Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/02—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material
  • B01J20/10—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material comprising silica or silicate
  • B01J20/12—Naturally occurring clays or bleaching earth
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
  • A01K1/015—Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets ; Stable floors
  • A01K1/0152—Litter
  • A01K1/0154—Litter comprising inorganic material
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K1/00—Housing animals; Equipment therefor
  • A01K1/015—Floor coverings, e.g. bedding-down sheets ; Stable floors
  • A01K1/0152—Litter
  • A01K1/0155—Litter comprising organic material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/02—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material
  • B01J20/04—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material comprising compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals or magnesium
  • B01J20/041—Oxides or hydroxides
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/02—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material
  • B01J20/04—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material comprising compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals or magnesium
  • B01J20/043—Carbonates or bicarbonates, e.g. limestone, dolomite, aragonite
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/02—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material
  • B01J20/04—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material comprising compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals or magnesium
  • B01J20/045—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising inorganic material comprising compounds of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals or magnesium containing sulfur, e.g. sulfates, thiosulfates, gypsum
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/22—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof comprising organic material
  • B01J20/24—Naturally occurring macromolecular compounds, e.g. humic acids or their derivatives
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/28—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof characterised by their form or physical properties
  • B01J20/28002—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof characterised by their form or physical properties characterised by their physical properties
  • B01J20/28011—Other properties, e.g. density, crush strength
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/30—Processes for preparing, regenerating, or reactivating
  • B01J20/3007—Moulding, shaping or extruding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J20/00—Solid sorbent compositions or filter aid compositions; Sorbents for chromatography; Processes for preparing, regenerating or reactivating thereof
  • B01J20/30—Processes for preparing, regenerating, or reactivating
  • B01J20/3021—Milling, crushing or grinding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J2220/00—Aspects relating to sorbent materials
  • B01J2220/40—Aspects relating to the composition of sorbent or filter aid materials
  • B01J2220/46—Materials comprising a mixture of inorganic and organic materials
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J2220/00—Aspects relating to sorbent materials
  • B01J2220/40—Aspects relating to the composition of sorbent or filter aid materials
  • B01J2220/48—Sorbents characterised by the starting material used for their preparation
  • B01J2220/4812—Sorbents characterised by the starting material used for their preparation the starting material being of organic character
  • B01J2220/485—Plants or land vegetals, e.g. cereals, wheat, corn, rice, sphagnum, peat moss

Definitions

• the invention relates to absorbent materials for absorbing liquids.
• Solid absorbent materials find various applications in everyday life and in industry.
• Absorbent masses in the form of powders or granules find in particular an important use in the manufacture of absorbent litters for animals, mainly domestic animals such as cats and rodents.
• the properties sought for these litters include in particular the absence of repellent effect vis-à-vis the animals for which they are intended, good absorption of liquid animal excrement, without formation of sludge, sufficient mechanical strength to support the weight of the 'animal, low apparent specific gravity and a weak tendency to adhere to the ground during use.
• Various categories of litter have been proposed, but none has all of the optimum properties sought.
• a first category of litter consists of porous mineral rocks of volcanic origin. These known litters generally have the desired properties with regard to the apparent specific weight and the adhesion to the soil. On the other hand, they are very deficient with regard to the absorption of liquid animal excrement, which implies the disadvantage of a large consumption of litter and requires frequent replacements thereof.
• a second category of known litter consists of clays, such as bentonite, attapulgite and montmorillonite. These known litters generally have a low rate of absorption of liquid animal excrement and tend to form sludge during use and to adhere to the soil, which complicates their evacuation after use.
• a third category of known litter includes plant litter. These, used interchangeably for pets or for livestock, are generally made from wood chips, or straws. They have the advantage of a low specific weight, but their effectiveness at absorbing liquid animal excrement is weak. They are also expensive.
• the invention aims to provide a solid absorbent mass, which combines all the advantageous properties of the known absorbent masses described above, without having the disadvantages.
• the invention relates to an absorbent mass comprising a powder of a mineral material, which is characterized in that the mineral material comprises at least one calcium compound and is mixed with vegetable fibers.
• the mineral material comprises at least one calcium compound.
• the term “calcium compound” is understood to mean any compound of calcium which is substantially insoluble in the liquids for which the absorbent mass is intended.
• a calcium compound is used which is substantially chemically inert with respect to said liquids. The choice of the calcium compound will therefore depend on the destination of the absorbent mass, in particular on the liquids which it is intended to have absorbed by it.
• Calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and calcium hydroxide are calcium compounds which are well suited in the majority of cases, particularly in the case where the mineral mass is intended for the absorption of liquid animal excrements, such as l 'urine. Calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate are preferred, especially anhydrous calcium carbonate. Crushed limestone works well.
• the mineral matter may possibly contain other mineral compounds, substantially free of calcium. These are preferably insoluble in the liquids for which the absorbent mass is intended and preferably chemically inert with respect to these liquids.
• the mineral matter advantageously contains clays, in addition to the calcium compound.
• the mineral matter is present in the form of a powder in the absorbent mass.
• the optimum powder diameter results from a compromise between the search for maximum absorption capacity for liquids and ease of handling.
• the optimum diameter of the powder will depend in particular on the calcium compound and, if necessary, on the other mineral compounds, in particular on their specific mass.
• the powder has an average particle diameter of at least 0.10 ⁇ m, preferably at least 1.00 ⁇ m. It is desirable that the average diameter of the powder does not exceed 2 mm, preferably 100 ⁇ m. Average diameters from 0.1 to 10 ⁇ m are usually suitable.
• the average particle diameter of the powder is determined using a Sedigraph 5100 X-ray particle size analyzer (Micromeritics Inst Corp. USA).
• the weight content of the absorbent mass in calcium compound will depend on the choice of the calcium compound and the destination of the absorbent mass. In general, it is desirable for the absorbent mass to contain more than 30% (preferably at least 60%) by weight of calcium compound, the contents greater than or equal to 65% being especially advantageous. It is preferable that the weight content of the absorbent mass of calcium compound does not exceed 95%, preferably 90%. Weight contents of calcium compounds of 65 to 95% are very suitable, contents of 70 to 85% being preferred.
• the weight contents are expressed by weight of dry matter.
• the choice of vegetable fibers is not critical. These may for example include chopped straw, cereal bark, cotton or linen fibers, or wood chips.
• the plant fibers are cellulose fibers. These can possibly include cellulose fibers collected from the recycling of old paper or cardboard. Alternatively, they may consist exclusively of cellulose collected from the recycling of old paper or cardboard.
• the optimum content of absorbent mass of vegetable fibers will depend on the nature of the vegetable fibers, their dimensions, the calcium compound and the destination of the absorbent mass. In general, it is desirable for the absorbent mass to contain at least 5% (preferably at least 10%) by weight of vegetable fibers, the contents greater than or equal to 15% being especially advantageous. It is preferable that the content of absorbent mass in vegetable fibers does not exceed 50%, preferably 40%, values less than or equal to 35% being specially recommended. Vegetable fiber weight contents of 5 to 35% are generally suitable, the contents of 15 to 30% being especially advantageous.
• Absorbent masses according to the invention comprising from 70 to 85% by weight of calcium compound and from 15 to 30% by weight of vegetable fibers are particularly suitable for the absorption of liquid animal excrement. They are well suited for pets, especially cats.
• animal excrement is intended to denote both faeces and urine.
• compositions in accordance with the invention comprise from 60 to 90% by weight of calcium compound, from 5 to 35% by weight of vegetable fibers and from 0 to 5% by weight of clay.
• the absorbent mass according to the invention may optionally contain additives intended to give it specific additional properties, for example perfumes or antiseptic agents.
• the mineral material comprises a dry residue from the distillation of residual mother liquor from a welder with animonia.
• dry residue from the distillation of mother liquor from a ammonia welder means a solid, anhydrous residue which has been separated from an aqueous suspension originating from a distillation column of mother liquor.
• manufacture of sodium carbonate by the ammonia process examples of the constitution of such an aqueous suspension are provided in the Te-Pang Hou treaty, "Manufacture of soda", second edition, Hafher Publishing Company, 1969, page 237.
• Such dry residues include, as main components, calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and calcium hydroxide.
• these constituents often contain magnesium compounds, iron oxides, alumina and silica. The contents of these various constituents depend on the origin of the raw materials used in the ammonia process for the manufacture of sodium carbonate, as well as on the operating parameters of this process.
• Dry residues well suited for this embodiment of the invention comprise at least 40% (preferably at least 45%) by weight of calcium carbonate, at least 1% (preferably at least 5%) by weight of calcium hydroxide and at least 1% (preferably at least 10%) by weight of calcium sulfate.
• the maximum weight contents of the dry residue in these three constituents do not respectively exceed 90% (preferably 80%) in the case of calcium carbonate, 40% (preferably 30%) in the case of hydroxide calcium and 45% (preferably 40%) in the case of calcium sulphate.
• Specially recommended dry residues contain 40 to 70% (advantageously from 50 to 60%) by weight of calcium carbonate, from 1 to 25% (advantageously from 5 to 15%) by weight of calcium hydroxide, from 1 to 40% (advantageously from 20 to 35%) by weight of calcium sulphate and, optionally, up to 10% (generally from 1 to 10%) by weight of silica. If necessary, an industrial dry residue can be subjected to an enrichment process to achieve these optimum levels.
• the absorbent masses according to this embodiment of the invention have a good capacity for absorbing acidic liquids, and they are especially suitable for absorbing liquid animal excrements, especially those from cattle and pets. They also constitute a means of recovering industrial waste, which constitutes both an economic and environmental advantage.
• the absorbent mass according to the invention equally finds applications in industry and domestic applications. In industry, it can notably be used for cleaning industrial premises or for sponging liquids accidentally spilled on the floor.
• An example of such an application is the sponging of a liquid accidentally spilled on a road following a traffic accident.
• the invention therefore also relates to the use of the absorbent mass according to the invention for sponging a liquid on a floor.
• the absorbent mass according to the invention has been found to be specially suitable for absorbing liquid animal excrement, mainly urine.
• the invention therefore also relates to an animal litter, which comprises an absorbent mass according to the invention.
• the litter box according to the invention combines a set of advantageous properties, among which a low apparent specific weight, a high mechanical strength, sufficient to resist crushing under the weight of a animal and a high capacity of absorption of liquid animal excrements, without forming sludge. Furthermore, when they are moistened by animal droppings, they do not adhere to the ground, which is an advantage for their evacuation after use.
• the litter according to the invention is suitable for livestock, poultry and pets. It is equally suitable for large livestock (cattle, horses), small livestock (sheep, pigs) and farmed poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, for example).
• the litter according to the invention is specially adapted for pets, especially cats and small rodents.
• each sample was converted into a series of filaments, which were subjected to drying sufficient to remove all of the water.
• the dry product collected from drying was subjected successively to 1 -
• the apparent specific gravity of the two absorbent masses obtained was measured and further subjected to a water absorption test.
• 10 g of water were introduced into a vertical cylindrical enclosure with an internal diameter of 90 mm and the absorbent mass was gradually poured into it until the water was completely absorbed.
• the absorbency of the absorbent mass is defined by the relation:
• a (%) 100 * M, where P A denotes the absorbency of the absorbent mass, M denotes the amount of water used, and P denotes the weight of the absorbent mass.
• a first sample was treated as it was, as described in the first series of tests, but without adding fibers or other additives.
• compositions of the two samples are given in Table 4 below.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Inorganic Chemistry (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
• Housing For Livestock And Birds (AREA)
• Solid-Sorbent Or Filter-Aiding Compositions (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8860524

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (4)

• 2001
  • 2001-02-27 FR FR0102690A patent/FR2821238B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-02-22 RU RU2003128966/15A patent/RU2291612C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-02-22 AU AU2002244727A patent/AU2002244727B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-02-22 CN CN 02808966 patent/CN1254171C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-02-22 EP EP02712924A patent/EP1372377A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 2002-02-22 WO PCT/EP2002/001957 patent/WO2002067666A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2004
  • 2004-11-05 HK HK04108719A patent/HK1065679A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (4)

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