JP2019024454A - Granular excrement-treating material - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a granular excrement-treating material capable of being manufactured without performing compression pelletizing, and having a structure rich in voids for water absorption.SOLUTION: A granular excrement-treating material 1 comprises a fiber accumulation body containing a water absorbing material 2a and an adhesive material 3a. Due to that the fiber has a first fiber 2b and a second fiber 3b having a fiber length shorter than that of the first fiber 2b, the accumulation body of the first and second fibers 2b,3b has a structure accumulated without addition of water and compression so as to increase a cubic volume of voids for water absorption and improve water absorption performance (water absorption speed and water absorption amount). The water absorption speed is surely improved by the second fiber 3b with a short fiber length, and the water absorption amount is surely improved by the water absorbing material 2a and the first fiber 2b with a long fiber length.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a granular excrement treatment material that is spread in place of soil and sand in a toilet such as an animal and absorbs excreta such as urine.

  In this type of granular excrement disposal material, those having a composite layer structure of a core portion and a surface layer are known, and as shown in Patent Document 1 below, compression-granulated forming materials rich in water absorption, such as organic fibers, are used. And a surface layer made of a water-absorbing polymer powder covering the core.

  Therefore, in the conventional method for producing a granular excrement disposal material, the core component material containing fibers and a water-absorbing polymer is kneaded while being added, and the kneaded product is press-fitted into the granulation hole of the extrusion granulator and broken. A compression granulation step for forming a granular core portion, a surface layer forming step for forming a surface layer by coating the surface of the core portion with a powder such as a water-absorbing polymer, and a composite layer comprising the surface layer and the core portion It has a drying process which dries the granulated material of a structure with a drier, and a cooling process which cools the dried granulated material.

JP 2014-195418 A

  The granular excrement disposal material manufactured by the conventional manufacturing method described above cannot exhibit appropriate water absorption performance (water absorption speed and water absorption amount) when the core part is excessively compressed and granulated. Has a point.

  Moreover, in the said manufacturing method, the compression granulation process by an extrusion granulator, the drying process by a drying apparatus, and the cooling process by a cooling device become essential. Therefore, in order to increase the number of production per hour, it is necessary to increase the number of granulations per hour by an extrusion granulator, the number of dryings per hour by a drying device, and the number of coolings per hour by a cooling device.

  However, since the compression time for forming one granulated product does not change, in order to increase the number of granules per hour, there is a problem that the equipment related to the extrusion granulator inevitably increases in size. Yes.

  In addition, since the time required for drying and cooling a granulated product does not change, in order to increase the number of drying and cooling per hour, the equipment related to the drying device and the cooling device is naturally increased in size. Have.

In addition, there is a waste that the water added in the compression granulation process is evaporated in the drying process. Furthermore, there is also a waste that the heat applied in the drying process is taken away by the cooling process. In other words, in the conventional manufacturing method, a drying process is required due to the compression granulation process, and a cooling process is required due to the drying process. As a result, useless CO ₂ is discharged.

  Furthermore, the water added in the compression granulation process and the heat applied in the drying process affect the water-absorbing material, pressure-sensitive adhesive, deodorant, fragrance, and the like contained as constituent materials, and may cause deterioration thereof.

  The present invention provides a granular excrement disposal material that can be produced without compression granulation and has a structure rich in water-absorbing voids.

  In short, the granular excrement disposal material according to the present invention is composed of a pile of fibers including a water absorbing material and an adhesive material, and the fibers are the first fibers and the second fibers having a shorter fiber length than the first fibers. As a structure in which the deposits of the first and second fibers are stacked without adding water and without compression, the volume of the water absorption gap is increased to improve the water absorption performance (water absorption speed and amount). . Moreover, the improvement of water absorption speed is ensured by the second fiber having a short fiber length, and the improvement in water absorption is ensured by the water absorption material and the first fiber having a long fiber length.

  Preferably, a composite layer structure including a core portion and a surface layer covering the core portion is formed, and the core portion is formed by the first fiber deposition body including the water-absorbing material, while the pressure-sensitive adhesive material is included. The surface layer is formed by a bifilament deposit. That is, while the water absorption material and the first fiber having a long fiber length can secure the water absorption amount and the water retention amount of the core part, the adhering material and the second fiber having a short fiber length can adjoin the granular excrement when absorbing urine. The treatment materials can adhere to each other and be agglomerated, and the used excrement treatment materials can be discarded together.

  Preferably, by covering the core portion with a fiber sheet, the constituent materials (adhesive material and second fiber) of the surface layer can be securely bonded via the fiber sheet. In addition, the fibers constituting the fiber sheet can be used as the second fibers.

  Alternatively, by covering the surface layer with a fiber sheet, it is possible to prevent the adhesive material and the second fiber constituting the surface layer from inadvertently falling down.

  Moreover, it is set as the structure which interposes the weight adjusting material which consists of a sheet | seat body in the center part, and it is set as the granular excrement disposal material of the moderate weight which does not scatter unnecessarily by this weight adjusting material.

  Moreover, it can be set as the structure which forms a pressing part continuously in the circumferential direction on a side part, and can prevent a constituent fiber from separating.

  In addition, the upper and / or lower part is formed with uneven parts by embossing to fix the fibers, water-absorbing material and adhesive material on the outer surface of the upper and lower parts, and increase the area in contact with excrement to improve the water absorption speed Can be achieved.

  The granular excrement disposal material according to the present invention is composed of a pile of fibers containing a water-absorbing material and an adhesive material, that is, the fibers are stacked without being compressed, and thus may have a structure with an increased water-absorbing gap. In addition, since neither water addition nor heating is performed, the water absorbing ability of the water absorbing material inherent in the deposited body can be exhibited without any attenuation. Therefore, the water absorption speed and the amount of water absorption per grain can be greatly improved as compared with the conventional case. Moreover, since the adhesive material, the deodorant, the fragrance, and the like that are appropriately contained are not affected by moisture or heat, the original ability can be exhibited.

Moreover, in the manufacturing process, the compression granulation process which performs water addition can be abolished, and a drying process and a cooling process can be abbreviate | omitted in connection with this. Therefore Naturally, compressor granulator, dryer and without requiring cooling machine, can be easily and quickly produced, it can contribute to the thus reduce CO _2.

Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 1 typically. Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 2 typically. Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 3 typically. Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 4 typically. Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 5 typically. Sectional drawing which shows the granular excrement disposal material concerning Example 6 typically. The perspective view which shows the shape of the granular excrement disposal material which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the shape of the granular excrement disposal material which concerns on Example 3. FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which spread the granular excrement disposal material which concerns on this invention in toilets, such as a pet animal. The flowchart figure of a manufacturing method. The schematic diagram of the apparatus which concerns on a fiber panel formation process (process A). Sectional drawing which shows a fiber panel typically. It is sectional drawing which shows a nuclear subassembly typically, (A) is sectional drawing of the nuclear subassembly which folded the fiber panel, (B) is the cross section of the nuclear subassembly which piled up the two fiber panels. Figure. (A) is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which a surface layer aggregate is formed on the outer surface of the core subset of FIG. 13 (A), and (B) is the outer surface of the core subset of FIG. 13 (B). Sectional drawing which shows typically the state in which the surface layer assembly was formed. 14A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state where the surface layer assembly of FIG. 14A is embossed, and FIG. 14B schematically shows a state where the surface layer assembly of FIG. 14B is embossed. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows typically the state which formed the pressing part in the nuclear subassembly. The top view of the nuclear subassembly which formed the pressing part. The top view of the nucleus subassembly which shows the other example of a pressing part pattern.

  Hereinafter, the granular excrement disposal material and the method for producing the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, the granular excrement disposal material according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention is used by being laid in large numbers in place of soil and sand in a toilet animal T such as a pet or a dog. It is a “granular” excrement disposal material.

  As will be described later, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention is manufactured by being subdivided by cutting in the final process of manufacturing, but depending on the cutting pattern, it has an angular shape as shown in FIGS. In some cases. However, even if the granular excrement disposal material 1 is large, the maximum width is about several tens of millimeters. In this application, such a case is also referred to as “granular excrement disposal material”.

  In addition, this “granular excrement disposal material” can also be used as a flooring material in a breeding container for pets and experimental animals.

<Basic configuration of granular excrement disposal material>
The granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention is preferably a composite layer comprising a core part 2 having water absorption and a surface layer 3 having water absorption covering the core part 2 as shown in FIGS. Structure. The core 2 is composed of a pile of fibers (first fibers) 2b enclosing a water-absorbing material 2a made of a water-absorbing polymer powder, and the surface layer 3 is a fiber enclosing an adhesive material 3a made of starch powder or the like. (Second fiber) 3b. The fiber may be a natural fiber or a synthetic fiber.

  In the present invention, as described above, the core portion 2 is composed of the deposited body of the first fibers 2b and the surface layer 3 is composed of the deposited body of the second fibers 3b. The voids can be defined, and the voids can improve the water absorption speed and increase the amount of water absorption.

  More specifically, the fiber length (average fiber length) of the first fibers 2b constituting the core portion 2 is 0.5 mm to 5 mm, and the fiber length of the second fibers 3b constituting the surface layer 3 is 0.01 mm to 3 mm. is there. Within this range, adjustment is made so that “the fiber length of the first fiber 2b> the fiber length of the second fiber 3b”.

  By increasing the fiber length of the first fibers 2b constituting the core part 2 as much as possible, the water absorption gap can be greatly defined, and the water absorption speed and the amount of water absorption of the core part 2 can be increased. Further, by shortening the fiber length of the second fiber 3b constituting the surface layer 3 as much as possible, the second fiber 3b floats in the excrement, particularly in the water of urination, and the adjacent granular excrement treatment material 1 It is entangled with the 2nd fiber 3b in the surface layer 3, and the adjoining granular excrement disposal materials 1 can be stuck together and made into a lump.

  In the present invention, the natural fibers used as the first fibers 2b and the second fibers 3b mainly include vegetable fibers such as virgin pulp of wood, recycled recycled paper pulp, bamboo pulp, tea husk, okara, and kenaf. Moreover, vegetable fiber can be obtained by pulverizing waste materials such as diapers and sanitary products. Synthetic fibers can also be used as the first fibers 2b and the second fibers 3b.

  Further, in the present invention, the first fiber 2b or / and the second fiber 3b are colored with a dye or pigment, or the dye powder or pigment powder is interposed in the gap between the fibers of the first fiber 2b or / and the second fiber 3b. In this case, the dye may be infiltrated at the time of urination absorption or the color of the pigment may be permeated to distinguish between before and after use. In addition, if the 1st fiber 2b or / and the 2nd fiber 3b are colored with acid-base indicators (PH indicator), such as litmus, it can also be anticipated that an animal's lower urinary tract disease will be discovered based on the discoloration by urination.

  Moreover, the particle diameter (average particle diameter) of the water absorbing material 2a constituting the core portion 2 is 100 μm to 600 μm, and the particle diameter of the adhesive material 3a constituting the surface layer 3 is 10 μm to 100 μm. Within this range, adjustment is made so that “the particle diameter of the water-absorbing material 2a> the particle diameter of the adhesive 3a”.

  By increasing the particle diameter of the water absorbing material 2a constituting the core part 2 as much as possible, the water absorption amount of the core part 2 can be increased. Further, by reducing the particle size of the adhesive material 3a constituting the surface layer 3 as much as possible, the adhesive material 3a reacts quickly with the excrement, in particular, the water of urine, becomes viscous, and the adjacent granular excrement treatment. The materials 1 can be bonded together to form a lump.

  In the present invention, as the water absorbing material 2a, a powder of a water absorbing polymer such as a polyacrylic acid polymer or a starch-acrylic acid polymer is used. Further, as the adhesive material 3a, starch powder such as corn starch, tapioca starch, potato starch or the like, carboxymethyl cellulose (MCC) or MC (methylcellulose) powder, guar gum powder or dextrin powder, or the like is used. However, in the present invention, as will be described later, it is optional depending on the implementation to form a deposit of the second fibers 3b containing the adhesive material 3a by melting the adhesive material 3a and impregnating the second fiber 3b. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the core portion 2 specifically has a laminated structure of a first core portion 2A and a second core portion 2B, and the first core portion 2A, the second core portion 2B, Between them, there is a water absorbing space 6 defined by a pair of partition sheets 5. The water absorbing space 6 also contributes to the improvement of the water absorption speed and the increase of the water absorption amount together with the water absorption gap. Further, depending on the implementation, it is possible to further fold or stack the first core portions 2A so as to overlap each other to form a four-layer core portion 2 as shown in FIG.

  In addition, the partition sheet 5 is a nonwoven fabric, tissue paper, toilet paper, etc. Further, if the partition sheet 5 is a sheet colored with, for example, a blue dye or pigment, when the core part 2 absorbs urine, the dye wets the core part 2 or the color of the pigment changes the core part 2. Since the above-mentioned colored color is exposed through exposure, it is possible to determine whether the color is exposed before or after urination absorption, and if it is colored with an acid-base indicator (PH indicator) such as litmus, the color changes due to urination. The discovery of lower urinary tract diseases in animals can also be expected. Further, the partition sheet 5 can be omitted depending on the implementation.

  Moreover, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention is provided with constituent fibers (first fiber 2b, second fiber) that are continuously provided in the circumferential direction with small pieces of compressed parts on the side and accumulated in the compressed parts 4. It is possible to prevent the fibers 3b) from falling apart. In addition, as will be described later, the squeezed portion 4 becomes a cut portion for subdividing at the time of manufacture.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention can include only the core portion 2 without providing the surface layer 3. In this case, the core part 2 is composed of a stack of the first fibers 2b and the second fibers 3b containing the water absorbing material 2a and the adhesive material 3a.

  In addition, in this invention, it is arbitrary according to implementation to contain a fragrance | flavor, an antibacterial agent, a deodorizing agent, a fragrance | flavor, etc. in the deposit of the 1st fiber 2b mentioned above and the 2nd fiber 3b.

  Further, during the deposition of the first fibers 2b constituting the core portion 2, in addition to the sheet weight adjusting material 7 described later, as a powder weight adjusting material, organic powder such as tea, wood, okara and felt is used. Body or inorganic powder such as calcium carbonate, talc, clay, kaolin, bentonite, zeolite, etc. may be contained to adjust the weight.

<Example 1 of a granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the first embodiment has a basic configuration including a core part 2 having the above-described two-layer structure and a surface layer 3 covering the core part 2. Although this embodiment shows the basic granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention, as shown in embodiment 6 described later, the present invention also includes a configuration in which only the core portion 2 is not provided and the surface layer 3 is not provided. . In addition, in the perspective view of FIG. 7, in order to clarify the shape of the granular excrement disposal material 1, the adhesive material 3a and the second fibers 3b existing on the outer surface are drawn.

  Moreover, in the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present embodiment, embossed uneven portions 8 (recessed portions 8a and raised portions 8b) are formed on the upper and lower portions, and the surface layer 3 exposed on the outer surfaces of the upper and lower portions. The adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b are fixed and the area in contact with the excrement is increased to improve the water absorption speed. By the embossing, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the embossing is slightly compressed from the vertical direction to become a flat shape. In addition, it is arbitrary according to implementation that the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 8 is formed only in an upper part or only in a lower part.

<Example 2 of a granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIG. 2, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the second embodiment has a basic configuration including the core portion 2 having the two-layer structure described above and the surface layer 3 covering the core portion 2, and the core. It has the structure which covers the part 2 with the fiber sheet 3c. That is, the granular excrement disposal material 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the surface layer 3 is pressure-bonded to the outer surface of the core portion 2 via the fiber sheet 3c.

  In this embodiment, preferably, the surface of the fiber sheet 3c is raised, the raised fiber is used as the second fiber 3b, and the adhesive material 3a is used as the outer surface of the core portion 2 by using the second fiber 3b as the raised fiber. Crimp to. Alternatively, the fiber sheet 3c itself is impregnated with the adhesive material 3a dissolved therein, and thus the raised fiber impregnated with the adhesive material 3a can be used as the second fiber 3b.

  Or the 2nd fiber 3b and the adhesive material 3a are directly crimped | bonded to the surface of the fiber sheet 3c. At this time, the pressure-sensitive adhesive material 3a is moistened within a range that does not attenuate the pressure-sensitive adhesive ability, and is bonded to the surface of the fiber sheet 3c together with the second fibers 3b using the viscosity.

  As the fiber sheet 3c, non-woven fabric, tissue paper or toilet paper is optimal. In addition, in a present Example, it is arbitrary according to implementation to cover the core part 2 using the partition sheet 5 as the fiber sheet 3c. In this case, the core part 2 is configured so that the partition sheet 5 becomes the outer surface, and the surface layer 3 is formed on the partition sheet 5 covering the core part 2.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the upper and lower portions are formed with uneven portions 8 (concave portions 8a and convex portions 8b) by embossing, and the surface layer 3 exposed at the outer surfaces of the upper and lower portions is formed. The adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b are fixed and the area in contact with the excrement is increased to improve the water absorption speed. Also in this embodiment, it is optional depending on the implementation to form the concavo-convex portion 8 only in the upper part or only in the lower part.

<Example 3 of a granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to Example 3 has a basic configuration including the core portion 2 having the two-layer structure described above and the surface layer 3 covering the core portion 2. And it has the structure which covers this surface layer 3 with the fiber sheet 3d. That is, the granular excrement disposal material 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b constituting the surface layer 3 are covered with the fiber sheet 3d, and the adhesive material 3a is effectively prevented from peeling off. Yes.

  Preferably, the fiber sheet 3d is configured to have a water passage hole having a size that prevents the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b from being inadvertently dropped and covers the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b so that urination can be performed quickly. In addition, the pressure-sensitive adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b are floated during urination to allow agglomeration with the adjacent granular excrement disposal material 1. The fiber sheet 3d is preferably made of non-woven fabric, tissue paper or toilet paper.

  In this embodiment, since the surface layer 3 is covered with the fiber sheet 3d, the embossing for fixing the constituent materials (the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b) of the surface layer 3 is not essential. Whether or not to perform the processing can be selected as appropriate. Alternatively, the fiber sheet 3d itself can be impregnated with the melted adhesive material 3a, and the second fiber 3b can be covered with the fiber sheet 3d impregnated with the adhesive material 3a.

<Example 4 of a granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIG. 4, the excrement disposal material 1 according to the fourth embodiment has a basic configuration including the core part 2 having the two-layer structure described above and the surface layer 3 covering the core part 2, and the core part 2. The weight adjusting material 7 is interposed in the center of the body, that is, the central portion of the excrement disposal material 1. The weight adjusting material 7 is a sheet, and is interposed separately from the powder weight adjusting material described above.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the weight adjusting material 7 is interposed in the water absorption space 6 defined by the pair of partition sheets 5 between the first core portion 2A and the second core portion 2B of the core portion 2. Preferably, the weight adjusting member 7 is provided with a through-hole 7a for water permeability so that urination between the upper core portion 2A and the lower core portion 2B can be freely made, and the upper core portion 2A or the lower core portion 2B. This effectively prevents one of the water absorption amounts from becoming saturated. Of course, the weight adjusting material 7 can be interposed in the central portion even when the water absorption space 6 is not in the central portion as in this embodiment.

  As described above, in the excrement disposal material 1 according to the present embodiment, the weight adjustment material 7 can be adjusted to an appropriate weight that is not unnecessarily scattered, and can be increased in bulk. The weight adjusting material 7 can be adjusted in weight and may be any sheet body as long as it can be easily cut. From the viewpoint of increasing the bulk, water absorption and water permeability, Thick paper materials such as corrugated cardboard, cardboard and drawing paper, or corrugated cardboard are desirable. Further, a synthetic resin sheet may be used as long as it can be easily cut as described above.

  In addition, the weight adjusting material 7 is colored with a dye, or is colored with a pigment or a pattern is drawn. On the other hand, the first and second fibers 2b and 3b are not colored or include pigment powder / dye powder. By not having the configuration, the dye can be infiltrated at the time of urination absorption or the color of the pigment can be transmitted, so that it can be distinguished before and after use. Further, the color of the weight adjusting material 7 itself may be exposed at the time of urination absorption through the first and second fibers 2b and 3b which are not colored or do not contain pigment powder / dye powder.

  Further, if the weight adjusting material 7 is colored with an acid-base indicator (PH indicator) such as litmus, the urination is discolored through the first and second fibers 2b and 3b which are not colored or contain no pigment powder / dye powder. That is, the pH of urination can be confirmed.

<Example 5 of granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIG. 5, the excrement disposal material 1 according to the fifth embodiment has a basic configuration including the core part 2 having the above-described four-layer structure and the surface layer 3 covering the core part 2. In the present invention, the amount of water absorption can be increased by increasing the number of layers in the core portion 2 in this way. Therefore, in addition to the four-layer structure shown in the present embodiment and the two-layer structure shown in Examples 1 to 4, the core portion 2 may have a three-layer structure or a laminated structure of five or more layers depending on the implementation. .

<Example 6 of a granular excrement disposal material>
As shown in FIG. 6, the excrement disposal material 1 according to the sixth embodiment includes only the core portion 2 and does not form the surface layer 3. The core part 2 in the present embodiment is composed of a pile of first fibers 2b and second fibers 3b having different fiber lengths, each having a water absorption material 2a and an adhesive material 3a having different particle diameters. The water absorption speed can be improved while ensuring the water absorption amount. Also in this embodiment, the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b contribute to agglomeration with the adjacent granular excrement disposal material 1.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the upper and lower portions can be formed with concavo-convex portions 8 (concave portion 8a and convex portion 8b) by embossing. Also in this embodiment, it is optional depending on the implementation to form the concavo-convex portion 8 only in the upper part or only in the lower part.

  As described above, the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention has various embodiments. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the description has been divided into six examples 1 to 6, but in the present invention, the excrement disposal material 1 having the characteristic configuration of each example in combination is used. It is not excluded.

  Next, a method for producing the excrement disposal material according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Basic flow of manufacturing method>
The manufacturing method according to the present invention is a manufacturing method of the granular excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention described above, and basically, as shown in FIG. 10, the process A (fiber panel forming process), the process B (nucleus partial assembly forming process), process C (surface layer assembly forming process), process D (pressed portion forming process) and process E (subdividing process) are basically performed in this order. . However, in the process C, it has the process c1 (surface layer constituent material arrangement | positioning process) and the process c2 (surface layer constituent material crimping | compression-bonding process), and performs the process c2 after performing the process B and the process c1 simultaneously and / or the process D. Sometimes. Details will be described later.

  Hereinafter, steps A to E will be described in order. For convenience of explanation, the case where the granular excrement disposal material 1 having a composite layer structure of the core portion 2 and the surface layer 3 (for example, the granular excrement disposal material 1 of Examples 1 to 5) is described. The case of producing the granular excrement disposal material 1 consisting only of the above (for example, the granular excrement disposal material 1 of Example 6) will be described later.

<Process A: Fiber panel formation process>
The fiber panel forming step as the step A is a step of forming the fiber panel 11 by depositing the first fibers 2b to be the core portion 2 later together with the water absorbing material 2a in a plate shape.

  In this step, as shown in FIG. 11, the water absorbing material 2 a is supplied from the chamber 28 to the first fibers 2 b falling from the duct 27, and both are deposited in a plate shape using a known fiber stacking device 21.

  The fiber stacking device 21 includes a rotary drum 22 having suction means on the inside, and an outer cylinder 23 that is externally mounted on the rotary drum 22 and rotatably disposed with the rotary drum 22. The first fiber 2b including the water absorbing material 2a is deposited by means to form the fiber panel 11.

  Further, a belt conveyor 26 is disposed below the rotary drum 22 to convey the formed fiber panel 11.

  The rotary drum 22 is divided into a first zone 25A and a second zone 25B by a partition wall 24, and suction is performed in the first zone 25A facing the duct 27, and suction is performed in the second zone 25B facing the belt conveyor 26. The configuration is not performed. Therefore, the first fiber 2b is sucked onto the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 23 corresponding to the first zone 25A to form the fiber panel 11, and the formed fiber panel 11 rotates together with the outer cylinder 23 to enter the second zone 25B. The suction is stopped when the corresponding position is reached.

  After that, the fiber panel 11 existing at the position corresponding to the second zone 25 </ b> B is peeled off by the suction means 26 a provided on the belt conveyor 26 and placed on the belt conveyor 26. At this time, the partition sheet 5 is placed on the belt conveyor 26 in advance, and the fiber panel 11 is placed on the partition sheet 5 and conveyed as shown in FIG. This prevents the fiber panel 11 from being deformed by the suction means of the belt conveyor 26. Note that the partition sheet 5 may be omitted, and the fiber panel 11 may be directly placed on the belt conveyor 26 and conveyed depending on the implementation.

<Process B: Nuclear subassembly formation process>
The process of forming the nuclear partial assembly as the process B is a process of forming the nuclear partial assembly 12 by laminating the fiber panels 11 formed in the process A.

  About lamination of the fiber panel 11 in this process, as shown in FIG. 13 (A) using a known guide device, it is performed by folding one fiber panel 11 or using two belt conveyor lines. As shown in FIG. 13B, the two fiber panels 11 are overlapped.

  In any case, in the case of forming an assembly 12 of a part that will later become the core part 2 of the excrement disposal material 1, for example, a part that becomes the first core part 2A and the second core part 2B when forming a core part of a two-layer structure. To form a core subset 12. In addition, since the core part 2 of the excrement disposal material 1 according to the present invention also includes a laminated structure of three or more layers as described above, the core part 2 of the laminated structure of three or more layers is formed. The one fiber panel 11 is folded so as to have a corresponding laminated structure, or a plurality of fiber panels 11 are stacked.

  Moreover, when manufacturing the excrement disposal material 1 which interposed the weight adjustment material 7 which consists of a sheet | seat body in the core part 2 like the granular excretion disposal material 1 of Example 4 already described, in this process, The weight adjusting material 7 is interposed between the layers at the time of lamination. In the case of forming the core portion 2 having a laminated structure of three or more layers, the weight adjusting material 7 can be interposed between all the layers, or the weight adjusting material 7 can be interposed between arbitrary layers.

  Further, in this step, irregularities are formed on the laminated surface of the fiber panel 11 before lamination, and the laminated surfaces on which the irregularities are formed are overlapped with each other, thereby reliably absorbing water in the core partial assembly 12 and eventually the core part 2. A working gap may be formed.

  Moreover, in the granular excrement disposal material 1 of Example 2 already described, when the partition sheet 5 is used as the fiber sheet 3c, the partition is contrary to the state shown in FIGS. 13 (A) and (B). The core subset 12 can be formed by being folded or overlapped so that the sheet 5 becomes the outer surface. Moreover, the adhesive material 3a melt | dissolved in the partition sheet 5 previously can be impregnated.

<Step C: Surface layer assembly forming step>
In the surface layer assembly forming step as Step C, the step c1 of arranging the adhesive material 3a or the second fiber 3b as the surface layer constituting material on the outer surface of the core subset 12, and the outer surface of the core subset 12 are arranged. 14 and 15, the surface layer assembly 13 covering the core subassembly 12 formed in the step B, that is, the surface layer of the granular excrement disposal material 1 later, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. 3 is a step of forming an assembly of portions to be 3.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the surface layer constituent material arrangement step as the step c1 is a step of arranging the adhesive material 3 a and the second fiber 3 b as the surface layer constituent material on the outer surface of the core partial assembly 12 by spraying or the like. In this step, when the surface layer 3 is formed on the outer surface of the core portion 2 via the fiber sheet 3c as in the case of the excrement disposal material 1 of Example 2 described above, the core subset is formed by the fiber sheet 3c. Covering the body 12, the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b are arranged on the outer surface of the fiber sheet 3c, or the surface of the fiber sheet 3c is raised and the raised fiber is used as the second fiber 3b, and the fiber sheet 3c. Only the adhesive 3a is disposed on the outer surface of the sheet. Moreover, when forming the surface layer 3 of the structure which covers a surface layer constituent material with the fiber sheet 3d like the granular excrement disposal material 1 of Example 3 already described, the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber disposed at the time of this step 3b is covered with the fiber sheet 3d.

  Further, the surface layer pressing step as step c2 is a step of pressing the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b arranged in step c1, and the surface layer assembly 13 is formed on the outer surface of the core subassembly 12 by the pressing. . The crimping is performed by known roller processing or known embossing. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 15, a concave portion 8a and a convex portion 8b are formed by embossing to fix the adhesive material 3a and the second fiber 3b.

<Process D: pressing part formation process>
As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, the compressed portion forming process as the process D is performed by pressing the core subset 12 formed in the process B, and a part of the core subset 12 is linearly viewed in plan view or This is a step of forming a plurality of compressed portions 4 compressed in a planar view band shape.

  The embossing is optimal for the pressing process in this step. It is because the pressing part 4 can be formed reliably and can also be pressed with a complicated pattern such as a curved line. Therefore, in addition to a lattice pattern as shown in FIG. 17, a pattern including a curved shape as shown in FIG.

<Process E: Subdivision process>
The subdivision process which is the process E is a process of subdividing the nuclear subassembly 12 in which the compressed part 4 is formed in the process D along the compressed part 4. Thereby, many granular excrement disposal materials 1 concerning the present invention can be manufactured at a time.

<Exceptional Flow of Manufacturing Method According to the Present Invention>
As described above, the manufacturing method according to the present invention is basically performed in the order of step A → step B → step C (step c1 → step c2) → step D → step E as shown in FIG. In particular, the step c1 included in the step C can be performed simultaneously with the step B.

  That is, in step B, the surface layer constituent material is disposed on the surface of the fiber panel 11 formed in step A by spraying or the like (step c1), and the fiber panel 11 on which the surface layer constituent material is arranged is laminated to form the nuclear subassembly 12. Can be formed.

  In this case, in step B, when a single fiber panel 11 is folded and laminated, the surface (surface) on which the surface layer constituent materials (adhesive material 3a and second fiber 3b) of the fiber panel 11 are arranged is provided. Needless to say, it should be the outer surface. In addition, when a plurality of fiber panels 11 are stacked in the process B, the surface (surface) on which the surface layer constituent material of the fiber panel 11 as the uppermost layer is disposed is defined as the upper surface of the core subassembly 12, It goes without saying that the surface (surface) on which the surface layer constituent material of the fiber panel 11 serving as the lower layer is disposed is the lower surface of the homonuclear subset 12.

  In addition, also in this exceptional flow, in order to manufacture the granular excrement disposal material 1 which concerns on Example 2, the fiber sheet 3c can be interposed. Moreover, in order to manufacture the granular excrement disposal material 1 which concerns on Example 3, surface layer structure powder can also be covered with the fiber sheet 3d.

  In addition, step c2 can be performed after step D. That is, after forming the pressing part 4 in the nuclear partial assembly 12 in the process D, the process c2 of pressing the surface layer constituent material arranged on the nuclear partial assembly 12 having the pressing part 4 can be performed.

As described above, in the exceptional flow of the manufacturing method according to the present invention, the process c1 can be performed simultaneously with the process B or / and the process c2 can be performed after the process D. Therefore, the exception flow is as follows.
Exception flow 1: Step A → Step B (including Step c1) → Step c2 → Step D → Step E
Exception flow 2: Step A → Step B (including Step c1) → Step D → Step c2 → Step E
Exception flow 3: Process A → Process B → Process c1 → Process D → Process c2 → Process E

In addition, the above-mentioned manufacturing method manufactures the granular excrement disposal material 1 (For example, the granular excrement disposal material 1 of Example 1 thru | or 5) provided with the composite layer structure of the core part 2 and the surface layer 3 for convenience of explanation. Explained.
However, when manufacturing the granular excrement disposal material 1 (for example, granular excrement disposal material 1 of Example 6) which consists only of the core part 2, in process A, the 1st fiber 2b and the 2nd fiber 3b are made into the water absorbing material 2a. Since the fiber panel 11 is deposited together with the adhesive material 3a and the surface layer does not need to be formed, only the point of omitting the step C is different. It is the same as that of the manufacturing process of the granular excrement disposal material 1 provided with a composite layer structure.

  Moreover, when coloring the 1st fiber 2b and the 2nd fiber 3b, it can carry out by a known method in the process A or the process C. In addition, when the pigment fiber, dye powder, fragrance, antibacterial agent, deodorant, fragrance, powder weight adjusting material, etc. are contained in the deposited body of the first fiber 2b and the second fiber 3b, the process A and the process C Can be carried out by known methods.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Granular excrement disposal material, 2 ... Core part, 2a ... Water absorption material, 2b ... First fiber, 3 ... Surface layer, 3a ... Adhesive material, 3b ... Second fiber, 3c ... Fiber sheet, 3d ... Fiber sheet, 4 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Compression part, 5 ... Partition sheet, 6 ... Water absorption space, 7 ... Weight adjusting material, 8 ... Concave part, 8a ... Concave part, 8b ... Convex part, 11 ... Fiber panel, 12 ... Core subassembly, 13 ... Surface layer assembly Body, 21 ... fiber stacking device, 22 ... rotating drum, 23 ... outer cylinder, 24 ... partition wall, 25A ... first zone, 25B ... second zone, 26 ... belt conveyor, 26a ... suction means, 27 ... duct, 28 ... Chamber, T ... Toilet for pet animals.

In short, the granular excrement disposal material according to the present invention is composed of a piled body in which fibers containing a water-absorbing material and an adhesive material are stacked without compression granulation , and the fibers are composed of the first fiber and the first fiber. Has a structure in which the first and second fiber deposits are stacked in a non-hydrolytic and non-compressed manner, thereby increasing the volume of the water-absorbing void (water absorption speed). And water absorption). Moreover, the improvement of water absorption speed is ensured by the second fiber having a short fiber length, and the improvement in water absorption is ensured by the water absorption material and the first fiber having a long fiber length.

Claims (7)

  A granular excrement treatment material comprising a fiber deposit including a water-absorbing material and an adhesive material, wherein the fiber has a first fiber and a second fiber having a shorter fiber length than the first fiber.   A composite layer structure composed of a core part and a surface layer covering the core part is formed, and the core part is formed by the deposited body of the first fiber including the water-absorbing material, while the second fiber including the adhesive material is formed. 2. The granular excrement disposal material according to claim 1, wherein the surface layer is formed of a deposit.   The granular excrement disposal material according to claim 2, wherein the core is covered with a fiber sheet.   The granular excrement disposal material according to claim 2, wherein the surface layer is covered with a fiber sheet.   2. The granular excrement disposal material according to claim 1, wherein a weight adjusting material comprising a sheet is interposed in the central portion.   The granular excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a compressed portion is formed continuously in a circumferential direction on a side portion.   The granular excrement disposal material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an uneven portion is formed by embossing at an upper part and / or a lower part.

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