JP2000300102A - Excreta treating agent for pet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a hardening type excreta treating agent for pets having sufficient water absorbency and agglomerate forming ability by utilizing organic substances, etc., derived from field crops including corncobs which are conventionally scarcely used as a main material for the excreta treating agent for the pets and are disposed as a waste. SOLUTION: This excreta treating agent for pets is obtained by granulating and molding a mixture containing an organic substance powder and bentonite powder having a lower water absorption rate than a prescribed value and a mineral powder having a higher water absorption rate than that of the organic substance powder and the weight ratio of the organic substance powder to the mineral powder in the mixture is 1.5-14. The excreta treating agent contains 20-50 wt.% of the bentonite powder.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a treating agent used for treating excrement of small animals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Excrement treatment agents (pet litter) for small animals such as pets, typically represented by cats, which are generally called cat litter, are of a type that absorbs excrement to form a nodule and solidifies. It is roughly classified into a type that absorbs excrement but does not clump. Among them, the hardened type only needs to remove only the baby lumps with a scoop or the like when discarding the excrement, so that the disposal of the contaminated treating agent is easy. Also,
A solidifying type is extremely sanitary and economical as compared with a non-agglomerated type of treating agent in which the excrement treating agent contaminated with excrement is left for a certain period of time and the entire amount is replaced. Due to these advantages, curable pet excrement disposal agents are now mainstream in the market. Most of the conventional solidifying type pet excrement disposal agents are crushed bentonite products or minerals made by adding other components to bentonite, etc., and have excellent properties in terms of excrement absorption capacity and nodule formation ability. It has received a lot of support for showing. However, since the main material is a mineral, the apparent specific gravity is generally large, handling is not easy, and there is a problem that it cannot be disposed of as combustible waste after use.

[0003] To solve these problems,
A pet excrement treating agent mainly composed of a lightweight and flammable organic substance has been proposed. For example, a granular material made of a water-absorbing material is coated with a coagulable and swellable powder (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2002-110630). No. 62-239932) or a mixture of water-insoluble superabsorbent water-based resin powder and wood flour molded into granules (JP-A-5-218825).
No.), a main material obtained by mixing an organic substance and a superabsorbent resin, powdered calcium bicarbonate, a powdered pearlite added and granulated (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-203793) and the like have been proposed and put to practical use. Some are. However, these excrement treatment agents for pets, which are mainly composed of organic substances, are far inferior in the ability to form nodules when compared with the above-mentioned mineral-based excrement treatment agents. In most cases, baby boomers do not disintegrate and do not clump even if they absorb excrement. Among them, a pet excrement treating agent mainly composed of wood flour (which mainly uses wood flour and a polymer water-absorbent resin powder) has a certain degree of strength, if not sufficient. The ones that form the nodules shown on the market have been put on the market, and can be said to be the only ones that can withstand practical use at present as a solidifying type pet excrement disposal agent mainly composed of flammable organic substances.

[0004]

As described above, the pet excrement disposal agent required by the market is light-weight, can be treated as combustible waste, and absorbs the excrement to form a lump. belongs to. Many organic substances conventionally used as the main material to be treated as combustible waste have lower water absorption and cohesion than mineral-based ones, and do not sufficiently absorb water and form nodules. For,
At present, a polymer water absorbing material such as a water absorbing resin is mixed or coated for use. However, when a polymer water-absorbing material is used, although water absorption is improved, it is difficult to impart sufficient strength to the nodule because the caking power is weak. In the case of wood flour with a relatively high water-absorbing power, the purpose can be achieved to some extent by using a polymer water-absorbing material, but in the case of other organic materials as a main material, a solidified type of excretion for pets As a material treating agent, one having practically sufficient nodule-forming ability has not been obtained.

In view of recent demands for resource saving, resource recycling and garbage reduction, unused resources such as natural wastes derived from agricultural crops as well as wood flour are treated for excrement for pets. Although the value of reusing as the main ingredient of the agent is very high, since it has not been able to obtain practically sufficient water-absorbing ability and nodule-forming ability as described above, it has reached the market. Not in. Accordingly, the present invention provides a sufficient water absorption capacity and nodules by utilizing organic matter derived from agricultural products such as corn cob, which has been rarely used as a main material of a pet excrement disposal agent, and has been regarded as waste. An object of the present invention is to provide a hardening type pet excrement disposal agent having a forming ability.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems The inventors of the present invention have conducted various studies in view of the above-mentioned problems, and as a result, it has been found that not a high molecular water-absorbing material but a mineral powder having a high water-absorbing power and a chemical bentonite powder are added to an organic substance as a main material. Therefore, it becomes a problem in providing a baby's excrement disposal agent mainly composed of organic matter with the ability to form nodules,
The inventors have found that it is possible to overcome the low water absorbing power and the low caking power, and have made the present invention based on this finding.

That is, the present invention provides: (1) granulating and molding a mixture containing an organic powder, a bentonite powder, and a mineral powder having a higher water absorption rate than the organic powder, wherein the water absorption rate is lower than a predetermined value; A pet excrement disposal agent characterized in that the weight ratio of the organic substance powder to the mineral powder therein is 1.5 to 14, and the bentonite powder is contained in an amount of 20 to 50% by weight; (2) water absorption rate 0.1 ml / 10 sec. .20
0 mg or less, 90% by weight or more, organic powder having a particle size of 2 mm or less, bentonite powder, and a water absorption rate of 0.2 ml / 10 sec.
A mixture containing mineral powder having a particle size of not less than 200 mg and not less than 90 wt% and not more than 2 mm in particle size, comprising 30 to 70 wt% of organic powder, 20 to 50 wt% of bentonite powder and 5 to 20 wt% of mineral powder. (3) The bentonite powder has a calcium / sodium ratio (molar ratio) of 0.3.
Pet excrement disposal agent according to (1) or (2), which is a bentonite powder comprising 6 to 1.8 bentonite ore and 5% by weight or less of soda ash. (4) The excrement treating agent for pets according to any one of (1), (2) and (3), wherein the mixture contains 1 to 5% by weight of a paste. The excrement treating agent for pets according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the organic powder is corn cob and / or pasture powder, and (6) the mineral powder is pearlite; A pet excrement disposal agent according to any one of (1) to (5), which is at least one powder selected from the group consisting of activated clay, zeolite, and diatomaceous earth. is there. In the present invention, the treatment of excrement refers to absorbing or excreting excreta so that the excrement can be disposed of together with a treating agent. Pets are generally bred at home, including dogs and cats. Small animal. The water absorption rate in the present invention refers to a water absorption rate obtained by a Freundrich type water absorption measurement method, and a low water absorption rate is defined as a water absorption rate.
0.1ml / 10sec.200mg or less, preferably 0.05ml / 10sec.200m
It means less than g. Further, in the mineral powder of the present invention,
Does not include bentonite powder.

[0008]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail. The organic substance used in the present invention preferably has a water absorption rate of 0.1 ml /
Use the one with 10 sec. 200 mg or less, and the lower limit is not particularly limited, but usually about 0.01 ml / 10 sec. 200 mg. More preferably, an organic substance having a water absorption rate of 0.01 to 0.05 ml / 10 sec. 200 mg is used. Specific examples of such organic matter include plant-derived organic matter such as corn cob and pasture-derived natural waste, and corn cob and / or pasture are preferable. Water absorption rate of the main organic material is 0.1ml /
If it exceeds 10 sec. 200 mg, it will have an unnecessarily high water absorption when used with bentonite powder and mineral powder described later. The relationship between water absorption and consolidation is considered as follows. Excrement treatment agents for pets form walls by disintegrating or sticking to each other when absorbing water, preventing water from penetrating to the bottom and
Consolidation strength is generated by an appropriate amount of water. If the water absorption is moderate, a wall is formed in the entire water absorption portion while causing a certain degree of permeation, and consequently a conglomerate is formed. However, if the water absorption is too high, the wall is formed with almost no infiltration in the bottom direction, and as a result, it becomes a disk-shaped nodule on the surface and easily breaks, and furthermore, the excess nodule itself causes the nodule itself. Since the gel is in a very soft state, it is soft and brittle. Therefore, in the case of a treatment agent having an excessive water absorption capacity, urine flows on the surface of the treatment agent when urinating the pet, and the contaminated treatment agent easily adheres to hair such as the pet's tail. When such a situation occurs, it is unsanitary, and since the lump formed by the excrement is also soft, it collapses when it is removed from the toilet, and the workability of disposal is significantly reduced.

The above organic substance is preferably used as a powder having a particle size of 90% by weight or more and a particle size of 2 mm or less, and more preferably a powder having a particle size of 0.03 to 1.0 mm.

In the present invention, a mineral powder having a higher water absorption rate than the above-mentioned organic substance and not a bentonite powder, preferably a mineral powder having a water absorption rate of 0.2 ml / 10 sec. 200 mg or more is used. ml / 10sec.200mg
It is about. More preferably, the water absorption rate is 0.5 to 1.0 ml / 10s.
Use 200 mg of ec. mineral powder. Examples of the mineral that can be used in the present invention include perlite, activated clay, zeolite, and diatomaceous earth, and it is preferable to use at least one of these. Further, these minerals are preferably used as a powder having 90% by weight or less of a particle size of 2 mm or less, and more preferably all of the minerals have a particle size of 0.03 to 1.0 mm.
Are used. Water absorption rate of mineral powder is 0.2m
l / 10sec.When less than 200 mg or when mineral powder is not used, the ability to form nodules is low as in the case of conventional treatment agents that use organic substances as the main material. Inconveniences such as no formation or large nodules formed and brittleness occur. When this occurs, it is difficult to completely remove the contaminated portion of the excrement disposal agent from the toilet, which is unsanitary, and the contaminated portion cannot be easily removed and discarded.

The bentonite used in the present invention is natural,
Any of synthesis and chemical formation may be used.
Although a mixture of more than one species may be used, chemical bentonite is preferred, and the calcium / sodium ratio (molar ratio) is particularly preferably 0.6 to 1.8, more preferably 0.8 to 1.8.
1.6 bentonite ore, preferably 5% by weight or less,
More preferably, bentonite is formed by adding 1 to 3% by weight of soda ash. The ratio of soda ash in the chemical bentonite is a value based on the total dry weight. The particle size of the bentonite is not particularly limited, but preferably has a particle size of 90% by weight or more and a particle size of 0.2 mm or less.

The pet excrement disposal agent of the present invention is obtained by kneading a mixture containing the above-mentioned organic powder, bentonite powder and mineral powder, followed by granulation and molding. In the above mixture, the amount of the organic substance powder was 1.
It is 5-14, preferably 2-5. In the mixture, the bentonite powder is 20 to 50% by weight, preferably 25 to 50% by weight.
40% by weight. The organic powder is preferably 30 to 70
%, More preferably 40 to 60% by weight, and the mineral powder is preferably 5 to 20% by weight, more preferably 15 to 20% by weight. The above ratios are all values in the dry weight before kneading with water (the same applies to the ratio of the sizing agent described later). If the amount of the organic powder exceeds 70% by weight, sufficient water-absorbing ability and nodule-forming ability as a hardening type excrement treating agent may not be obtained. Also, if the amount of bentonite powder and mineral powder is too large, the apparent specific gravity becomes large, and it becomes difficult to treat as combustible waste.However, if the amount is too small, it cannot be used as an excrement treating agent having sufficient water absorption capacity and nodule forming ability. .

Further, in the excrement treating agent for pets of the present invention, preferably 1 to 5% by weight of a paste can be added to the above mixture, if necessary. Specific examples of the sizing agent include starch, sodium alginate, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, sodium polyacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol and the like. Preferably, sodium alginate, methylcellulose, polyacrylamide, and particularly preferably methylcellulose are used. In the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned sizing agent, those usually added to pet excrement disposal agents such as preservatives, antibacterial agents, fragrances, coloring agents and the like can be used as required. These may be added to the above mixture before granulation and molding, or may be added to the granulated and molded pet excrement treating agent according to the type and properties thereof by mixing and spraying.

The pet excrement treating agent of the present invention can be obtained by kneading the above mixture with water and then granulating the mixture into an appropriate shape. The kneading can be carried out by a commonly used method, and as the kneading device, for example, an Erich mixer, a Spartan Luiser (trade name, manufactured by Fuji Paudal), a ribbon mixer, or the like can be used. The amount of water after kneading and at the time of molding depends on the composition, but usually,
It is 10 to 50% by weight, preferably 15 to 35% by weight. Granulation molding may be performed by a usual method, and for example, a device such as a horizontal pressing granulator, an advance granulator, and a disk pelleter can be used.

The granule after granulation is preferably spherical, cylindrical, flake, or corrugated, but is not limited thereto. The particle size is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1 to 5 mm. The smaller the particle size, the higher the nodule-forming ability and deodorizing ability when water is absorbed, but if too small, the treating agent tends to scatter when the pet is dug up or disposed of. On the other hand, if the particle size is too large, the water absorption capacity is reduced, and the ability to form a nodule is reduced. After granulation, it is preferably dried to a water content of 20% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or less, to obtain a pet excrement treating agent. For drying, for example, a fluidized-bed dryer, a rotary dryer, a midget dryer, or the like can be used.

[0016]

Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. The corn cob, wood flour, perlite, zeolite, activated clay and diatomaceous earth used in the examples and comparative examples are all powders having a particle size of 90% by weight or more and a particle size of 2 mm or less, and 90% by weight or more of a chemical bentonite have a particle size of 0.1% or less. It was 2 mm or less. The water absorption rates according to the Freundlich water absorption measurement method are summarized in Table 1. In addition, there is a correlation between the fact that 2% saline is absorbed into the treating agent almost in the same manner as the excrement of small animals, and that the treating agent having a high water absorption rate also has a high absorption rate of the excrement (saline). It has already been confirmed by the present inventors. Example 1 50% by weight of corn cob, 15% by weight of pearlite, bentonite (trade name: Neokunibond, manufactured by Kunimine Industries Co., Ltd.)
100 parts by weight of a mixture of 33% by weight of bentonite having a calcium / sodium ratio (molar ratio) of 1.2 to which 1.6% by weight of soda ash was added (molar ratio) and 2% by weight of methylcellulose (trade name: Metroose, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) After adding 20 parts by weight of water, mixing and kneading with a mixer (trade name: Spartan Luzer, manufactured by Fuji Paudal Co., Ltd.), and using a granulator (disk pelletizer) to form a cylindrical shape with a particle size of 2.5 mm Granulated. Dry this with a midget drier to about 2% moisture, 10 mesh
What was left on the (mesh 1.68 mm) sieve was obtained as a pet excrement disposal agent.

Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 A pet excrement treating agent was obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixture having the composition shown in Table 2 was mixed with water, kneaded and granulated.

[0018]

[Table 1]

[0019]

[Table 2]

Test Examples The following tests were performed on the samples obtained in the above Examples and Comparative Examples. Table 3 shows the results. The sample shown as Comparative Example 3 was a commercially available excrement disposal material for pets mainly composed of corn cob, and was coated with about 5% by weight of a polymer water-absorbing resin on the surface of corn cob. Water absorption rate test The distilled water container 6 of the Freundlich water absorption measuring device shown in FIG. 1 is filled with distilled water in advance, and the inclination of the device is adjusted to confirm that the water surface in the graduated glass tube 8 does not move. Water content on the glass filter 4 of the sample setting container 2
A sample 3 dried to 1% or less and precisely weighed at 200 mg was quickly added, and the water absorption after 10 seconds was measured by the scale of the glass tube 8. In FIG. 1, 1 indicates a two-way cock, 5 indicates a rubber tube, and 7 indicates a three-way cock.

Hardness test 1 kg of a sample is put into the ball 9 of the test apparatus shown in FIG.
20 ml of 2% saline solution was poured from the nozzle 10 adjusted so as to flow out in 5 seconds. Approximately 30 seconds after pouring, the portion of the sample that had absorbed the saline solution was removed by hand, and approximately 50
The following criteria were used to evaluate the state of the sample after applying a pressure of 0 g / cm ² for 5 seconds. Hard: Maintains almost the same condition Soft: Partially collapsed Brittle: Completely collapsed and no part retains original shape Collapse rate test Similar to hardness test 20 ml of a 2% saline solution was poured into 1 kg of the sample using the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and after about 30 seconds, the portion that had absorbed the saline solution was taken out by hand, and its weight M1 (g) was measured. One minute later, the lump was dropped from the height of 75 cm to the center 12 of the container shown in FIG. 3, and then the lump was rolled, and the weight M2 (g) of the fragments dropped from the mesh 11 to the bottom 13 was measured. Then, the disintegration rate was determined from the following equation. FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line AA. Decay rate (%) = (M2 / M1) x 100

Permeability test In the same manner as in the hardness test, 20 ml of a 2% saline solution was poured into 1 kg of the sample using the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and after about 30 seconds, the portion that had absorbed the saline solution was taken out by hand, and its diameter D (mm) ) And height H (mm) were measured, and the permeability (%) was determined from the following equation. Permeability (%) = (H / D) x 100

[0023]

[Table 3]

From the results shown in Table 3, the excrement treating agent for pets of the present invention showed extremely excellent nodule-forming ability in any of the examples, as compared with the commercially available corncob-based product of Comparative Example 3. . In commercial products, the mass of the part that absorbed the saline solution is very fragile and collapses when you try to remove it,
Although it could not be taken out in a lump state at all, the pet excrement treating agents obtained in Examples 1 to 4 all formed a lump having a sufficient hardness and an appropriate size, and were contaminated (absorbed). Part) could be easily removed. Comparative Example 1
Uses wood powder with high water absorption of 0.13ml / 10sec.200mg, chemical bentonite, and pearlite. Abundant water absorption was generated, and saline solution flowed on the sample surface. If such a phenomenon occurs, it is unsanitary because the contaminated excrement treating agent easily adheres to fur of the pet or the like during urination. The formed nodules were soft and collapsed when removing the contaminated part. In Comparative Example 2 in which no mineral powder was used, the ability to form nodules was low, and it was difficult to completely remove the nodules because the saline solution penetrated to the bottom of the ball.

[0025]

Industrial Applicability The present invention uses an organic substance such as corn cob or grass, which has hardly been used as a main material of a pet excrement disposal agent of a type that hardens due to its low water absorption, and has a moderate water absorption. An object of the present invention is to provide an excrement disposal agent for pets having good nodule formation ability, which greatly contributes to utilization of unused resources of agricultural crops and recycling of natural wastes. In addition, nodules formed by urine and the like are smaller and harder than commercially available processing agents mainly made of wood flour, so that they can be easily removed from the toilet and are economical. Furthermore, since the apparent specific gravity is small, handling such as transportation is easy, it can be reused as a soil conditioner for fields and the like after use, and it can be treated as combustible waste when discarded. It works.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a Freundlich water absorption measuring device used in a water absorption rate test of an example.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an apparatus used for injecting a saline solution in a hardness test, a disintegration rate test, and a permeability test of Examples.

3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams of an apparatus used for a collapse rate test of an example, where FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA.

Claims (6)

[Claims] An organic powder having a water absorption rate lower than a predetermined value,
Bentonite powder, and a mixture containing a mineral powder having a higher water absorption rate than the organic powder is formed by granulation,
An excrement treating agent for pets, wherein the weight ratio of the organic powder to the mineral powder in the mixture is 1.5 to 14 and the bentonite powder is contained in an amount of 20 to 50% by weight. 2. A water absorption rate of 0.1 ml / 10 sec.
Organic powder having a particle size of 2 mm or less, bentonite powder having a weight percentage of not less than 2 mm, and a water absorption rate of 0.2 ml / 10 sec.
A mixture comprising 30 to 70% by weight of an organic substance powder, 20 to 50% by weight of bentonite powder, and 5 to 20% by weight of a mineral powder is formed by granulation molding. An excrement disposal agent for pets, comprising: 3. The method according to claim 3, wherein the bentonite powder contains calcium /
3. The chemical conversion bentonite powder according to claim 1, comprising bentonite ore having a sodium ratio (molar ratio) of 0.6 to 1.8 and 5% by weight or less of soda ash. Excrement disposal agent for pets. 4. The pet excrement disposal agent according to claim 1, wherein the mixture contains 1 to 5% by weight of a paste. 5. The pet excrement disposal agent according to claim 1, wherein the organic powder is corn cob and / or grass powder. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mineral powder is pearlite, activated clay,
The excrement treating agent for pets according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the agent is at least one kind of powder selected from the group consisting of zeolite and diatomaceous earth.