TW202345681A - Cat litter and preparation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A cat litter includes 40 to 110 parts by weight of residues of a tuber crop, 110 to 160 parts by weight of a starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of a bonding agent, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of a sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. A preparation method of the cat litter is to mix the aforementioned components into a mixed material, and then place the mixed material in an extruder to perform a granulation process, so as to form a plurality of granulated or rod-shaped cat litters.

Description

Cat litter and preparation method thereof

This case is about a kind of cat litter and its preparation method, especially a kind of cat litter prepared by using potato residue and its preparation method.

Cat litter is a bedding material used by owners to bury pet cat feces and urine. It is a necessary and consumable pet product. Household cat litter can be divided into two categories based on the source of materials. One type is inorganic, with mineral sand (bentonite) and crystal sand (silica) as the bulk products. These products are bulky and difficult to handle; the other is organic, focusing on biodegradability. Decomposability, related materials are such as paper, wood, tofu residue, etc. The main adsorbed substances are mostly fiber and starch, and then add adhesives (such as starch, Guanhua bean gum, Sanxian) according to the required cat litter usage characteristics. Glue, etc.), deodorants, food-grade preservatives (calcium propionate, citric acid, etc.), and the requirement of organic cat litter is that it can be composted or discharged through the toilet after use.

Ore sand and crystal sand on the market are often advertised as having strong coating power for urine and feces due to their smaller particle size, material structure, and non-biodegradable properties, and are less likely to stink after absorbing excreta. However, their main disadvantage is that they are not environmentally friendly. , easy to be caught in a cat's paw and carried out, causing dust problems. Biodegradable cat litter made from biological materials such as sawdust, tofu residue, wheat straw, grain, recycled paper, etc. is marketed for environmental protection, but its main disadvantage is that it easily smells after being left for a long time.

Therefore, in order to improve the shortcomings of the existing technology, it is necessary to develop an improved cat litter and its preparation method, so that the cat litter has water absorption and feces coating properties, and can be discharged through the household toilet, which meets the environmental protection requirements.

The purpose of this case is to provide an improved cat litter and its preparation method, which mainly uses biodegradable materials to prepare cat litter to reduce environmental pollution and at the same time improve the water absorption and disintegration power of the cat litter.

In order to achieve the above purpose, this case provides a kind of cat litter, including 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and 100 to 160 parts by weight. Sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution.

In one embodiment, the potato residue is cassava residue, potato residue, taro residue, yam residue, sweet potato residue, purple potato residue or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the starch is tapioca starch, corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, glutinous rice starch or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the adhesive is pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum, Sanxian gum, locust bean gum or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the concentration of the sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution is 0.5-2% (w/v).

In one embodiment, the cat litter further includes 1 to 10 parts by weight of a coagulation enhancer, wherein the coagulation enhancer is a calcium salt.

In order to achieve the above purpose, this case also provides a method for preparing cat litter, including: 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and Mix 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution to form a mixed raw material; and place the mixed raw material in an extruder to perform a granulation process to form a plurality of granular or strip-shaped cat litter.

In one embodiment, the preparation method further includes mixing 1 to 10 parts by weight of a coagulation enhancer with the potato residue, the starch and the adhesive, wherein the coagulation enhancer is a calcium salt.

In one embodiment, the preparation method further includes the step of drying the granulated semi-finished product after granulation by the extruder, and the drying temperature is 60~95°C.

In one embodiment, the preparation method further includes the step of sieving the cat litter, wherein the mesh number of the sieving step is 6 to 20 mesh.

In one embodiment, the preparation method further includes the step of mixing the granular cat litter and the strip-shaped cat litter, wherein the proportion of the granular cat litter is 10 to 90%.

In order to achieve the above purpose, this case also provides a preparation method of cat litter, including: 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate The aqueous solution is mixed into a mixed raw material; the mixed raw material is placed in an extruder to perform a granulation process to form a plurality of sand grain bodies; and an adhesive is coated on the outside of the sand grain body to form a water-based thickening agent. layer.

In one embodiment, the preparation method further includes the step of oiling the plurality of sand grain bodies obtained after granulation.

Some embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that this case can have various changes in different forms without departing from the scope of this case, and the descriptions and figures are essentially for illustrative purposes rather than limiting this case.

In order to be friendly to the environment, this project develops an improved cat litter and its preparation method, using biodegradable materials to prepare cat litter, and strives to improve its water absorption and feces coating properties, thereby providing owners with a better choice. On the other hand, potato crops (also known as root crops) are starch-rich crops, and their roots can be used for food, starch extraction and feed after harvesting. Taking cassava (also known as cassava) as an example, the cassava starch production process is mainly made by washing, peeling, crushing, screening to remove residual skin, and drying the harvested cassava raw blocks. The cassava residue is the waste generated in the aforementioned crushing and screening steps. It still contains 30-40% fiber and 20-40% starch. It has high bioavailability, and the total hydrocyanic acid content of the cassava residue is Less than 1 mg/kg, there is no need to detoxify by heating. Therefore, in this case, cassava residue is further used to prepare cat litter, and the characteristics of the material itself are used to promote water absorption and agglomeration of cat litter, in order to overcome the shortcomings of various existing cat litter materials. .

Figure 1 shows the flow chart of the cat litter preparation method in this case. As shown in Figure 1, the cat litter preparation method in this case mainly includes the processes of mixing (step S1) and granulation (step S2).

First, in step S1, raw materials such as cassava residue, starch and adhesive are mixed with sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. The mixing ratio of each component is 40 to 110 parts by weight of cassava residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, and 1 part of adhesive. to 10 parts by weight, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution.

In this embodiment, the cassava residue is the waste cassava residue produced during the refining process of cassava starch, which contains 30 to 40% cassava fiber and can be used as an adsorbent material in cat litter. In other embodiments, the cassava residue can also be replaced with other potato residues, such as potato residue, taro residue, yam residue, sweet potato residue, purple potato residue or combinations thereof. These potato residues also contain plant fibers. It can also be used as an adsorbent material in cat litter.

In one embodiment, the raw materials for preparing cat litter may further include other plant fibers, such as various plant fibers such as barley fiber, pea fiber, soybean fiber, or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the starch is tapioca starch, but is not limited thereto. It can also be various plant starches such as corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, glutinous rice starch, or combinations thereof. Plant starch helps to form bars and can quickly disintegrate in water.

In one embodiment, the adhesive may be pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum (also known as guar gum), Sanxian gum, locust bean gum, etc. or a mixture thereof. The function of the adhesive is to make the clumps sticky, which can stick to and wrap cat urine and feces. It helps to form clumps and increases the hardness of the cat litter, so that the finished cat litter will not easily fall apart when removed.

In one embodiment, the sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution is formed by mixing sodium bicarbonate and water, and its concentration is 0.5 to 2% (w/v), preferably 0.5 to 1% (w/v), but this is not the case. is limited. The purpose of adding sodium bicarbonate is to neutralize organic acids and eliminate the odor or odor of cat urine when preparing cat litter.

In one embodiment, the cat litter preparation raw materials may further include a coagulation enhancer, with a mixing ratio of 1 to 10 parts by weight, and various calcium salts, such as but not limited to calcium carbonate, which may be mixed with the aforementioned raw materials in a mixing basin. Mix well. The function of the coagulation enhancer is to help form agglomerates and increase the strength of the agglomerates.

Then, in step S2, the mixed raw materials are subjected to granulation processes such as stripping, drying, crushing, and sieving. First, the mixed raw materials are poured into an extruder (such as a pill making machine) in batches and extruded into strips (step S21), where the specific mechanical energy of the machine is 0.01 to 3 kW hr/kg. Then, the semi-finished cat litter extruded from the pill making machine is placed in a tray and dried with a hot air dryer at 60~95°C (step S22). The moisture content of the dried cat litter semi-finished product is about 12~18 %. The dried strip-shaped cat litter semi-finished products are then cut and crushed using the pellet-rolling function of the pellet making machine (step S23) or not cut, and finally sieved (step S24) to screen out larger particles to obtain cat litter. Finished sand. In one embodiment, the mesh number of the sieve is 6 to 20 mesh, but it can be adjusted according to actual needs and is not limited to this.

In one embodiment, the finished cat litter is in the shape of granules or strips with a diameter of 1 to 3 mm. Among them, the granular and strip-shaped cat litter can be used separately or mixed with each other. If mixed, the proportion of granular cat litter can be 10 to 90%, but is not limited to this.

The cat litter in this case and its preparation method will be described with examples below, and its clump weight, water absorption and disintegration power will be further tested to understand the effectiveness of the finished cat litter in this case.

The mass test method is as follows. First, weigh 50 grams of cat litter sample in a 100 mL glass beaker, and add 15 mL of water with a burette. After ten minutes, pour the water-absorbing clumps in the cup into the cat litter shovel, and weigh the clumps. This test method is to observe how many grams of cat litter are consumed to absorb 15 mL of water. Therefore, the higher the clump weight value, the greater the consumption of cat litter per unit of urine, which is the amount of cat litter required by the owner. The higher the dosage, the higher the cost.

The water absorption test method is as follows. Weigh 10 grams of cat litter sample, place it into a disc with a mesh at the bottom, place a pre-weighed beaker underneath, and add distilled water one after another. The water that falls into the beaker is non-absorbable water. Calculate the amount absorbed by each gram of cat litter. Moisture, evaluate the instant absorption capacity and water absorption capacity of cat litter, which is the water absorption capacity of cat litter (g water absorption capacity/g cat litter, that is, the number of grams of water absorbed per gram of cat litter, or the water absorption multiple).

The disintegration force test method is as follows. In a 100 mL glass beaker, weigh 50 grams of the sample, add 15 mL of water with a burette, and after ten minutes pour the water-absorbing clumps in the cup into the cat litter shovel, shake it left and right for ten times, and then remove the clumps. Pour 500 mL of water and record the number of seconds it takes to start disintegration. The lower the number of seconds it takes to start disintegration, the better the disintegration power, which is easier for flushing into the toilet for elimination.

Example 1: Mix 40 parts by weight of cassava residue, 160 parts by weight of cassava starch, 5 parts by weight of pregelatinized starch, 1 part by weight of calcium carbonate, and 100 parts by weight of 1% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution Mix, and then place the aforementioned mixed raw materials in a pill making machine to granulate and form strips, and perform procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 1. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 1 was 36.5 grams, the water absorption capacity was 1.7 times, and the disintegration time was 5 seconds.

Example 2: Mix 65 parts by weight of cassava residue, 140 parts by weight of cassava starch, 10 parts by weight of pregelatinized starch, and 110 parts by weight of 2% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution, and then mix the aforementioned mixed raw materials. Place it in a pill making machine to granulate and produce strips, and then carry out procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 2. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 2 was 30.5 grams, the water absorption capacity was 2.0 times, and the disintegration time was 13 seconds.

Example 3: Mix 80 parts by weight of cassava residue, 130 parts by weight of corn starch, 5 parts by weight of Guanhua soybean gum, 1 part by weight of calcium carbonate, and 120 parts by weight of 0.5% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution Mix, and then place the aforementioned mixed raw materials in a pill making machine to granulate and form strips, and then perform procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 3. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 3 was 30.0 grams, the water absorption was 2.3 times, and the disintegration time was 18 seconds.

Example 4: Mix 95 parts by weight of cassava residue, 120 parts by weight of potato starch, 5 parts by weight of Guanhua soybean gum, 5 parts by weight of calcium carbonate, and 140 parts by weight of 1% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution Mix, and then place the aforementioned mixed raw materials in a pill making machine to granulate and form strips, and then perform procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 4. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 4 was 32.0 grams, the water absorption was 2.2 times, and the disintegration time was 10 seconds.

Example 5: Mix 110 parts by weight of cassava residue, 110 parts by weight of cassava starch, 5 parts by weight of Guanhua soybean gum, 2 parts by weight of calcium carbonate, and 160 parts by weight of 2% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution Mix, and then place the aforementioned mixed raw materials in a pill making machine to granulate and form strips, and perform procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 5. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 5 was 28.0 grams, the water absorption was 2.8 times, and the disintegration time was 10 seconds.

Example 6: Mix 80 parts by weight of cassava residue, 130 parts by weight of cassava starch, 1 part by weight of pregelatinized starch, 10 parts by weight of calcium carbonate, and 120 parts by weight of 2% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution Mix, and then place the aforementioned mixed raw materials in a pill making machine to granulate and form strips, and then perform procedures such as drying, crushing, and sieving to obtain cat litter sample 6. After testing, the clump weight of cat litter sample 6 was 32.9 grams, the water absorption was 2.2 times, and the disintegration time was 5 seconds.

The sample components and test results of the above Examples 1 to 6 are summarized in Table 1 below. It can be seen from Table 1 that the weight of the cat litter prepared in this case after absorbing water is between 28 and 40 grams, the water absorption capacity can reach 1.7 to 2.8 times, and the disintegration time can reach less than 20 seconds, which shows that the cat litter prepared in this case has Sand has good agglomeration effect, and has very good water absorption and disintegration power. Table 1 sample potato residue starch Adhesive/coagulation enhancer sodium bicarbonate mass weight water absorption disintegration force 1 40 parts by weight cassava residue 160 parts by weight tapioca starch 5 parts by weight of pregelatinized starch, 1 part by weight of calcium carbonate 100 parts by weight 1.0% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 36.5 1.7 times 5 seconds 2 65 parts by weight cassava residue 140 parts by weight tapioca starch 10 parts by weight pregelatinized starch 110 parts by weight 2.0% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 30.5 2.0 times 13 seconds 3 80 parts by weight cassava residue 130 parts by weight corn starch 5 parts by weight Guanhua bean gum, 1 part by weight calcium carbonate 120 parts by weight 0.5% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 30.0 2.3 times 18 seconds 4 95 parts by weight of cassava residue 120 parts by weight potato starch 5 parts by weight Guanhua bean gum, 5 parts by weight calcium carbonate 140 parts by weight 1.0% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 32.0 2.2 times 10 seconds 5 110 parts by weight cassava residue 110 parts by weight tapioca starch 5 parts by weight Guanhua bean gum, 2 parts by weight calcium carbonate 160 parts by weight 2.0% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 28.0 2.8 times 10 seconds 6 80 parts by weight cassava residue 130 parts by weight tapioca starch 1 part by weight of pregelatinized starch, 10 parts by weight of calcium carbonate 120 parts by weight 2.0% (w/v) sodium bicarbonate 32.9 2.2 times 5 seconds

In addition, this case further conducted the same test on five commercially available products (Comparative Examples 1 to 5). The test results are summarized in Table 2 below. It can be seen from Table 2 that the disintegration time of Comparative Examples 1 to 5 is as long as 30 seconds or even more than 150 seconds, while the disintegration time of the cat litter prepared in this case can be less than 20 seconds, indicating that the cat litter in this case has particularly good disintegration Powerful, the used cat litter can be discharged directly through the toilet, which not only reduces the amount of garbage, but also avoids the odor of accumulated excrement in the home. The performance of the cat litter in this case in terms of clump weight and water absorption is no less than that of commercially available products. Table 2 sample mass weight water absorption disintegration force Comparative example 1 32.0 1.5~2.2 times 60~75 seconds Comparative example 2 33.5 1.5~2.1 times 90~120 seconds Comparative example 3 28.5 2.2 times 60~75 seconds Comparative example 4 40.5 1.9 times More than 150 seconds Comparative example 5 36.5 1.9 times 30 seconds

Based on the above, this case provides a cat litter, including 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. By neutralizing organic acids with sodium bicarbonate, the odor or odor of cat urine can be effectively eliminated. In particular, potato residue can reuse the plant fibers contained in waste residue, making the cat litter easy to clump and have good water absorption and disintegration capabilities, making it a decomposable cat litter. Furthermore, the raw materials of cat litter in this case are all biodegradable materials and do not contain mineral sand such as bentonite or other crystal sand components, which can reduce environmental pollution.

This case also provides a method for preparing cat litter, including adding 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate. The aqueous solution is mixed into mixed raw materials, and the mixed raw materials are placed in an extruder to perform a granulation process to form a plurality of granular or strip-shaped cat litter.

In the aforementioned embodiments, the adhesive is mixed with other raw materials and then granulated. However, the cat litter preparation method in this case is not limited to this procedure. In other embodiments, the adhesive can also be added after the granulation step, that is, the preparation method is adjusted to mix the potato residue and starch with the sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution, and then granulate and strip the sand to obtain the sand. body, and then mix the sand body with thickening raw materials such as adhesive and/or coagulation enhancer, so that the thickening raw material coats the surface of the sand body semi-finished product and forms a water-based thickening layer. This water-based thickening layer when in contact with water , its viscosity will increase, helping to adhere and wrap cat urine and feces to form cat litter clumps. Therefore, the cat litter structure obtained by the preparation method of first granulating and then coating the thickening raw materials includes the sand body and the water-based thickening layer, wherein the sand body is obtained by mixing and granulating potato residue and starch. The water-based thickening layer coats the outside of the sand body.

For example, cassava residue, starch and sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution can be mixed first, and then the mixed raw materials are poured into an extruder in batches and extruded into strips to obtain semi-finished cat litter. In addition, the adhesive and coagulation enhancer are mixed, for example, pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum and calcium carbonate are evenly mixed to obtain a thickening raw material. Afterwards, the semi-finished cat litter is placed in an aluminum pan, sprinkled with thickening raw materials and powdered. During the powder coating process, constant stirring is required to evenly coat the surface of the semi-finished cat litter with thickening raw materials, and then drying, crushing, sieving, etc. Steps to obtain the finished cat litter. In one embodiment, oil can also be applied to the semi-finished cat litter before coating, so that the thickening material can be more easily coated on the semi-finished cat litter.

To sum up, this case provides a new cat litter and its preparation method. It mainly uses potato residues to prepare cat litter. Since plant fiber and plant starch are used as adsorbent substances, it is a biodegradable material and can reduce environmental pollution. Environmental pollution, and its strong adsorption capacity for odors can reduce the generation of odors, so it has deodorizing effect. Furthermore, by utilizing the characteristics of the material itself, the cat litter is easy to clump and has good water absorption and disintegration capabilities. It can be flushed into the toilet and eliminated directly, which not only reduces the amount of garbage, but also avoids the odor of accumulated excrement in the home.

Even though the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, it can be modified in various ways as desired by those skilled in the art, without departing from the intended protection within the scope of the appended patent application.

S1, S2, S21~S24: Step S1, Step S2, Step S21~S24

Figure 1 shows the flow chart of the cat litter preparation method in this case.

S1, S2, S21~S24: Step S1, Step S2, Step S21~S24

Claims (18)

A kind of cat litter includes 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution. The cat litter as described in claim 1, wherein the potato residue is cassava residue, potato residue, taro residue, yam residue, sweet potato residue, purple potato residue or a combination thereof. The cat litter according to claim 1, wherein the starch is tapioca starch, corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, glutinous rice starch or a combination thereof. The cat litter according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum, Sanxian gum, locust bean gum or a combination thereof. The cat litter as described in claim 1, wherein the concentration of the sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution is 0.5-2% (w/v). The cat litter as described in claim 1 further includes 1 to 10 parts by weight of a coagulation enhancer, wherein the coagulation enhancer is a calcium salt. A method for preparing cat litter, including: Mix 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, 1 to 10 parts by weight of adhesive, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution into a mixed raw material; and placing the mixed raw materials in an extruder to perform a granulation process to form a plurality of granular or strip-shaped cat litter. The preparation method as described in claim 7, wherein the potato residue is cassava residue, potato residue, taro residue, yam residue, sweet potato residue, purple potato residue or a combination thereof. The preparation method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the starch is tapioca starch, corn starch, potato starch, wheat starch, rice starch, glutinous rice starch or a combination thereof. The preparation method as described in claim 7, wherein the adhesive is pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum, Sanxian gum, locust bean gum or a combination thereof. The preparation method as described in claim 7, wherein the concentration of the sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution is 0.5-2% (w/v). The preparation method as described in claim 7 further includes mixing 1 to 10 parts by weight of a coagulation enhancer with the potato residue, the starch and the adhesive, wherein the coagulation enhancer is a calcium salt. The preparation method as described in claim 7, which further includes the step of drying the granulated semi-finished product after granulation by the extruder, and the drying temperature is 60~95°C. The preparation method as described in claim 7 further includes the step of sieving the cat litter, wherein the mesh number of the sieving step is 6 to 20 mesh. The preparation method as described in claim 7 further includes the step of mixing the granular cat litter and the strip-shaped cat litter, wherein the proportion of the granular cat litter is 10 to 90%. A method for preparing cat litter, including: Mix 40 to 110 parts by weight of potato residue, 110 to 160 parts by weight of starch, and 100 to 160 parts by weight of sodium bicarbonate aqueous solution into a mixed raw material; The mixed raw materials are placed in an extruder to undergo a granulation process to form a plurality of sand particle bodies; and An adhesive is coated on the outside of the sand body to form a water-based thickening layer. The preparation method as described in claim 16 further includes the step of oiling the plurality of sand particles obtained after granulation. According to the preparation method described in claim 16, the adhesive is pregelatinized starch, Guanhua bean gum, Sanxian gum, locust bean gum or a combination thereof.

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