WO2010020051A1

WO2010020051A1 - Repellent material compositions based on absorbent vegetable material, methods for the preparation thereof, and uses thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2010020051A1
Application number: PCT/CA2009/001163
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yves Trottier; Sophie Lavallee; Jacky Belanger; Ronald Banon
Original assignee: Les Luzernes Belcan Du Lac-St-Jean Inc.
Priority date: 2008-08-20
Filing date: 2009-08-20
Publication date: 2010-02-25

Abstract

The invention relates to a composition comprising materials based on absorbent vegetable material, containing a pre-determined quantity of at least one organic acid and/or a pre-determined quantity of at least one mineral acid, which composition produces inappetence in herbivorous and omnivorous animals and is innocuous when used as litter for said animals. The composition is prepared by mixing absorbent vegetable materials with one or more weak acids and can take the form of particles and/or granules and/or granulated cubes.

Description

COMPOSITION OF REPULSIVE MATERIAL. METHODS OF PREPARATION AND

USES

PRIORITY REQUEST

The present patent application claims the priority of US application no. 61/090321 dated August 20, 2008.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to compositions of materials based on absorbent plant materials such as cereal straws or vegetable fibers such as hemp fiber. These compositions consist of mixtures of absorbent plant materials causing lack of appetite and harmlessness for the animals, especially for the animals of the family of herbivores, to whom they are given in litter.

The present description also relates to processes for the manufacture of these compositions of materials, in particular based on alfalfa, cereal straw and the use of these compositions, as such or packaged, as repellent litters.

The use of litter to protect animals from the health risks to which they are exposed, particularly when they have a propensity to consume their contaminated base litter, including feces, is also part of the description.

STATE OF THE ART

Some horses tend, more than others, to eat their litter when it is made of straw of hemp or flax. The absorption of straw, if it allows the horse to take care, in some cases causes bloating, digestive disorders and high doses, straw caps or colic. To reduce this unwanted behavior in horses, it is common to add chemicals to the straw-based litter (such as cresol-based disinfectant or just diluted bleach, for example), or replace it with a litter of wood chips.

For environmental reasons, wood chips will be less and less used, in addition to causing respiratory allergies in some horses because of the dust they contain.

As for the cresol, or methylphenol, it is considered toxic in high dose by several.

Attempts have been made to add natural products to animal litter to improve its characteristics.

Thus, the international patent application WO03003818 describes the addition of citrus peels to litter. But the technique described in this document only applies to poultry litter in order to increase feed conversion.

Patent Application GB 2,411,334 mentions the addition of essential oils to horse litter in order to solve the respiratory problems that can be suffered by horses.

The patent application US-A-4638763 describes the use, with other additives, of citric acid in litters of domestic animals, such as cats and dogs, as an element retarding the release of ammonia in litters.

The patent application US-A-5347950 uses citric acid, with other additives, at a concentration of at least 2% as antivirus in cat litter, but not as a repellent, because the purpose is not not to discourage the cat from going to litter.

Patent Application EP-A-1161859 mixes bitter plants with litter to discourage the animal from eating it. These plants, such as the bark of Quassia, the root of dandelion, the claws of the devil, the Colombo root, or the gentian root cited in EP-A-1161859, are not easy to find and their use is difficult.

There was therefore a need for litter having a repellent character for herbivorous animals and devoid of at least one of the disadvantages of litter of the prior art.

There was also a need for litters with reduced palatability for the animals for which they were intended.

There was also a need for litters of a repellent nature for the animals for which they are intended.

There was also a need for safe litters in terms of repellency and / or palatability and made from natural products.

In particular, there was a need for litters for horses and safe at the level of repellent and / or palatability and prepared with natural products.

There was also a need for safe litters in terms of repellency and / or lack of appetite, made from natural products, and without substantially increased litter production costs.

In addition, there was a need for a process for the efficient preparation of absorbent vegetable material compositions treated with an acid or with a mixture of acids.

There was also a need for a process for the efficient preparation of particulate and / or granular material compositions and / or granulated cubes. Finally, there was a need for the safe use of compositions of matter based on absorbent plant matter in animals.

SUMMARY

A composition of absorbent plant matter materials, which contains a determined amount of at least one organic acid and / or a predetermined amount of at least one mineral acid, has lack of appetite in herbivorous and omnivorous animals and safety when used as litter for these animals. The composition of materials is prepared by mixing absorbent plant materials with one or more weak acids and can be packaged in the form of particles and / or granules and / or granular cubes.

According to an embodiment of the present description, there is described a composition of absorbent vegetable matter materials containing a determined amount of at least one organic acid and / or a determined amount of at least one mineral acid.

According to another embodiment of the present description, there is described animal bedding based on, and preferably consisting of 100%, at least one composition of materials of the present description.

According to another embodiment of the present description, there is described a method for producing a composition of absorbent plant material materials as defined in the present description, wherein at least one organic acid which is preferably low and / or or at least one inorganic acid which is preferably low is (are) mixed in determined amount (s) with absorbent plant material to be treated.

According to another embodiment of the present description, granules obtained by implementing one of the methods described in the present description are described.

According to another embodiment of the present description, there are described granulated cubes obtained by implementing one of the methods described in the present description. According to another embodiment of the present description, there is described a use of a composition of materials as defined in the present description or as prepared by one of the methods defined in the present description as litter safe for animals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing plant absorbent granules, an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing plant absorbent cubes, an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a system for performing a method of manufacturing a composition made of absorbent plant material, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 is a graph showing an established relationship between pH and citric acid concentration of an aqueous solution, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a system for carrying out a method of manufacturing a composition made of absorbent plant material, by controlling a flow rate of vaporization of an aqueous solution, according to an embodiment of the present description;

Fig. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between a concentration of the aqueous solution used for the system of Fig. 5, again according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a system for carrying out a method of manufacturing a composition made of absorbent plant material according to an embodiment of the present description, wherein the added additive is in solid form; and Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a system for performing a method of manufacturing a composition made of absorbent plant material according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the added additive is in liquid form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preliminary Definitions: For the purposes of this description, the following definitions are used:

Litter: Bed of straw or other plant material that is spread in livestock buildings, care homes and transport vehicles and on which animals lie down; the litters are made of absorbent materials and mainly intended to collect the excrement of the animals. Weak acid: an acid that does not dissociate completely in water: when a weak acid AH is brought into the presence of water, the following reaction takes place:

AH + H ₁ O ≠ A ^~ + H _:] O ⁺

The reaction is not total but balanced, that is to say that to have more substance on the right side of the reaction, we must add more product AH on the left side, there remains always AH acid in solution . In a base-acid pair, a weak acid is associated with a weak base if the acid is really weak, ie for a pKa greater than 14 (or a weak base for a lower pKa) in which it occurs. transforms after giving up its proton H ⁺ .

The weak acids are classified according to their acidity constant, that is to say according to their ability to more or less dissociate in the presence of water. It is estimated that an acid is weak when its pKa is greater than 0. An acid is weaker as its pKa is high. Its conjugate base is therefore all the stronger and stable that the same pKa is high. Examples of weak acids include hydrofluoric acid, methanoic acid, ethanoic acid and citric acid. The other carboxylic acids are generally weak acids.

Citric anhydride: 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid as a colorless, odorless powder with a strong acid taste; citric acid is very soluble in water and alcohol.

Natural product repellent: product present in nature generating a repellent action on the animals that approach it, sniff it and / or put it in their mouths.

Acid: acid in the sense of the present description, unless the term is qualified by the term anhydrous, means acid in combination with a low solvent content and, in one embodiment, with a low water content. Indeed, the commercial acid is rarely in pure form.

Method used (house) to determine absorbency

Absorbency can be determined by methods traditionally used by specialized laboratories. However, an in-house method has been developed to be able to quickly make a factory determination of the absorbency on the litter described here freshly manufactured.

Homemade method to determine absorbency

Absorbency is determined by a specialized laboratory. However, a house method has been set up to give an estimate of absorbency.

Absorbency can be determined by increasing the volume or weight of the granule as it absorbs water. The values used are those of the weight, but the following method makes it possible to obtain the two ratios.

1 - Take 500g of granules, pass in a coffee grinder ("blender") 2 - Take 100g of dust obtained using a 50OmL container, note the volume.

3 - Pour water without mixing (small quantity: 50g)

4 - Wait until the water is well absorbed (10 to 15 minutes) 5 - Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the material stops absorbing water

6 - Pour the contents on a coffee filter, wait until the excess water is crossed.

7 - Put the contents in the container of 50OmL

8 - Note the new volume, and the weight (subtracting the weight of the empty 50OmL container) 9 - Perform the final volume / initial volume and final weight / weight ratios

Method used (house) to validate the percentage of citric acid present in the litter

The amount of citric acid to add to the litter is carefully calculated in advance. This quantity can be controlled by a specialized laboratory using standard methods.

However, it is desirable, because of the variability of the raw material used, to be able to quickly perform an exit verification of the manufacturing process, once the litter is fabricated, to determine if the litter meets the target acid values. citric. The following house method can then be used, as explained below in the case of its application to straw bedding:

1 - Take a sample of 500 grams of straw granules 2 - Transformation of the sample into fine particles using a coffee grinder (or "blender")

3 - mixing, at room temperature, the powder obtained at 5 kg (5L) of water, mix well for 10 minutes;

4 - measure the pH of the solution 5 - with reference to the table of FIG. 4, determination of the citric acid concentration of the water-litter mix as a function of the pH of the acid and by carrying out the following calculation: concentration of the mix x 5 500g = Weight of citric acid (in g) (Citric acid weight / 500g) x100% = Percentage of citric acid in the litter Method used to determine if the litter made according to the present description (treated with at least one acid) was tested before confirming its inappetence (= repellent) and its safety.

Four animals kept in individual pens are placed in contact with treated bedding made according to this description for 14 consecutive days. The animals chosen for the test are herbivores of the same breed and of adult age. Clinical follow-up and blood tests (hematology and biological evaluation) are performed during the trial period. The safety of the litter is considered established when no clinical abnormality has been noted during the two weeks of enclosure exposure.

During this period, the four animals are deprived of food for nearly 24 hours. That is, they had only half a meal the night before the test, and then no meal in the morning. At noon, a repellent litter consisting of cereal straw treated with an acid or a mixture of acid (in a realization with a weak acid or a mixture of weak acid) is presented to them in the manger, to incite them to eat. This stage of the test makes it possible to ensure that the litter does not appear when presented as a ration.

Animals deprived of food for nearly 24 hours are hungry and show an interest in the repellent litter consisting of absorbent plant material treated with 1% by weight of acid, in one embodiment, citric acid, when it is presented to them as food, that is to say in the hand or the manger. Since animals are sociable and / or curious, they use their noses to make contact with their environment. When at least three out of four animals, after having tasted the treated litter, show a rejection behavior, it is considered that the litter has a repellent characteristic. In the case of the same litter, untreated 4 of 4 animals absorbed the litter without evidence of rejection.

The following behaviors observed on the animal during the presentation of a treated litter confirm that the product has a repulsive effect; especially the animal: - lowers his ears;

- hesitates to consume or spits out the consumed part; and

- sniffs a long time before consuming.

The description relates to absorbent plant material compositions containing a predetermined amount of at least one organic acid and / or a predetermined amount of at least one mineral acid. According to one embodiment of the compositions of the present description, the organic acid is of weak type and the mineral acid is of weak type.

The compositions of absorbent plant material materials consist of at least one absorbent plant material, the non-constituted part (s) of the absorbent plant material (s) is constituted by one or more acid (s).

The litter material compositions contain a determined amount of at least one weak organic acid.

In another embodiment, the absorbent plant material compositions contain a predetermined amount of at least one weak mineral acid.

The weak organic acid is an acid selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids. The carboxylic acids retained are citric acid, acetic acid, formic acid and mixtures of at least two of these acids.

According to another embodiment of the description, the weak mineral acid, when present, is selected from the group consisting of I ¹ H ₂ S, carbonic acid, boric acid and mixtures of at least two of these acids.

The compositions of matter described herein contain from 0.5 to less than 2% by weight of at least one organic acid and / or a mineral acid. The compositions of matter contain less than 10%, more specifically from 0.3 to 6%, more specifically from 0.5 to 5% and more specifically about 1% by weight of at least one weak acid.

In one embodiment, the composition of matter contains citric acid.

According to one embodiment, the compositions of materials in which citric acid is the only acid present and this weak acid is present in a proportion of less than 2% of the total pea of said composition.

Compositions of materials in which acetic acid is the only acid present are also preferred, and this acid is then present in a proportion of less than 2% of the total weight of said composition.

In one embodiment, the family of compositions of materials in which the absorbency of the absorbent plant material is greater than 1.5 and, more specifically, greater than 2.5, are preferred. More specifically, the absorbency of the absorbent plant material is between 2.5 and 5.

The family of compositions of materials in which the absorbent plant material is selected from the group consisting of alfalfa, cereal straws, such as flax straw, wheat straw, barley straw, oat straw , canola straw, vegetable fibers such as hemp fiber and the mixture of at least two of these straws and plant fibers. The plant absorbent material is selected from wheat straw, oats or barley.

The compositions of matter are in the form of a mixture of particles and more than 85% of said particles have a length which is between 1 to 3 mm; the method used for the quantification of this measurement is the sieve method.

The compositions of materials are also in the form of granules and in this case 90 to 95% of the granules have a unit weight which is between 0.1 and 9, and more specifically between 0.5 and 5 grams. More specifically, the composition of materials consists of granules which have a unit weight of between 0.75 and 4 grams.

The compositions of matter also consist of granulated cubes. These granule cubes have a unit weight of between 30 and 80 grams. The compositions of materials for horses are in the form of cubes with a unit weight of between 70 and 85 grams, more specifically still in the form of granulated cubes with a unit weight of about 75 grams.

The granules of this description have excellent durability which is greater than 75% according to the ASAE S269.4 DEC1991 (R2007) standard.

The granulated cubes of this description have excellent durability greater than 65% according to the ASAE S269.4 DEC1991 (R2007) standard.

The compositions of matter of this description are repellent to animals that approach it.

The compositions of matter of this description are safe for the animals that could eat them.

The compositions of matter can be used as, or with additives, as repellent and safe bedding.

Animal litters based on at least one composition of materials according to this description are repellent and safe.

The litters of the invention are particularly suitable for herbivorous animals such as horses, zebras, donkeys, llamas, ponies, mules, etc. Repellent litter according to this description can also be used for omnivorous animals, such as cats such as cats, who like to chew on hay or straw on occasion.

The litters of this description for herbivorous animals are in the form of granules with a unit weight of between 0.8 and 1.3 grams.

In the case of herbivores, and more particularly in the case of horses, the litters of this description are in the form of granules with a unit weight of about 1 gram.

In the case of herbivores, and more particularly in the case of horses, the litters of this description are in the form of granulated cubes with a unit weight of between 30 and 100 grams.

Animal litters according to this description may contain more than 90% by weight of the absorbent plant material of this acid-treated description and the remainder of the litter consists of at least one of the following:

- essential oils;

binders such as bentonite; - perfumes; and

- dyes.

The present disclosure also relates to methods for making the compositions of matter described herein.

According to one embodiment, these compositions are prepared by mixing at least one weak acid with absorbent plant material. During mixing, the acid binds to the absorbent plant material.

The dried absorbent plant material is hydrated with water vapor at a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees Celsius before being subjected to the extrusion and / or compaction step. The extrusion step is performed at a pressure of up to 175 megapascals (25,000 pounds per square inch (PSI)) and beyond. This pressure is more specifically between 75 and 180 MegaPascals, more specifically it is between 100 and 150 megaPascals.

According to another embodiment described in FIG. 3, which has an embodiment 300, the additive in solid form contained in the additive bag 306 falls by gravity onto the additive mini-conveyor 308. The speed of rotation of the mini-conveyor Conveyor 308 is controllable to adjust the rate of additive added to the raw material. When the additive bag 306 is to be replaced, it is removed using the crane and / or via the chain hoist 3045 and the transport rail 302, then a new pocket 306 is installed. It should be noted that the addition of additive is done before the process of setting into particles and / or pelletizing and / or conditioning of the particles (when there is no setting into cubes granules, neither granulation). The feed conveyor of the extrusion 310 provides a feed of the material from the outside and added additive to the extrusion process. A process for producing a composition of absorbent plant material materials, wherein at least one organic acid which is weak in one embodiment and / or at least one mineral acid which is low in one embodiment is (are) mixed ( s) in specified quantity (s) with absorbent plant material to be treated.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing processes, at least one weak acid is mixed with the absorbent plant material in the form of crystals and / or in liquid form and / or in the form of an aqueous solution.

The mixing operation can be carried out with a mixer of the family of horizontal mixers of the paddle mixer type.

For the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter, granules or granular cubes, at least one weak organic acid and / or at least one weak mineral acid is deposited on the surface of the plant material to treat as a dilute acid solution as a dilute aqueous acid solution.

According to one embodiment of the methods described herein for the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter, granules and granular cubes, at least one weak organic acid and / or at least one weak mineral acid is deposited on the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a dilute aqueous solution and at a constant concentration but with a variable flow rate to take into account variations in (production rates / stops, etc.) and physical variations of the absorbent plant material to be treated and to maintain the acid concentration in the composition of materials obtained by carrying out said method.

According to another embodiment of the methods described here, at least one weak organic acid and / or at least one weak mineral acid is deposited on the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a dilute aqueous solution with a variable concentration but at a constant flow rate to take account of variations (production rates / stops, etc.de) and physical variations of the absorbent plant material to be treated and to maintain the concentration of acid in the composition of materials obtained by the implementation of said process .

The aqueous acid solution is vaporized on the surface of the particles of absorbent plant material using nozzles of a type establishing a liquid curtain, such as solid jet or hollow jet, these nozzles are located at a distance between cm and 1.2 m of absorbent plant material particles to be treated which move on a conveyor belt at a mass flow rate of 1 to 6 tons per hour, and more specifically at a mass flow rate of 1.5 to 2.5 tons per hour. hour.

According to another variant of the processes described here, the plant material to be treated is introduced into a mixer or it is mixed with the aqueous acid solution which is introduced into the mixer by nozzles, its residence time in the mixer is 3 at 15 minutes, more specifically from 3 to 10 minutes, and more specifically of the order of 5 minutes.

When it is desired to manufacture the composition of matter according to the present description in particulate form, the method of the present description comprises the steps of: - a) drying the absorbent plant raw material, optionally ground to the desired particle size; b) cooling the particles obtained in the previous step; and c) optionally, conditioning and storage of the cooled particles obtained in the previous step.

The step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is then carried out after step a) and before step b) and / or after step b) and before step c).

When it is desired to manufacture the granular material composition, as described in FIG. 1, the method 100 includes, once the input of the raw material in step 102 has been completed, the steps of: a) Step 104 drying the absorbent plant raw material, optionally ground to the desired particle size; (b) Step 106: addition of additive; c) Step 108: granulating the dried plant material;

d) Step 110: the cooling of the granules obtained in the previous step; and e) Step 112: Optionally, the conditioning and storage of the cooled granules obtained in the previous step.

The step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is carried out in step 106, in (b) above, after step a) and before step c). Alternatively, this step 106 can be carried out also / or after the granulation step 108 in (c) and before the cooling step 110 in (d) and / or after the cooling step 110 in (d) and before the optional storage step 112 in (e).

When it is desired to manufacture the material composition in the form of granulated cubes, as described in FIG. 2, the method 200 comprises, once the input of the raw material in step 202 has been completed, the steps of: a) Step 204: drying of the absorbent plant raw material optionally ground to the desired particle size; b) Step 206: optional cooling after drying; (c) Step 208: adding additive; d) Step 210: cubing the dried plant material and optionally cooled after drying; e) Step 212: cooling the granulated cubes obtained in the previous step 210; and f) Step 214: Optionally, the conditioning and storage of the cooled cubes obtained in the previous step 212.

The step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is carried out in step 208, which can be done after step (a) and before step (d) above; and / or after step (d) and before step (e) above, and / or after step (e) and before step (f) above.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing method, the absorbent plant raw material is, in step 204 (a) or e) or f), dried to a residual moisture content of between 8 and 15%, more specifically this residual moisture content is between 10 and 12%.

According to another embodiment of the manufacturing method, at least one weak acid mixed with the plant material is in the form of crystals; in one embodiment, the weak acid is mixed with the absorbent plant material in the additive adding step 106 in FIG. 1 and 208 in FIG. 2, either after the step of drying the absorbent plant material and / or before and after the agglomeration step (granulation or cubes) and / or before the conditioning step (and / or storage) .

The temperature of the acid, which is weak organic and / or mineral weak, and which is (are) mixed in amount (s) determined with the absorbent plant material to be treated, is between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius; more specifically still this temperature is between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius.

According to one embodiment of the manufacturing method, at least one weak acid is dispersed on the dried plant material during its transport by conveyor.

The absorbent plant material to be treated is in the form of ground twigs having the following granulometric characteristics: minimum 97% through a sieve no. 30; and - maximum 5% through a sieve no. 100.

When the acid used is citric acid in the form of crystals, it is constituted by crystals having the following granulometric characteristics: 97% minimum through a sieve no. 30; and maximum 5% through a sieve no. 100.

These citric acid crystals can be used for the preparation of aqueous treatment solution.

Such crystals are marketed under the Jefo trademark distributed by JEFO Storage in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada.

In the context of the examples below, the citric acid crystals used have the following specifications:

a purity of: 99.5 to 100.5% anhydrous citric acid; water (Karl Fisher): Maximum 0.5%; Maximum 0.05% Combustion Residue - Oxalate: Meets USP / FCC Standards

Sulfate: Meets USP Heavy Metal Standards: 0.001% (max); and Arsenic: 0.0003% (max)

The acid used is citric acid in aqueous solution and the corresponding solution is dispersed on the surface of the moving absorbent plant material. The aqueous citric acid solution then has a pH of between 1.45 and 1.60, more specifically between 1.5 and 1.56, more specifically about 1.53.

The temperature of the aqueous solution of citric acid is, when it comes into contact with the absorbent plant material, between 20 and 50 degrees Celsius, more specifically between 25 and 40 degrees Celsius, more specifically about 35 degrees Celsius .

With regard to the temperature of the plant material when it comes into contact with the acid, the latter fluctuates substantially depending on the strength of the drying applied to the absorbent plant material. To facilitate the exchange with acid this temperature is higher than 30 degrees Celsius. According to another embodiment of the manufacturing processes, the organic acid solution is vaporized on the absorbent plant material (in motion (stirring and / or moving on a treadmill) at a rate of 0 to 6 liters per minute; running from 0 to 5 tons per hour, more specifically from 0.1 to 4 tons per hour, more specifically the absorbent material is run at a rate of 0.5 to 4 tons per hour.

Indeed, interruptions of short durations in the course of the stirring, for example in a mixer or in a kneader, or in scrolling for example on a treadmill, are possible without significantly affecting the efficiency of the process.

The processes for the preparation of the acid-treated absorbent plant material composition may be carried out continuously and / or batchwise.

As part of the processes of the present disclosure, the treatment with a dilute acid solution can be carried out: either by diluting in the plant a solution of anhydrous acid, a concentrated acid, a liquid acid or an acid in solid form ; either by using a commercial diluted acid solution, this second solution however decreases the reactivity of the process versus the necessary adaptations at the level of the acid concentrations as a function of the variations of the physical parameters of the natural material treated.

The composition of matter thus obtained is absorbent and can be used directly as a repellent litter and having a safety for animals, more specifically for herbivores such as the horse.

The animal litters of this description are based, and more specifically constituted for 100%, at least one composition of materials as defined above. These litters are useful for herbivorous animals such as horses, zebras, donkeys, llamas, ponies, mules, etc.

The litters of this description for horses are in the form of granules with a unit weight of between 0.8 and 1.3 grams, more specifically in the form of granules with a unit weight of about 1 gram.

Horse bedding (zebra, donkey, etc.) of this description are in the form of granulated cubes with a unit weight of between 30 and 100 grams.

According to one embodiment of this description, the animal litter contains more than 90% by weight of the composition of matter and the remainder of the litter consists of at least one of the following elements:

- essential oils; binders such as bentonite;

- perfumes; and

- dyes.

The present description is also characterized by the use of the compositions of matter defined herein and the use of the compositions obtained by the processes as also defined herein, as litter for animals. In addition, they can easily be composted without introducing chemicals into the environment.

These compositions of matter are packaged and used in the form of particles and / or granules and / or granulated cubes as animal safe bedding. The use is made as a safe litter for herbivorous animals such as equines, or omnivores such as birds.

These litters are used especially on the floor of pens, cages, breeding places, training and exhibition of animals.

The litters of this description can be used for cats, especially as litter for cats. The present description also granules and / or cubes obtained by carrying out one of the processes for preparing the granules and / or cubes.

The invention makes it possible to have litters creating lack of appetite for horses with respect to litters, packaged in particular in granules or cubes, based on straw and using natural products that are harmless to the health of the horse.

It has been surprisingly observed in horses a distinct disgust for acid flavors. Anhydrous citric acid was added to the litter before it was compacted into granules or cubes.

Process steps in the case of alfalfa, straw and wood chips

Harvest

The field team cuts the straw or alfalfa, and balances it when desired. In the case of alfalfa, it is usually delivered in bulk at the plant. The straw is put in the form of balls.

Reception

When it arrives in the factory, the raw material is treated differently according to its nature. In the case of bales, they will be stored in the bale warehouse (alfalfa) or in places reserved for this purpose elsewhere in the course (straw). For bulk alfalfa, it is placed on the concrete slab and treated immediately to preserve its quality. Sometimes the plant produces wood pellets. When this is the case, the wood comes in bulk and is stored in the dome.

The following steps are applicable regardless of the nature of the absorbent material used to make the litter. Conditioning

The conditioning stage makes it possible to prepare the material so as to facilitate agglomeration (granulation or cubes). Packaging includes several important sub-steps, namely: Primary shredding

Primary shredding involves turning bullets into coarse particles (between

0.5 and 4 inches long). This step is not necessary if the material arrives in bulk.

Drying

Drying is necessary to properly prepare the material for the agglomeration process. Indeed, it is necessary to bring any material in an acceptable range of humidity (generally lower than 13% in wet base) to avoid problems of production and conservation. It is economically difficult to think of going below 7% but only because of the high energy costs associated with advanced drying of the material. Secondary shredding (grinding)

To create granules, the material must pass through a matrix containing very small holes. The passage in these holes is done by the force of the pellet machine (cubeuse). To facilitate the passage in these holes, and to reduce the impact on the mechanics, it is necessary to pass into a mold. This machine consists of hammers rotating very quickly, so as to obtain fine particles a few millimeters long (an average between 2.4mm and 6mm, depending on the characteristics of the "screen" (sieve) used). It should be noted that when making the cube, the material does not pass through this step, or that of the mixture, it goes rather directly to the stage of "conditioning of the cubeuse" after cooling sufficiently after drying. Mixed

The mixing step is used to add additive, when necessary. The residence time of the material in the mixer is long enough that the material absorbs the additive and the mixture is relatively homogeneous. When there is no added additive, the mixer serves as a buffer between the drying and agglomeration steps. For example, at this point, water may be added to increase the moisture content of the material, for example to recover the weight of water that has been evaporated by drying at the drying stage. Cubic packaging

At this stage, steam is optionally added as needed to increase the temperature of the material. In addition, water may be added for lubrication purposes to facilitate the passage of material into the die die. In the case of the cube, water is added frequently.

Agglomeration

This is the heart of the plant. This is the stage where we go from the raw material to the finished product. The dicers are used to compress the material to make granules or cubes. This is done by forcing the material to pass through very small holes (matrix) under the action of rollers. This step allows the various binding agents contained in the material to heat up, gelatinize, and finally agglomerate to form a granule that remains in one piece.

Cooling

It is a container in which the granules accumulate and remain there a certain time. This time allows them to cool down, lose some moisture, and solidify. In the case of cubes, it is a rolling grid through which air circulates to cool the carpet of cubes that is there.

Silo storage

After cooling, the granules are sent to silos. From there, they can be delivered in bulk, or go to the bagging stage. In the case of the cubes, they are sent to the cubes warehouse instead of going to a silo.

bagging

Bagging can deliver production in the form of pallets.

One embodiment of the methods of the invention for the continuous preparation of citric acid-treated plant-based litter is described below, with reference to Figure 5. This embodiment is characterized by by a constant in the composition of the litter manufactured and this in spite of the usual variations of the raw material. Moreover, this embodiment based on the use of an aqueous solution of citric acid and a monitoring of the amount vaporized on the surface of the absorbent material treated, reduces the wear of the mechanical parts, in particular the matrix and rollers, involved in the preparation of the litter. Figure 5 illustrates a system for carrying out a process for the preparation of litters by controlling the flow rate of the aqueous solution of citric acid vaporized on the surface of the absorbent plant material. According to the system 500, pockets 501 containing citric acid in crystalline solid form to be handled with care, are emptied into a container 502 having an unloading screw 503. A motor 515 allows the discharge of the citric acid to the stage 504 also maintained by an electric motor such as a mixer 516. The 504 cubes are fed by a warm water inlet 509. One or more valves 508 allow its control. A flow indicator may be placed between the two valves 208 for control.

The solution then leaves the cubes 504 and passes through a filter 505 and a pump 507. The output flow of the solution is controlled by the valve 506 leading to the nozzles 511 placed so as to water the material when they pass below those (indicated by arrows 512 and 513). The nozzles 511 may also be placed in the mixer 510 of the material. The dotted line illustrates an optional water return to the 504 cubes of the solution coming out of them.

Surgery:

• Automatic pH adjustment to be contained between 1.50 and 1. 56 (corresponding to concentrations between 20% and 25% (see Figure 4 and its description below) .When pH is too low, If water is too high, acid in solid form is diluted in the aqueous solution;

• The flow sent to the 511 nozzles is controlled by PLC according to the production speed of the 504 cubes. (See the appendix for flow calculations - corresponds to the table on the following page);

• When the solution level in the container falls below a critical level, it fills itself and the pH is controlled to stay within a predetermined range; • An alarm tells the operator to drain the filter when the flow rate decreases for a given valve opening;

• Filter 505 avoids clogging the nozzles;

• A water return (optional illustrated in dashed line) makes it possible never to turn off the pump 507 which avoids the crystallization.

• A maintenance mode makes it possible to empty the container 502 without filling it in order to clean the system 500.

In this way, the operator will only have to clean the system 500 at each stop. Calculations to determine solution flow

The volume flow (L / min) of solution that is necessary to add to the material to obtain an unappetant litter depends on three variables: - 1) The desired concentration in the litter:

citric acid mass (kg) mass of material (kg) - citric acid mass (kg)

2) The concentration of the aqueous solution: citric acid mass (kg)

C - ⁱ o; ¹ u ^{^} r; ' ^ι - mass of water (_kg ^~ ) - ~ mass citric acid (kg) • _e f

3) The speed of production of the cubeuses. The system is sized for speeds between 1 t / h and 4 t / h.

Then, the mass flow rate to add (the mass of solution that must be added per minute) is calculated as follows: - J *

= mass flow rate citric acid (- 1 - J * £ _εo tz _ιï z _D7 t ⁼ flow rate vi ^Q 5 if icic acid I - 1

Therefore :

Flow rate as aqueous solution (- D _* _D ^ - _{D "} = Hourly production - J _* C _iiTi ι _y6

fkg \ Hourly production (- £) _* C _literary

Mass flow rate aqueous solution I - 1 = 'h JC, _Qlutitm

Now, it remains to find the volume flow of solution to add. To do this, one must first find the density of the solution at different concentrations. The protocol to identify it was as follows: Put "x" grams of water in a graduated cylinder (x>50);

Top with citric acid until everything weighs 100 grams;

Brew and record the time required for all the acid to dissolve;

Record the total volume of the mixture, divide the mass by volume;

The result is the density (g / mL or kg / L); and

Make the protocol for different "x" (95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50).

The graph representing the density obtained as a function of the concentration of the solution obtained and shown in Figure 6; the dotted line represents the linear approximation that can be made from the practical data. The density can be approximated by the following equation: - J = 1 + Oj 40627C _τoiι . _{ti D} "

Finally, the volume flow (L / min) is calculated as follows:

Mass flow rate aqueous solution M * H

Volume flow f I ^l \ I =

xmm /

Voiwniquβ mass at concentration used [~ ρj * 60

The following table showing the required solution flow rates for a solution concentration of 25% and a concentration of citric acid in the litter of 1%:

For the 500 system to work well, there is another relationship to find. It is that of the pH versus the concentration of the solution. The pH versus concentration curve is shown in Figure 4. It has surprisingly been found that in order to preserve the state of the equipment, it is necessary to maximize the value of the pH used. However, maximizing pH is equivalent to decreasing the concentration of the solution. Which ultimately means to increase the solution flow to add te _s _li l _has no mixer. However, it is impossible to increase the added flow indefinitely in the mixture _b eur, because beyond a certain value, the material does not absorb all the water, and equipment may block. The following table shows the percentage of moisture gained by the material as a function of the added liquid flow rate:

Percentage of moisture added based on the power of the dough and the flow of water added

Water flow in L / min

0.64 1.64 1.8 2.64

0.5 7.7% 19.7% 21.6% 31.7%

1 3.8% 9.8% 10.8% 15.8%

1.5 2.6% 6.6% 7.2% 10.6%

(L) 2 1.9% 4.9% 5.4% 7.9%

2.5 1.5% 3.9% 4.3% 6.3%

-S o ^ 3 1.3% 3.3% 3.6% 5.3%

£ Si 3.5 1.1% 2.8% 3.1% 4.5%

4 1.0% 2.5% 2.7% 4.0%

4.5 0.9% 2.2% 2.4% 3.5%

5 0.8% 2.0% 2.2% 3.2%

The material must not exceed 14% -15% moisture when it passes through the cubeuse. In addition, it is not recommended to add more than 3% moisture through the mixer. That said, if the material is below 12% humidity, it should not exceed 3% increase. And if the material is above 12%, do not exceed 14% or 15%.

Compromise must be made between the concentration of the solution (pH) and the added flow rate. You must have 1% citric acid in the litter, but you have to reach 1% by adding a flow that can not exceed a certain threshold, depending on the moisture content of the material. We will choose the minimum concentration that allows us to do it. The system must calculate the concentration that must be achieved to meet all the constraints.

It is therefore around 20% -25% that the concentration makes it possible to respect the constraints. This gives a pH of between 1.50 and 1.56.

It is therefore necessary to choose an alloy that makes it possible to resist these pHs (rolls, dies, etc.)

EXAMPLES The following examples are given purely by way of illustration and can not be regarded as constituting any limitation of the invention as defined in its generality.

The litter tested was prepared by adding 10 kg of anhydrous acetic acid of the JEFO brand per ton of cereal straw. The specifications of anhydrous citric acid are: - purity: 99.5% to 100.5%

- water (Karl Fisher) Maximum 0,5%

- combustion residues: maximum 0.05%

- oxalate: Meets USP / FCC standards - sulfate: Meets USP standards

- heavy metals: 0.001% (max)

- arsenic: 0.0003% (max)

- sieve size: Minimum 97% through a sieve no. 30

Maximum 5% through a sieve no. 100.

The litter tested consisted of granules.

The litter made according to this description was tested before confirming its inappetence and safety.

In a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, four horses kept in individual pens were put in contact with litters made according to this description for 14 consecutive days. The horses were of race and adulthood. A trace Clinical and blood tests (hematology and biological evaluation) were performed during the trial period. No clinical abnormalities were noted during these two weeks of enclosure exposure.

During this period, the four horses were starved for nearly 24 hours. That is, they had only half a meal the night before the test, and then no meal in the morning. At noon, a repellent litter consisting of cereal straw treated with 1% by weight of citric acid was presented to them in the manger to encourage them to eat it. This stage of the test was intended to ensure the litter's inappetence when presented as a ration.

Horses deprived of food for nearly 24 hours are starving and show interest in repellent litter consisting of cereal straw treated with 1% by weight of citric acid when it is presented to them as food, i.e. say in the hand or the manger. Since horses are sociable and curious animals, they use their noses to make contact with their environment. In three of the four cases, the product was tasted by the animal and the behavior of the animal confirms that the product has a repellent effect; especially the animal:

- lowers his ears; - hesitates to consume or spits out the consumed part;

- sniffs a long time before consuming;

- attempts triage; and

- turn your head away.

In the next step, the granulated litter containing no repellent (control litter) was offered to horses. This control diet was consumed by the horses, but with hesitation. In fact, the control litter was eaten by the horses when they were hungry and they were presented with this litter as feed. However, it was much less repulsive than cereal straw treated with citric acid. There was more reluctance when consuming citric acid treated litter than with untreated cereal straw litter. To validate its safety, litter made according to the invention was used with four horses for 14 days. Horses exposed to it were subjected to the following evaluations: clinical evaluation, blood tests, bronchoalveolar lavage and endoscopy of the airways. Prior to litter exposure described here, all horses were subjected to these four examinations to establish the reference point. Then, the same examinations took place, either during the period or at the end of the period, to detect any changes that might have caused the litter.

Exposure of the horses to litter containing citric acid (3%) did not result in inflammation of the respiratory tract, based on the results of respiratory endoscopies and bronchoalveolar washes performed at the site. end of two weeks of litter exposure. Also, no clinical or blood abnormalities were noted.

The safety of the litter is therefore confirmed.

The tests carried out demonstrate the repulsiveness, the lack of appeal and the safety aspect of the compositions of materials of this description when they are used as bedding for herbivorous animals. The characteristics of the repellent litter, such as the size of the granules or the cubes and their acid content, will be adapted according to the animal race, the age and the size of the animal.

Figure 7 shows a system for carrying out a process for the preparation of litters according to this description by adding a specific amount of citric acid in crystalline form. The citric acid of the bags 501 in the form of crystals is placed in a container 502 equipped with a screw 503 such as for FIG. 5. In this mode, the speed of the screw 503 is adjusted according to the production speed of the cubeuse (not shown, but under arrow 717) for the purpose of adding a percentage of acid weight by weight. The arrival of 509 water can help dissolve citric acid and reduce mechanical stress, including friction. In this mode, the citric acid goes via the screw 503 to the conditioner 716, having a steam inlet 715. The arrival of the raw material such as strands of dried straw, for example, mixes raw material and crystals. additive passes through the conditioner 716 before going to the unillustrated dubbing machine. This mode can be implemented continuously or batchwise. Figure 8 shows a simplified system for carrying out a process for the preparation of bedding by adding a specific amount of citric acid in crystalline form. This process is used in batch mode and it operates on the basis of calculations of the quantities to be mixed but does not involve control of the concentrations during manufacture. In this variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the barrel 818 contains the aqueous solution which is agitated by an agitator 820. A return of water is allowed by the valve and the return 822. The exit of the barrel 818 passes through a pump 507 to get to the nozzles 511 of the mixer 510 as in Figure 5 described above.

Although the present invention has been described with the aid of specific implementations, it is understood that several variations and modifications can be grafted to said implementations, and the present invention aims to cover such modifications, uses or adaptations of the present invention in general, the principles of the invention and including any variation of the present description which will become known or conventional in the field of activity in which the present invention is found, and which can be applied to the essential elements mentioned above, in accordance with the scope of the following claims.

Claims

Claims:

1) A composition of materials based on absorbent plant material containing a determined amount of at least one organic acid and / or a determined amount of at least one mineral acid.

2) A composition of materials based on absorbent plant material according to claim 1 consisting of at least one absorbent plant material, the non-constituted part (s) absorbing plant (s) being constituted by a or more acid (s).

3) An absorbent plant material composition according to claim 1 or 2 containing a predetermined amount of at least one weak organic acid.

4) An absorbent plant material composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 containing a determined amount of at least one weak mineral acid.

The composition of matter according to claim 3, wherein the weak organic acid is an acid selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids.

6) The composition of matter according to claim 5, wherein the carboxylic acids are citric acid, acetic acid, formic acid and mixtures of at least two of these acids.

7) The composition of matter according to claim 4, wherein the weak mineral acid is selected from the group consisting of I ¹ H ₂ S, carbonic acid, boric acid and mixtures of two or more thereof. acids.

8) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, containing from 0.5 to less than 2% by weight of at least one organic acid and / or at least one mineral acid. 9) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 7 containing less than 10% by weight of at least one weak acid.

10) The composition of matter according to claim 9 containing from 0.3 to 6% by weight of at least one weak acid.

11) The composition of matter according to claim 10 containing from 0.5 to 5% and preferably from 0.7 to 1.9% by weight of at least one weak acid.

12) The composition of matter of claim 11 containing about 1% by weight of at least one weak acid.

13) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the weak acid is citric acid.

14) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the weak acid is acetic acid.

15) The composition of matter according to claim 13, wherein the citric acid is the only acid present and it is present in less than 2% of the total pea of said composition.

16. The composition of matter according to claim 14, wherein acetic acid is the only acid present in said composition of matter and said acid is present in less than 2% of the total pea of said composition.

17) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the absorbency of the absorbent plant material, measured according to the method of weight, is greater than 1, 5, preferably greater than 2.5.

18) The composition of matter according to claim 17, wherein the absorbency of the absorbent plant material is between 2.5 and 5. 19) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein the absorbent plant material is selected from the group consisting of cereal straws, such as flax straw, wheat straw, straw of barley, oat straw, canola straw, vegetable fibers such as hemp fiber and the mixture of at least two of these straws and plant fibers.

20) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 19 in the form of a mixture of particles.

21. The composition of matter according to claim 19, wherein more than 85% of the particles present in said composition of matter have a length which is between 0.5 and 4 mm and preferably between 1 and 3 mm; the method used for this measurement is the sieve method.

22) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 19 in the form of granules.

23) The composition of matter according to claim 22 wherein from 90 to 95% of the granules have a unit weight of between 0.1 and 9 grams, the unit weight is preferably between 0.5 and 5 grams.

24) The composition of matter according to claim 23, wherein the granules have a unit weight of between 0.75 and 3 grams.

25) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 19, in the form of granulated cubes.

26) The composition of matter according to claim 25 in the form of granular cubes with a unit weight of between 60 and 80 grams.

27) The composition of materials according to claim 26 for horses in the form of cubes with a unit weight of between 70 and 85 grams. 28) The composition of matter according to claim 27 in the form of granular cubes with a unit weight of about 75 grams.

29) The composition of matter according to any one of claims 1 to 28 having the characteristic of being repellent to animals.

30) The composition of materials according to any one of claims 1 to 29, having the particularity of safety vis-à-vis the animals that could eat it.

31) Animal litter based, and preferably constituted for 100%, of at least one composition of materials according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

32) Animal litter according to claim 31 for herbivorous animals such as horses, zebras, donkeys, llamas, ponies, or mules.

33) Animal litter according to claim 32 for horses in the form of granules with a unit weight of between 0.8 and 1.3 grams.

34) Horse litter according to claim 33 in the form of granules with a unit weight of about 1 gram.

35) Animal litter according to any one of claims 29 to 34 containing more than 90% by weight of the material defined in any one of claims 1 to 28 and the remainder of the litter consisting of at least one of the elements following:

- essential oils;

binders such as bentonite;

- perfumes; and

- dyes.

36) Litter for horses (zebra, donkey ...) according to claim 35 based on the composition of materials according to any one of claims 25 to 28, in the form of granulated cubes with a unit weight of between 30 and 100 grams. 37) A process for producing an absorbent vegetable material composition as defined in any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein at least one organic acid which is preferably low and / or at least one mineral acid which is preferably low is (are) mixed in the amount (s) determined (s) with absorbent plant material to be treated.

38. The manufacturing method according to claim 37, wherein at least one acid, preferably a weak acid, mixed with the absorbent plant material is in the form of crystals and / or in liquid form and / or in the form of an aqueous solution.

39) A process according to claim 37 or 38 for the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter, granules or granular cubes, wherein at least one weak organic acid and / or at least one weak mineral acid is deposited at the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a diluted acid solution.

40) A method according to claim 39 for the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter, granules or granular cubes, wherein at least one weak organic acid and / or at least one weak mineral acid is deposited on the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a dilute aqueous acid solution.

41) A process according to any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein for the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter, granules and granular cubes, wherein at least one organic acid, preferably low, and or at least one mineral acid, preferably a weak one, is deposited on the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a dilute aqueous solution at a constant concentration, but at a variable flow rate to take account of manufacturing variations and physical variations. absorbent plant material to be treated and this, in order to maintain the acid concentration in the composition of materials obtained by the implementation of said method.

42. A process according to any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein for the manufacture of a particulate material composition, granules and granular cubes, wherein at least one organic acid which is preferably low and / or or to less a mineral acid is deposited on the surface of the plant material to be treated in the form of a dilute aqueous solution at a variable concentration but at a constant rate to take account of manufacturing variations and physical variations of the absorbent plant material to be treated and this , in order to maintain the acid concentration in the composition of materials obtained by the implementation of said method.

43. A process according to any one of claims 39 to 41, wherein the acid solution, preferably aqueous, is vaporized on the surface of the particles of absorbent plant material by means of nozzles of a type establishing a liquid curtain.

44. A method according to claim 43, wherein the nozzles are located at a distance between 20 cm and 1.2 m of the absorbent plant material particles to be treated.

45) A method according to claim 43 or 44, wherein the particles move on a conveyor belt at a mass flow rate of 0 to 6 tonnes per hour, preferably 1 to 6 tonnes per hour, more preferably still at a mass flow rate from 1.5 to 2.5 tons per hour.

46) A process according to claims 41 or 42, wherein the average residence time of the particles in a mixer or it is mixed with the aqueous acid solution, is 3 to 15 minutes.

47) A method according to any one of claims 37 to 46 for the manufacture of a composition of particulate matter comprising the steps of: a) drying the absorbent plant raw material, optionally ground to the desired particle size ; b) cooling the particles obtained in the previous step; and c) optionally, conditioning and storage of the cooled particles obtained in the previous step; the step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is preferably carried out after step a) and before step b) and / or after step b) and before step c). 48) The method according to any one of claims 37 to 46 for the manufacture of a composition of granulated material according to any one of claims 21 to 23, comprising the steps of: a) drying the raw material absorbent plant, optionally ground to the desired particle size; b) pelletizing the dried plant material; c) cooling the granules obtained in the previous step; and d) optionally, packaging and storage of the cooled granules obtained in the previous step; the step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is preferably carried out after step a) and before step b) and / or after step b) and before step c) and / or after step c) and before step d).

49) The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 37 to 46 of a composition of granular cubed materials as defined in any one of claims 24 to 27, comprising the steps of: a) drying of the absorbent plant raw material optionally ground to the desired particle size; b) cubing the dried plant material; c) cooling the cubes obtained in the preceding step; and d) optionally, packaging and storing the cooled cubes obtained in the previous step; the step of treating the particles with the acidic aqueous solution is preferably carried out after step a) and before step b) and / or after step b) and before step c) and / or after step c) and before step d).

50) The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 46 to 48, wherein the absorbent plant raw material is in step a) or c) or d) dried to a residual moisture content of between 8 and 15%, preferably this residual moisture content is between 10 and 12%.

51) The manufacturing method according to claim 37 or 38, wherein at least one weak acid mixed with the plant material is in the form of crystals, preferably the weak acid is mixed with the absorbent plant material after and after the step of drying the absorbent plant material and / or before and after the agglomeration step and / or before the conditioning step.

52) The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 37 to 50, wherein the plant absorbent material is, at the time of mixing with at least one organic acid which is preferably low and / or at least one mineral acid which is preferably low is (are) mixed (s) in amount (s) determined (s) with absorbent plant material to be treated, at a temperature between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius, preferably between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius.

53) The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 37 to 52, wherein the mixture of the plant material and the acid lasts between 3 and 40, preferably between 3 and 15 minutes.

54) The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 37 to 50, 52 and 53 wherein at least one weak acid is dispersed on the dried plant material during its transport by conveyor.

55) The method according to any one of claims 37 to 54, wherein the absorbent plant material to be treated is in the form of ground twigs having the following granulometric characteristics: minimum 97% through a sieve no. 30; and maximum 5% through a sieve no. 100.

56) The process according to any one of claims 37 to 55, wherein the acid is anhydrous citric acid in crystal form having the following particle size characteristics: minimum 97% through a sieve no. 30; and - maximum 5% through a sieve no. 100; the citric acid is optionally diluted, preferably with water. 57. The process according to any one of claims 37 to 50 and 52 to 56 wherein the acid is citric acid in aqueous solution which is dispersed on the surface of the moving absorbent plant material.

58. The process according to claim 57, wherein the aqueous citric acid solution has a pH of between 1.45 and 1.60, preferably between 1.5 and 1.56, more preferably about 1 53.

59) The method according to claim 57 or 58 wherein the temperature of the aqueous solution of citric acid is, when it comes into contact with the ^"absorbent vegetable matter, between 20 and 50 degrees Celsius, preferably between 25 and 40 degrees Celsius, more preferably still about 35 degrees Celsius.

The process of any one of claims 57 to 59 wherein the organic acid solution is sprayed onto the absorbent plant material at a rate of 0 to 6 liters per minute.

61. The process according to any one of claims 41 to 45, wherein the citric acid solution is vaporized on the absorbent material at a rate of 1 to 4 tonnes per hour, preferably 0.5 to 4 tonnes per hour. hour.

62) The method according to any one of claims 37 to 60, carried out continuously or discontinuously.

63) Granules obtained by carrying out one of the processes described in claims 31 and 33 to 40.

64) Granulated cubes obtained by carrying out one of the methods described in claims 32 and 33 to 40.

65) A use of a composition of matter as defined in any one of claims 1 to 30 or as prepared by any of the methods defined in any one of claims 37 to 62 of methods as an animal safe bedding. 66) The use of claim 65 as a safest litter for herbivorous animals such as equines, or omnivores such as volatiles.

67) The use according to claims 65 or 66, as bedding on the floor of pens, cages, in places of breeding, training and exposure of animals.

68) The use according to claim 67 as litter for felines, more particularly as litter for cats.