When it comes to the supply and rental of wooden pallets and shipping crates, it’s important to consider the environmental impact. The subject of stock re-use, repair and economical stock disposal all needs to be considered.
Shredding wood can offer the opportunity of creating a biomass resource. Wood offcuts and irreparable wooden products can be processed into wood chips or further processed into briquettes, for use in a biomass boiler, reducing heating costs, or for the purpose of selling on for profit. This not only reduces your waste disposal costs, but generates a resource from what was once considered simply a pile of waste.
For a wooden packaging supplier, you’ll find the principle of a circular economy at the core of their business operation, as demonstrated through the continual re-use of pallets and shipping crates.
The durability and usable life of products is extremely important. Besides production from sustainable materials of premium pallets and boxes, any pallets which require repair are completely refurbished.
Supplying large quantities of pallets, it was evident that an increase in capacity for refurbishing pallets was required. This led to the establishment of a production facility with dedicated logistics, a purpose-built 10-station pallet refurbishment line, and a bulk waste handling system.
With a high volume of damaged and unserviceable pallet components, including bearers, blocks, boards, and slats, an automated solution was required to ensure that operators could concentrate on the task of getting stock out, rather than spending vast amounts of time dealing with costly waste product.
Breaking It Down
The solution, a Fercell designed and installed complete turnkey system, includes a WEIMA WL6s single-shaft shredder, an outfeed conveyor (equipped with both a permanent drum and an overband magnetic separation facility), a MMBF bulk-handling filter, a pneumatic transfer system for loading output into road trailers, and a venting filter and trailer access gantry for safe access.
The WEIMA WL single-shaft series of shredders are ideal for processing linear and lump wood waste. Featuring a V rotor, specially developed by WEIMA, its material feed achieves high throughput with low power consumption with up to two rows of knives. The shredder knives can be rotated, which reduces maintenance costs.
Here, the WEIMA WL6s features a 30mm screen. The shredder is available with a screen size between 10 and 40 mm, depending on the size of the material feed you require, and once installed, there’s always the option to swap the screen should your requirements change.
Located outside, the shredder hydraulics are optimally protected within the machine frame, which provides protection from dust, dirt and external outdoor environmental conditions, delivering a compact shredding solution. A separate service opening allows easy access for any maintenance required.
A permanent drum and overband magnetic separation facility ensures any tramp metal is removed from the product stream before reaching its storage location.
The shredder is serviced by a MMBF bulk-handling multi-breather filter, providing storage for any wood chip and dust before collection.
ATEX certified, the MMBF filter also services various woodworking machinery within the production area, providing dust extraction from a pallet production line. The extracted waste is captured, transported and deposited alongside the material processed through the shredder. This delivers a centralised solution for all wood waste.
The pneumatic transfer system allows any wood chip to be collected via trailer for transportation and used for further use as biomass fuel, creating value from waste.
Complete Solution
Fercell, managed the full mechanical installation, with planned mechanical lifting services, the electrical installation, system testing and commissioning, and operator training.
Added to this, the system was covered by Fercell’s comprehensive ‘Planned Preventative Service Support Contract’ to ensure that the system operates optimally for its usable life. Planned, preventative maintenance limits the occurrence of failure and expensive repair downtime, in turn managing costs and extending service life.
Installation of the system repurposes pallet waste as biomass, forming an environmentally friendly and sustainable process onsite.
Fercell have been delivering industrial size reduction, recycling systems, and industrial ventilation solutions for over 4 decades. From design through to installation and servicing, Fercell provides complete solutions. To discuss your project requirements, contact 01622 791414 or email info@fercell.com.
