granarius and Tribolium confusum). The beetle infestation was assessed as a number of beetles in the packaging, and the EO repellency was assessed as number of beetles in the packaging and in the cardboard. The placement of untreated packaging on untreated pallets and spacers decreased packaging infestation by both species in comparison with the placement of products directly on the floor surface. The treatment of various parts of the packaging set (i.e., food packaging, pallet, and cardboard spacer) with bergamot oil had significant repellent activity that was generally more apparent for S. granarius than for T. confusum. The wooden pallet treatment had a greater and longer (i.e., 24 h) repellent effect than the packaging or cardboard spacer treatment on the tested pests. The results showed that the treatment of some parts (such as pallets and cardboard spacers) of the packaging set with essential oils may make it unnecessary to treat primary food/commodity packaging. This may have profound implications for the use and acceptance of essential oils as insect repellents under industrial conditions, since producers may worry about the migration of EOs from the primary packaging to food. Moreover, the miniaturized packaging model presented in this study allowed effective EO repellent testing in large assays in a limited space (e.g., 360 miniaturized model pallets were used in this experiment, and testing this volume of actual Euro pallets would require an area of 346 m2).

Assessing the life-cycle environmental impacts of the wood pallet sector in the United States

Wood pallets play a critical role in the movement and storage of goods worldwide. They are an important component in the complex global supply chain and used by almost every industry. It is therefore important to assess the environmental implications of the wood pallet supply chain and identify optimization strategies that can be implemented. In this paper, primary 2018 annual production data collected from U.S. pallet manufacturers were used to develop the first industry-average life-cycle inventory (LCI). A new functional unit was proposed to perform a more refined and accurate environmental life-cycle assessment of the wood pallet supply chain. Using the LCI data developed, a cradle-to-grave industry-average life-cycle impact assessment was performed. This novel approach quantifies environmental impacts of a generic multi-use pallet, including repair and remanufacturing. The total global warming impact was 10.4 kg CO2e per 45.4 t of pallet loads of product delivered using wood pallets. The manufacturing stage contributed the most, about 35%, followed by the raw material supply stage. About 41% of total primary energy consumption was from renewable sources, with most sourced from biomass. Fossil fuels comprised about 52% of the total (225 MJ per functional unit) primary energy consumption. Total environmental impact was significantly affected by two main parameters: reference service life and load-bearing capacity. Pallet repair was also found to be an important component of the wood pallet supply chain, which has a low environmental footprint compared with the overall impact of a pallet and enables mitigation of overall impact by extending the reference service life. At end-of-life, common industry practices demonstrated substantial potential environmental benefits that can minimize overall environmental impact.

Environmental impacts of wooden, plastic, and wood-polymer composite pallet: a life cycle assessment approach

PurposeWaste recycling is one of the essential tools for the European Union’s transition towards a circular economy. One of the possibilities for recycling wood and plastic waste is to utilise it to produce composite product. This study analyses the environmental impacts of producing composite pallets made of wood and plastic waste from construction and demolition activities in Finland. It also compares these impacts with conventional wooden and plastic pallets made of virgin materials.MethodsTwo different life cycle assessment methods were used: attributional life cycle assessment and consequential life cycle assessment. In both of the life cycle assessment studies, 1000 trips were considered as the functional unit. Furthermore, end-of-life allocation formula such as 0:100 with a credit system had been used in this study. This study also used sensitivity analysis and normalisation calculation to determine the best performing pallet.Result and discussionIn the attributional cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment, wood-polymer composite pallets had the lowest environmental impact in abiotic depletion potential (fossil), acidification potential, eutrophication potential, global warming potential (including biogenic carbon), global warming potential (including biogenic carbon) with indirect land-use change, and ozone depletion potential. In contrast, wooden pallets showed the lowest impact on global warming potential (excluding biogenic carbon). In the consequential life cycle assessment, wood-polymer composite pallets showed the best environmental impact in all impact categories. In both attributional and consequential life cycle assessments, plastic pallet had the maximum impact. The sensitivity analysis and normalisation calculation showed that wood-polymer composite pallets can be a better choice over plastic and wooden pallet.ConclusionsThe overall results of the pallets depends on the methodological approach of the LCA. However, it can be concluded that the wood-polymer composite pallet can be a better choice over the plastic pallet and, in most cases, over the wooden pallet. This study will be of use to the pallet industry and relevant stakeholders.

Wooden pallet image segmentation based on Otsu and marker watershed

Pallet detection is the key step of cargo handling for warehouse robots. In the visual detection, pallet needs to be segmented from the image background. In order to increase the recognition rate and reduce the influence of the surrounding environment and the pattern of the pallet, Otsu algorithm and marker watershed algorithm are combined to realize the image segmentation of the pallet contour. Based on the difference of colour information between the pallet and the background, Otsu algorithm is used to segment the pallet for the first time, and marker watershed is used to complete the target recognition. The experimental results show that the method can effectively solve the problem of over segmentation of the pallet object, and improve the recognition rate, which has some reference value for the design of the visual detection system of the warehouse robot wooden pallet.

Life cycle assessment during packaging of market-sized seabass and meagre: necessary adaptations toward GHG neutrality.

PurposeFish is a delicate and valuable source of protein, and aquaculture is expected to provide the required amount of fish needed at reasonable prices. Packaging is a vital stage to preserve hygiene, quality and freshness of aquaculture products. The purpose of this study was to identify environmental hotspots in farmed seabass and meagre during the packaging stage and to examine scenarios for reducing environmental impacts, aiming at greenhouse gas neutrality.MethodsThe life cycle assessment method was applied for the first time at three packaging plants of farmed seabass and meagre in western Greece, in order to assess their environmental impacts, taking into account the amount of electricity, expanded polystyrene, and other plastic and packaging materials needed. Moreover, different scenarios were designed involving the energy mix/alternative sources, recycling and reuse of packaging materials, and the replacement of standard polystyrene boxes and wooden pallets, in order to suggest environmentally friendly improvements in the packaging process.Results and discussionConventional operation of seabass and meagre packaging plants requires significant amounts of energy and packaging materials. In fact, electricity, boxes and pallets were documented as the main contributors to most of the environmental impact indicators. Seabass packaging had a slightly lower overall environmental impact compared to meagre, due to its smaller market size. Impact minimization scenarios resulted in various degrees of reduction of environmental burdens in both species; however, near-zero GHG emissions were achieved when energy from photovoltaic panels and recycling/reuse of packaging materials were combined with the use of non-fossil-based boxes and recyclable pallets. Such readily applicable adjustments to the conventional operation of packaging plants would contribute to overall environmental sustainability and to better consumer acceptability of the final product.ConclusionsIn a nutshell, the life cycle assessment method proved to be a valuable tool for assessing the environmental performance of Mediterranean aquaculture packaging processes. Moreover, it served to identify critical factors directly related to the EU GHG neutrality target. Accordingly, environmentally friendly decision-making/strategic management in the farmed fish packaging sector will inevitably rely on alternative energy sources, recycling of packaging materials, and use of recyclable corrugated board boxes or similar non-fossil-based materials.

Perancangan produk interior modular berbahan upcycling kayu bekas palet

The flow of containers in the terminals of the Port of Tanjung Perak Surabaya has increased. The increased container flow has an impact on the pilling up of ex-wood pallets and if this left continuously it become city trash. Even though ex-wood pallets have the characteristics and potential to be developed, for that we have do upcycling. In addition, people who live in narrow homes usually discarded or replaced their old interior products because they do not fit into the new space. Therefore, people need a modular interior product that can be assembled from scratch, and can be arranged according to the needs and desires of the user, by doing upcycling to reduce the pilling up of ex-wood pallets. The design aims to knowing the characteristics and potential of ex-wood pallets, then reused into modular interior products with modules that accordance with their characteristic. The modules are connected using connectors, which can be assembled according to the user’s needs. Design thinking methods consisting of inspiration, ideation, and implementasion are carried out in this design process. The results of this design are modules and connectors that can be assembled into 12 types of products, media promotion, and booth design. This design proved that ex-wood pallets have characteristics and potential that can be develop by upcycling into modules in accordance with the characteristics of used wood pallets that can be assembled using connector into a variety of modular interior products according to the needs and desires of the user.

The effect of plastic pails on pallet deflection and pressure distribution for stringer class wooden pallets

There are 513 million new wooden pallets produced every year in the United States, most of which are purposely built for specific applications. Currently, most wooden pallets are designed with the assumption that they will carry a uniformly distributed, flexible load. However, it has been observed by many researchers that most loads carried by pallets are discrete loads where the interactions between packages cause pressure redistribution defined as load bridging. The load bridging phenomenon has been extensively studied for corrugated boxes, and it has been found that the deflection of the pallet is highly dependent on the number, size and type of corrugated boxes and the design of the pallet used. Although pails are an essential packaging solution used to transport smaller amounts of liquids (1–40 L), there is a lack of understanding about the effect of load bridging on unit loads of pails. The objective of this research was to understand the differences in pallet bending and pressure distribution across the top of the pallet when pallets are loaded with plastic pails compared with a flexible airbag. The results revealed that pallets deflect 32%–89% less when loaded with plastic pails. The load predominantly distributes down the bottom perimeter of the pail, indicating that the design of the bottom of the pail could have a major effect on pallet performance. The effect of plastic pails was dependent on pallet design, indicating that the stiffness of a pallet could have a major effect on load bridging experienced by plastic pails.