October 21, 1997

Researchers at Battelle have successfully evaluated a rugged pallet made of recycled plastic lumber that can hold up to 10 tons of weight.

This pallet was designed as a replacement for wood and steel pallets, particularly for storing 55-gallon drums of hazardous and radioactive materials. Although more expensive than wood or steel, the plastic pallets can be easily cleaned and repaired. The cost of these pallets is expected to drop significantly as the number in use increases.

The project was conducted by Battelle in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Plastic Lumber Company of Akron, Ohio.

"There are numerous advantages to using this type of recycled plastic pallet," said Dr. Prabhat Krishnaswamy, a Senior Research Scientist in Battelle's Engineering Mechanics Group and the project leader. "The initial cost is more for the recycled plastic pallet; however, the cost over the life of the product is very competitive when compared with conventional wood or steel pallets. These recycled pallets are also more durable and easier to maintain."

Using wood and steel pallets for hazardous and radioactive materials causes several problems. Krishnaswamy noted that wooden and steel pallets are difficult to clean. Wood will absorb both chemical and radioactive contamination and the tubular design of steel pallets makes detecting contamination and cleaning difficult. The wooden pallets are therefore not repaired but are discarded at an appropriate disposal facility for low level radioactive waste.

While contaminated wood and steel pallets have to be discarded or destroyed in a licensed incinerator or landfill, recycled plastic lumber pallets can be easily cleaned and reused. Because the Battelle-designed construction uses traditional nuts and bolts and a metal sleeve, broken pallets can be repaired on site quite easily. The broken pieces of plastic can be recycled. At the end of its useful life the plastic lumber pallet can also be recycled.

Unlike previous plastic pallets, which were made of a single piece of molded plastic, the Battelle design is fabricated from recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and commingled plastics waste extruded in lumber dimensions. The HDPE lumber is primarily from recycled milk jugs.

Krishnaswamy said that there are no standards for plastic lumber pallets and, therefore, their strength was evaluated using existing standards for wooden pallets. Testing and evaluation for compression, impact, and vibration was conducted at Michigan State University prior to successful field tests at the Department of Energy's Fernald Environmental Management Project near Cincinnati.

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