JP2022101027A - Cat litter containing chlorite - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide cat litter that is primarily composed of organic materials and has a deodorizing effect even on methyl mercaptan.SOLUTION: A cat litter is primarily composed of organic materials and contains chlorite of 0.01-0.5 mass%. Preferably, it contains a porous carrier for supporting chlorite. More preferably, the porous carrier further supports an alkali agent of more than 1.5 mol eq. and 4.0 mol eq. or less relative to the amount of supported chlorite.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to cat litter containing chlorite and using an organic substance as a main raw material.

Conventionally, cat litter has been used as a material for treating cat excrement. Cat litter is used by putting it in a container, and the cat excretes it on the cat litter, and the owner etc. can process the cat urine by taking out only the part of the cat litter that has been exposed to urine and discarding it. It is a thing. There are various methods of adding deodorant components to cat litter as a measure against the odor of excrement such as cat urine and feces, in addition to the solidification property that solidifies only the part covered with urine and makes it easy to take out and discard. It has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

Chlorite is used as a bleaching agent, a disinfectant, and a deodorant, and its deodorizing effect is high not only for ammonia and trimethylamine but also for methyl mercaptan. It is known to do. On the other hand, chlorite is an unstable compound and has a property of being easily decomposed. Therefore, various methods have been proposed to solve the problem.

For example, in Patent Document 2, a chlorine dioxide agent having a water content of 10% by weight or less in which a chlorite and an alkaline agent are supported in a predetermined molar ratio on an inorganic porous carrier such as sepiolite is described in the environment or food. It is disclosed that chlorine dioxide gas in an amount that does not adversely affect the human body can be stably generated for a long period of time while sufficiently deodorizing, sterilizing, removing viruses, preventing mold, or preserving. ing.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-17906 International Publication No. 2012/1654666

However, the cat litter commercially available so far does not have a sufficient deodorizing effect on methyl mercaptan, and cat litter having a good deodorizing effect on all of ammonia, trimethylamine and methyl mercaptan is desired. ing.

Further, Patent Document 2 does not describe the use of a chlorine dioxide agent mixed with other main raw materials.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide cat litter whose main raw material is an organic substance having a deodorizing effect on methyl mercaptan.

As a result of studying the above-mentioned problems, the present inventor made cat litter containing an organic substance as a main raw material containing 0.01 to 0.5% by mass of chlorite so as not only for ammonia and trimethylamine but also for methyl mercaptan. However, they have found that they can exert a deodorizing effect, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the present invention
[1] Chlorite is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 0.5% by mass, preferably 0.05 to 0.3% by mass, more preferably 0.08 to 0.2% by mass, and an organic substance is used as a main raw material. Cat sand,
[2] The cat litter according to the above [1], which contains a porous carrier carrying chlorite.
[3] The porous carrier is more preferably more than 1.5 molar equivalents and 4.0 molar equivalents or less, preferably more than 2.0 molar equivalents and 4.0 molar equivalents or less, more preferably with respect to the carrying amount of chlorite. The cat sand according to the above [2], which further carries an alkaline agent having an equivalent of 2.3 mol or more and 4.0 mol equivalent or less, more preferably 2.5 mol equivalent or more and 3.0 mol equivalent or less.
[4] The above [2] or [3], wherein the porous carrier is pearlite and the content of the porous carrier is 1 to 20% by mass, preferably 3 to 15% by mass, and more preferably 5 to 10% by mass. The cat litter mentioned,
[5] The cat litter according to any one of the above [1] to [4], which contains 1 to 10% by mass, preferably 2 to 9% by mass, and more preferably 3 to 8% by mass of a binder.
[6] The cat litter according to [5] above, which contains carboxymethyl cellulose as a binder, and [7] carboxymethyl cellulose have a degree of etherification of 0.8 or more, preferably 0.8 or more and 1.5 or less, more preferably. The present invention relates to the cat litter according to the above [6], which is 0.8 or more and 1.0 or less, more preferably 0.9 or more and 1.0 or less.

According to the present invention, cat litter containing an organic substance as a main raw material contains 0.01 to 0.5% by mass of chlorite, which has a deodorizing effect not only on ammonia and trimethylamine but also on methyl mercaptan. Can be demonstrated. This is a surprising effect, considering that chlorite is more decomposed when blended with organic substances such as paper powder and wood powder.

It is a graph which shows the deodorant effect to the methyl mercaptan of cat litter. It is a graph which shows the deodorizing effect of cat litter on ammonia. It is a graph which shows the deodorizing effect with respect to trimethylamine of cat litter.

The cat litter of the present invention is characterized by using an organic substance as a main raw material and containing 0.01 to 0.5% by mass of chlorite.

Specific examples of organic substances that are the main raw material for cat litter include pulp, vegetable fiber waste, paper powder, pieces of paper, wood powder, oak, tea leaves, coffee extract, corn core, bran, cornstarch, or starch. Any one or more of the types can be used. From the viewpoint of granulation property, the particle size of the raw material is preferably 1 mm or less.

In the present specification, the "main raw material" is a material that mainly forms cat litter, and one kind of material may be used, or two or more kinds of materials may be used in combination. In the present invention, the content of the organic substance to be blended as the main raw material is preferably 50% by mass or more, more preferably 60% by mass or more, further preferably 70% by mass or more, and particularly preferably 80% by mass or more. Further, the content of the organic substance is preferably 95% by mass or less, more preferably 90% by mass or less, still more preferably 85% by mass or less, considering that other components are contained.

The chlorites include alkali metal salts of chlorite such as sodium chlorite, potassium chlorate, and lithium chlorite, and alkalis of chlorite such as magnesium chlorite and calcium chlorite. Examples include earth metal salts. Among them, alkali metal salts are preferable, and sodium chlorite is more preferable, because they are low in cost and are easily available because commercially available products are widely used.

The content of chlorite in cat litter is 0.01% by mass or more, preferably 0.05% by mass or more, and more preferably 0.08% by mass or more. If the content of chlorite in cat litter is less than 0.01% by mass, a sufficient deodorizing effect cannot be obtained. The content of chlorite in cat litter is 0.5% by mass or less, preferably 0.3% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.2% by mass or less. If the content of chlorite in cat litter exceeds 0.5% by mass, there is a risk of danger to humans and animals.

The cat litter of the present invention is preferably one in which chlorite is supported on a porous carrier. As a result, even cat litter whose main raw material is organic matter tends to be able to further suppress the decomposition of chlorite. Examples of the porous carrier include inorganic porous carriers such as sepiolite, parigolite, montmorillonite, wet silica, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, and pearlite, and one or more of them can be used. Of these, pearlite and wet silica are preferable because they tend to retain chlorite stably. Parlite is a porous carrier with particles of several tens of microns (μm) and pores of several microns to submicrons, and has a large amount of water absorption and oil absorption, and is chemically low in activity. It is most suitable as a carrier because it does not easily affect it.

The content of the porous carrier is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 3% by mass or more, still more preferably 5% by mass or more. By setting the content of the porous carrier to 1% by mass or more, it tends to be easy to uniformly mix the porous carrier in the cat litter. The content of the porous carrier is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 15% by mass or less, still more preferably 10% by mass or less. By setting the content of the porous carrier to 20% by mass or less, it tends to be possible to produce cat litter without adversely affecting the granulation property.

The cat litter of the present invention contains an alkaline agent for the purpose of stabilizing chlorite. When the chlorite is supported on the porous carrier, it is preferable to support both the alkaline agent on the porous carrier. Examples of the alkaline agent include hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and lithium hydroxide, and carbonates such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and lithium carbonate, and one or more of them may be used. Can be done. Of these, sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate are preferable from the viewpoint of economy, and sodium hydroxide is more preferable from the viewpoint of better storage stability of chlorite.

The carrying amount of the alkaline agent on the porous carrier is not particularly limited, but is preferably more than 1.5 molar equivalents, preferably more than 2.0 molar equivalents, relative to the carrying amount of the chlorite. It is more preferably 2.3 molar equivalents or more, particularly preferably 2.5 molar equivalents or more, preferably 4.0 molar equivalents or less, and even more preferably 3.0 molar equivalents or less. .. By setting the carrying amount of the alkaline agent of the porous carrier to more than 1.5 molar equivalents with respect to the carrying amount of the chlorite, the chlorate tends to be stably retained, and the alkali of the porous carrier tends to be retained. By setting the carrying amount of the agent to more than 2.0 molar equivalents with respect to the carrying amount of the chlorite, the carried chlorite is less likely to be decomposed at room temperature and tends to be stably retained for a long period of time. be. Further, by setting the amount of the alkaline agent supported on the porous carrier to be 4.0 mol equivalents or less, further to 3.0 molar equivalents or less with respect to the supported amount of chlorite, the cost can be reduced while sufficiently obtaining the effect. It can be suppressed.

The method for supporting the chlorite and the alkaline agent on the porous carrier is not particularly limited, but the methods described in Patent Document 2 described above, such as the impregnation method and the spray method, can be used. ..

The cat litter of the present invention preferably contains a binder. By containing a binder, the solidification property of cat litter is improved, and when the cat excretes, the cat litter that comes into contact with the excrement is easily solidified, and it becomes easy to remove the used cat litter. Examples of the binder include carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, bean gum, color ginnan, guar gum, gluten, starch and the like. The binder may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Of these, carboxymethyl cellulose is preferable, and the degree of etherification is preferably 0.8 or more, more preferably 0.8 to 1.5, and even more preferably 0 from the viewpoint that the decrease in thickening due to alkalinity can be effectively suppressed. Carboxymethyl cellulose, which is .8 to 1.0, particularly preferably 0.9 to 1.0, can be used. By setting the degree of etherification of carboxymethyl cellulose to 0.8 or more, a more sufficient thickening effect can be obtained, and cat litter having good solidification tends to be obtained. It is also preferable to use guar gum in combination with carboxymethyl cellulose. Here, the degree of etherification of carboxymethyl cellulose is the degree of substitution of the carboxymethyl group per glucose unit, and can be measured and calculated by a known method described in the analysis method of the CMC Industry Association.

The content of the binder is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more, still more preferably 3% by mass or more. By setting the content of the binder to 1% by mass or more, it tends to be easy to uniformly mix the porous carrier in the cat litter. The content of the binder is preferably 10% by mass or less, more preferably 9% by mass or less, still more preferably 8% by mass or less. By setting the content of the binder to 20% by mass or less, it tends to be possible to produce cat litter without adversely affecting the granulation property. When carboxymethyl cellulose is contained as a binder, the content of carboxymethyl cellulose is preferably 1% by mass or more, more preferably 2% by mass or more. By setting the content of carboxymethyl cellulose to 1% by mass or more, there is a tendency that the solidification property of cat litter can be effectively improved. Further, the content of carboxymethyl cellulose is preferably 5% by mass or less, more preferably 4% by mass or less. By setting the content of carboxymethyl cellulose to 5% by mass or less, there is a tendency that an effect commensurate with the cost can be obtained.

Here, in the present specification, "solidification" means the property that when a cat excretes on the cat litter, the portion covered with urine of the cat is solidified, and for example, in Test Example 3 described later. It can be evaluated using evaluation criteria. In order for cat litter to have solidification property, it is Δ (it easily collapses when pressure is applied by a hand or a finger, and it is destroyed even if it falls naturally from a height of 0.5 m or less, according to the evaluation criteria of Test Example 3 described later. ) The above is required, and preferably ○ (it does not easily collapse even when pressure is applied by hand or finger, and even if it falls naturally from a height of 0.5 to 1 m, part of it will be destroyed, but it will not fall apart.)) The above is the most preferable.

In addition to the above components, the cat litter of the present invention can further contain a preservative, a bactericidal agent, a surfactant, a fragrance and the like.

The preservative is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include benzoic acid or a salt thereof, sorbic acid or a salt thereof, propionic acid or a salt thereof, and may contain any one or more thereof.

The bactericidal agent is not particularly limited, and is, for example, a quaternary ammonium such as didecyldimethylammonium salt, alkylpyridinium salt, benzethonium salt, benzalconium salt, monoalkyltrimethylammonium salt, and dialkyldimethylammonium salt. Examples include salt, and any one or more of them can be contained.

The surfactant is not particularly limited, but a nonionic surfactant having a wetting action and an anionic surfactant are preferable in order to enhance the permeability of cat urine into cat litter. Examples of the nonionic surfactant include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether and polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, and examples of the anionic surfactant include fatty acid salts, alkylbenzene sulfonates, α-olefin sulfonates and higher alcohols. Examples thereof include sulfate ester salts, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfates, alkyl phosphates, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether phosphates, and the like, and any one or more thereof can be contained.

As the fragrance, either a natural fragrance or a synthetic fragrance may be used, but it is preferable to use a fragrance adjusted for the masking effect on the odor of excrement and the harmonizing effect in particular. Specific examples of fragrances include Ryuzen fragrance, Rest fragrance, Sea fox fragrance, Reiko fragrance, Chome oil, Galvanum, Jasmine absolute, Rabutanum, Mate tea, Merilot, Mimosa, Musktonkin, Milla, Oak moss or Moss de Chene, Milk fragrance, Byakushi fragrance. Naturally extracted fragrances such as olis, bachuli, rosemary oil, ebony oil, vetiver oil, violet leaf absolute, higher alcohols, aldehydes, benzaldehydes, benzoic acids, syrups, syrup aldehydes, syrup alcohols, coumarins, esters, indols. , Ketone, salicylic acid and related compounds, various synthetic fragrances such as terpenoids, vanillin, or mixtures of two or more of these, but are not particularly limited, and commercially available fragrances can be used. Can be widely used.

The method for producing cat litter of the present invention is not particularly limited, but for example, a general method for producing granular or pellet-shaped granules can be used. Specifically, after crushing the organic substance, which is the main raw material, with a crusher as necessary, a porous carrier carrying other components such as chlorite and an alkaline agent, a binder, a preservative, and sterilization Mix with the agent, surfactant in a mixer such as a continuous kneader, supermixer, ribbon blender, etc., and then feed the mixture to, for example, a disc-type extrusion granulator, for example with a thickness of 10-50 mm and 2 By extruding, cutting and expanding with a rotary roll through a die having a diameter of about 10 mm, for example, a columnar granule having a diameter of 2 to 15 mm and a length of 2 to 30 mm can be obtained. This granulated product can be dried and, if necessary, sized by sieving to obtain cat litter.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples.

Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1
First, according to the composition shown in Table 1, a solution of sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide is impregnated into pearlite so as to be uniform, and then the solution is sufficiently absorbed to the inside of pearlite at room temperature. By leaving it for a long time, pearlite carrying sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide was obtained. According to the composition shown in Table 1, hinoki wood flour, dried okara, pearlite carrying sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide, carboxymethyl cellulose, guagam, sodium dehydroacetate, cetylpyridinium chloride, and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate are mixed. It was placed in a machine (Super Mixer SMV (B) series, manufactured by Kawata Co., Ltd.), mixed, solidified with a disc pelleter, and granulated. The obtained pellets were dried to obtain cat litter (size: length 10 mm, diameter 4 mm). Although 25% aqueous solution and 4% aqueous solution are used for sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide, respectively, Table 1 shows the mass% of sodium chlorite and sodium hydroxide contained in the obtained cat sand. Described. The same applies to Tables 2 and 3.

Test Example 1: Deodorization test Each plastic container containing cat litter with different concentration conditions of sodium chlorite obtained in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Example 1 is placed in a sealed space of each desiccator (3 liter space). I put it in. 10 mL of a solution of methyl mercaptan, ammonia, or trimethylamine diluted to a predetermined concentration was added dropwise to each cat litter, and 30 minutes after the addition, the gas concentration in the desiccator was measured with a gas detector tube. The results are shown in FIGS.

In Examples 1 to 4 to which sodium chlorite was added, in addition to the deodorizing effect on ammonia and trimethylamine, methyl mercaptan, which had almost no deodorizing effect in Comparative Example 1 to which sodium chlorite was not added, was also deodorized. It was found that an odor effect was obtained.

Examples 5-8
According to the composition shown in Table 2, cat litter was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

Test Example 2: Stability test The stability of chlorite was evaluated for cat litter having different molar ratios of sodium hydroxide and sodium chlorite obtained in Examples 5 to 8. The cat litter of Examples 5 to 8 was placed in a constant temperature bath at a temperature of 50 ° C. and a humidity of 0% in a state of being sealed with a plastic packaging material, and one month later, an iodine titration method (with an error of ± 0.75%) was placed. ) Was used to analyze sodium chlorite. The results are shown in Table 2.

From the obtained results, it can be seen that sodium chlorite remains even after storage at 50 ° C. for one month in any of the examples. It can be seen that in Examples 5 to 7, the amount of decrease in sodium chlorite was small, especially under the test conditions of 50 ° C. for 1 month, and the stability of the chlorite was very excellent.

Examples 9 to 16 and Comparative Example 2
According to the composition shown in Table 3, cat litter was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

Test Example 3: Solidification Performance Test 150 g of cat litter obtained in Examples 9 to 16 and Comparative Example 2 was filled in a container so as to have a depth of 5 cm or more. 10 mL of 1% saline solution was added dropwise from a height of 1 cm from the upper surface of the packed bed in 10 seconds. After 1 minute, the solidified portion was taken out and the solidification strength was evaluated according to the following criteria. The results are shown in Table 3.
<Evaluation criteria>
⊚: It does not easily collapse even when pressure is applied by hand or finger, and it hardly destroys even if it falls naturally from a height of 0.5 to 1 m.
◯: It does not easily collapse even when pressure is applied by hand or finger, and even if it falls naturally from a height of 0.5 to 1 m, a part of it will be destroyed, but it will not fall apart.
Δ: It easily collapses when pressure is applied by a hand or a finger, and it is destroyed even if it falls naturally from a height of 0.5 m or less.
×: A state in which it is hardly or not solidified at all.

From the obtained results, it can be seen that the type of binder affects the solidification performance. When carboxymethyl cellulose is used as a binder, Examples 9 to 12 using carboxymethyl cellulose having a degree of etherification of 0.8 to 1.0 use Example 13 using carboxymethyl cellulose having a lower degree of etherification. It can be seen that the solidification performance is superior to that of ~ 15.

Claims (7)

Cat litter containing 0.01-0.5% by mass of chlorite and using organic matter as the main raw material. The cat litter according to claim 1, which contains a porous carrier that carries chlorite. The cat litter according to claim 2, wherein the porous carrier further carries an alkaline agent having an equivalent amount of more than 1.5 mol and less than 4.0 mol equivalent with respect to the amount of chlorite supported. The cat litter according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the porous carrier is pearlite and the content of the porous carrier is 1 to 20% by mass. The cat litter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which contains 1 to 10% by mass of a binder. The cat litter according to claim 5, which contains carboxymethyl cellulose as a binder. The cat litter according to claim 6, wherein the degree of etherification of carboxymethyl cellulose is 0.8 or more.

Images