Plastics Companies Launch First Bio-Composite Pallet
By Chaille Brindley
Date Posted: 12/1/2007
What if you could turn waste from ethanol plants into material for making a composite pallet? It could change the economics of plastics. If this sounds far fetched, you should check out the new bio-composite pallet produced by Greystone Logistics Inc. This pallet uses patented technology from New Composite Partners, a research firm that develops proprietary biomass resins.
Composites are opening up a whole new world of opportunities as well as competitive pressures. New Composite Partners (NCP) has developed a proprietary biomass resin, R2 bioresin®, from annually renewable feedstock including corn fiber and ethanol waste. According to Greystone Logistics, it is mixing this material with plastic to produce the first bio-composite pallet on the market.
“We are delivering a bio-composite pallet product that includes renewable feedstock and it is equal to an all-plastic pallet in price and performance,” declared Andrew Axel, CEO of NCP. “Our pallets help companies meet federal sustainability requirements because our process technology utilizes abundant, annually renewable feedstock to reduce the use of fossil fuels.”
Besides the environmental advantages of using renewable material instead of petroleum, this material can cut costs.
Ron Hagemann, chief technology officer for NCP, said that his process takes waste material that ethanol plants usually pay to have hauled away and puts it to good use. Hagemann said that this material can cost 3-7 cents per lb. compared to 70-80 cents for virgin plastic or 35-40 cents for regrind material.
Hagemann said, “We have been able to replace plastic at up to a 50% rate.” That can translate into tremendous raw material savings. NCP has worked with Greystone Logistics and Triple Diamond Plastics and is talking with some other large plastic pallet suppliers.
Unlike the concern over using unprocessed corn for ethanol production, this process uses a waste product that will not have an adverse impact on the ability to supply corn for animal feed or consumer products.
“We are very pleased with the performance of R2 in our molding process. There was no difference in cycle or cure times,” said, Warren Kruger, CEO of Greystone. “We are continually looking for innovations in materials technology, and utilizing R2 bioresin, customers will have an option to add a bio component to our 100% recyclable materials.”
According to Hagemann, pallets with R2 are lighter and stiffer than conventional plastic. Fire retardant or UV additives can be mixed with bioresin.
New technology like bioresin may open the door for more plastic pallets by lowering cost. Hagemann said, “Price is such a driver on plastics. Think of us as an enabler on price. All I am doing is supply material.”
NCP is looking into using its resins for everything from bulk bins to highway signs and concrete forms. Currently, its focus is structural plastics. Composite materials are created by combining two or more materials to produce a new material that retains important properties from the original components. These unique combinations deliver significant advantages over traditional materials in a wide variety of structural applications. Composites consist of a matrix material that is then reinforced with fibers that can be taken from ceramics, metals, or polymers.
Using waste from feedstocks makes the bio-composite pallet a sustainable product. Reducing the plastic content not only lowers cost it also improves the environmental attractiveness of the pallet. Sustainability has started to become a big deal for many companies. You will hear more about this in the future.
According to NCP, a bio-composite pallet has been successfully produced using 20% bio-material by volume in an injection mold product mix. This pallet also has the advantage of using recycled plastic (reground damaged pallets are one source of this recycled plastic as well) and rubber as well, making it completely recycled.
Hagemann said, “Sustainability and bio-composites are coming. You are going to see a lot more of this. Retailers want a nice ‘green’ display pallet.”
For more information on these new products or bioresin technology visit Greystone at www.greystonelogistics-glgi.com and NCP at www.newcomp
