HEAT TREATMENT & DRYING

All pallets that go through the heat treatment process destroy the negative factors such as moisture, mold and different organisms in the wood and become both a solid and healthy product in terms of global circulation. In addition to these, heat treated pallets; It becomes resistant to water, mold and bacteria formation.

Heat treatment furnaces naturally reveal the resin of the red pine trees that we use in our production. The resulting resins transform the pallet into a more robust and high-quality structure. In this way, you can carry your products securely and have a quality that can be recycled up to 4-5 times.

The drying oven does not constitute a legal obligation and is applied as a preference of the user. However, in accordance with the EPAL Euro Pallet standards, it is mandatory to apply only EPAL to Euro pallets.

The benefit of the drying oven to the pallet is to reduce the moisture content of the wood. The pallets are stacked in large heating chambers (ovens) and then slowly heated to evaporate moisture. The curing process is carried out with a program that prevents the wood from deforming while it dries. Its purpose is not to exterminate pests, but to reduce humidity. The standard by which pallets are dried varies depending on their intended end use. When the furnace is accredited by the operator, it is tailored to customer requirements.

Drying cycle processes vary due to the types of trees and the water they contain. Moisture content also varies from season to season and varies between different parts of the tree such as sapwood and heartwood.

The reasons for drying pallet timber are as follows;

- Increasing susceptibility to mold and fungal rot

- To meet production specifications that require a maximum moisture content of 22%

- Reducing bending or twisting during and after delivery to users

- To maximize strength, the mechanical properties of wood begin to increase as it dries below 28% moisture content.

- Reducing corrosion of nail joints

Heating is done with 120 ºC water.

Humidification is done with cold water (minimum pressure 4 kg/cm²).

(Total hardness 0 Fr., pH value between 7.5-9.5, conductivity maximum 6500 ms/cm.)

It is expected that the entrance humidity to the oven is 40% and the final humidity is 18%.

Heat-treated products have become a necessity for all companies that use wood for export. The decisions within the scope of the legal regulation adapted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry are as follows;

Subparagraph (47) of the first paragraph of Article 3 of the "Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed Law", which entered into force with the publication of the Official Gazette dated 11/6/2010 and numbered 5996; “Approval: The permit or license given by the Ministry for activities and products whose approval is required under this Law,” and the ninth paragraph of article 15; “Things to be approved for wooden packaging materials to be used as packaging materials are determined by the Ministry. Those who will produce the determined wooden packaging materials must get approval from the Ministry. It contains its terms.

ISPM 15 applications in our country; Based on the Law No. 5996, the "Wood Packaging Materials Subject to Heat Treatment", which came into force on 01.01. It is carried out within the scope of “Regulation on Holding and Marking”.