The results of this study indicate that the mechanical properties
of wood–paper sludge composite are positively affected by the
use of paper sludge as an alternative material to wood particles
in the production of green pallets. In particular, a 10wt.% replacement
with large sized (3–4cm×3–4cm×1.5–2.5 cm) paper sludge
showed a similar mechanical strength to that ofwood particle composite
only. However, the replacement with rice strawand rice husk
resulted in a decrease in mechanical strength as the loading content
was increased. The replacement with paper sludge did not result
in a weight loss at the temperature of composite manufacturing
and water absorption due to the presence of inorganic materials
in paper sludge such as kaolin clay and calcium carbonate. These
results suggest that controlled mixing of wood particle and dried
paper sludge can generate a suitable wood–paper sludge composite
replacement material for limited wood particleboard as green
pallet bonded by formaldehyde-based resin. When the mechanical
properties for the palletmaterialswere considered, 10 wt.% of dried
paper sludge was the optimum adding content for wood–paper
sludge composite green pallets.