WO2021248484A1

WO2021248484A1 - Cat litter and preparation method therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2021248484A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/095919
Authority: WO
Inventors: 倪国萍; 李凯伦
Original assignee: 近江株式会社; 倪国萍; 李凯伦
Priority date: 2020-06-12
Filing date: 2020-06-12
Publication date: 2021-12-16
Also published as: JP2023529221A

Abstract

Provided are cat litter and a preparation method therefor. The method for preparing the cat litter comprises: an ingredient preparation step, involving: weighing bamboo powder, licorice powder, Chinese mugwort powder, citronella powder, wrinkled giant hyssop powder, and a caking adhesion agent according to a formula; dry mixing steps, involving: mixing some of the bamboo powder with the licorice powder, the Chinese mugwort powder, the citronella powder and the wrinkled giant hyssop powder to obtain component 1, and mixing the remaining bamboo powder with the caking adhesion agent to obtain component 2; humidifying and ageing steps, involving: adding water to component 1 and mixing same, and then aging the mixture to obtain an aged material; and total mixing and granulation steps, involving: mixing the aged material with component 2, and then granulating the mixture and drying same with heat to obtain the cat litter.

Description

Cat litter and preparation method thereof

Technical field

The invention belongs to the technical field of cat litter, and specifically relates to a cat litter and a preparation method thereof.

Background technique

Cat litter is an object used by cat owners to absorb and bury cat feces and urine. It has the advantages of deodorization, strong adsorption, non-toxic, non-polluting, and less garbage. It is a green and environmentally friendly product for household use.

However, some current cat litter has problems such as poor agglomeration, poor deodorization, and poor antibacterial effect, which makes the use of cat litter uneconomical, convenient and comfortable.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a cat litter that is environmentally friendly, purely natural, has good deodorizing effect, is convenient to clean, is degradable, has low cost, has good agglomeration, and has a sustainable source of raw materials.

Summary of the invention

In view of the shortcomings and defects of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a cat litter and a preparation method thereof.

The technical solutions adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problems are as follows:

A method for preparing cat litter includes:

Ingredients steps: weigh bamboo powder, licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder, ageratum powder and agglomerating binder according to the formula;

Dry mixing step: mix a part of the bamboo powder with the licorice powder, the wormwood powder, the green grass powder and the ageratum powder to obtain component 1; combine the remaining bamboo powder with the Mix the agglomerated binder to obtain component 2;

Humidification and aging step: adding water to the component 1, mixing, and then aging to obtain aging materials;

The step of total mixing and granulation: mixing the aged material with the component 2, and then granulating and drying, and it is obtained.

By accounting for a large proportion (for example, the aged material/(the aged material+the component 2)=90wt.%, etc.) of the aged material and a small amount of binder The dry powder components (component 2) are granulated after mixing, reducing the contact time between the material with high water content and the binder, improving the agglomeration of the product (during the granulation process), and avoiding sticking; if all components are at the same time Mixing and humidifying and aging at the same time, the agglomeration of the product produced by the experiment (here the agglomeration refers to the agglomeration in the granulation process) is significantly reduced or even unable to agglomerate, and it is very easy to cause mold sticking phenomenon and block mold during production. ,affect production.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, various raw material powders such as bamboo powder, licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder, ageratum powder can be dried and crushed by bamboo, licorice, wormwood, green grass and ageratum powder. After sieving, it can also be directly purchased raw material powder that meets the requirements, or the purchased coarse powder can be dried and sieved to make it meet the requirements of raw material powder. However, as a preferred embodiment, the preparation method further includes a pretreatment step before the batching step; the pretreatment step is: drying and sieving the coarse bamboo powder to obtain the bamboo powder; Licorice, wormwood, green grass and Huoxiang are respectively dried, pulverized and sieved to obtain the licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder.

In the method for preparing cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the pretreatment step, the bamboo powder, licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder are all passed through an 80-mesh sieve. The water content of the bamboo powder is less than 10wt.%, the water content of the licorice powder, the wormwood powder, the green grass powder and the ageratum powder are all less than 8wt.%, the licorice powder, The water content of wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder is controlled below 8%, which can make the water content of the mixture (component 1) more stable below 10%; preferably, licorice powder, wormwood powder, and green grass powder The water content of Hehuoxiang powder is controlled at 5-8% to have the best cost performance.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the pretreatment step, the bamboo powder, the licorice powder, the wormwood powder, and the wormwood powder are controlled by controlling the drying temperature and time. The water content of the green grass powder and the ageratum powder; preferably, the drying temperature is 85° C.-90° C., the drying time is 15-30 min, and the rotation speed of the oven conveyor belt used for the drying is 30 -70HZ.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the batching step, by weight, the bamboo powder is 5-80 parts by weight, the licorice powder is 5-80 parts, and the The wormwood powder is 5-80 parts, the green grass powder is 5-80 parts, the ageratum powder is 5-80 parts, and the clumping binder is 0.01-50 parts.

In the method for preparing cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the compounding step, the agglomeration binder is at least one of guar gum, xanthan gum, konjac flour, and pregelatinized starch. kind.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the dry mixing step, a part of the bamboo powder is 30-85% (for example, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%), less than 30% or more than 85% are not conducive to process granulation; preferably, a part of the bamboo powder is 60-85% of the total mass of the bamboo powder. During the mixing process, if water is added or the moisture is too high, it is easy to cause raw material agglomeration, uneven mixing, and easy blockage of channels, resulting in uneven feeding. Therefore, the present invention controls the moisture content and moisture content of each raw material powder in the pretreatment step. In the powder mixing process, dry mixing is used to achieve higher mixing uniformity. In this dry mixing step, a mixer is used for mixing, and the mixing time is preferably controlled within 5 to 7 minutes; wherein the mixing uniformity is regularly checked, and the coefficient of variation is controlled within 7%. Since the adhesive occupies a small amount in the whole, bamboo powder is used to dilute it in this application to achieve the best uniformity of the product.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the humidification and aging step, the mixing is specifically: mixing in a double-blade mixing device for 3-5 minutes.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the humidification and aging step, after the mixing and before the aging, impurity removal is carried out; the impurity removal is specifically: Magnetically remove impurities including iron and other metals. By removing impurities, the mixing of impurities can be avoided and the purity of granulation can be ensured.

In the above method for preparing cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the humidifying and aging step, the aging time is more than 12 hours (such as 13h, 14h, 15h, etc.). Through sufficient aging, water can fully enter the interior of the material contained in the component 1 (medium fiber structure). Through the humidification and aging of the present invention, the water content of the material can not only reach the water requirement for granulation (the water requirement is 10-21%), but also can protect other raw materials from breaking the molecular structure due to high water content.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the humidification and aging step, the water content of the aging material is 18-20 wt.%. Too high or too low water content in the aging material will directly affect the process to be unable to pelletize normally, causing the cat litter to be unformed or unqualified.

In the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the humidification and aging step, the aging material is moist but has no dripping phenomenon.

In the above method for preparing cat litter, as a preferred embodiment, in the total mixing and granulation step, cooling and sieving are performed after the drying to obtain the cat litter.

A cat litter, which is prepared by adopting the above-mentioned preparation method of cat litter.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following positive effects:

1) The cat litter of the present invention makes full use of the fibers of bamboo, licorice, wormwood, green grass, and ageratum, has the advantages of antibacterial effect, mild odor, safety and lower cost.

2) The bamboo powder and other raw materials used in the raw materials of the present invention have better fiber structure and antibacterial ability. The production process of the present invention can make the plant raw powder have better agglomeration during the granulation process, and the production rate of finished products is higher. .

3) The control of moisture in the dry mixing step and humidification aging step of the present invention also has an important impact on the water absorption and agglomeration of the subsequent cat litter product during use.

4) In the present invention, most of the materials are humidified and aged and then mixed with a small amount of dry powder containing a binder before granulation, which effectively avoids the contact time of water and the binder, and at the same time facilitates the granulation and forming, and significantly improves the The agglomeration of the product during the granulation process.

detailed description

In order to highlight the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the embodiments. The examples illustrate the present invention by way of explanation instead of limiting the present invention. The technical solution of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments listed below, but also includes any combination between the specific embodiments.

Example 1

Step 1: Pre-processing

Use a dryer to control the drying temperature at 85°C-90°C, and dry the bamboo powder for 15-30 minutes to control the moisture content of the bamboo powder. The moisture content of the dried bamboo powder needs to be below 10%. Then, the dried bamboo powder is passed through an 80-mesh sieve to obtain the fine bamboo powder with a moisture content of 6-10% or less.

According to the same process conditions (drying temperature and drying time) as the above bamboo powder treatment, dry the licorice, wormwood, green grass, and Huoxiang separately (you can also choose the sun-drying method) until the water content is less than 8%. It is pulverized and passed through an 80-mesh sieve to remove the sieve to obtain fine licorice powder, fine wormwood powder, fine green grass powder, and ageratum powder with a water content of less than 6-8%.

Step 2: Batching, (through the central control system), prepare each raw material powder according to the following weight parts, the static accuracy of the batching scale is ≤1‰FS, and the dynamic accuracy is ≤3‰FS.

Fine bamboo powder: 55 parts; fine licorice powder: 3 parts; fine wormwood powder: 5 parts; fine green grass powder: 4 parts; fine ageratum powder: 3 parts; clumping binder guar gum: 1 part.

Step 3: Dry powder mixing

Take 80wt% of the fine bamboo powder in step two and mix with all the fine licorice powder, fine wormwood powder, fine green grass powder, and ageratum powder in step two to obtain component 1; combine 20 wt% of the fine bamboo powder in step two % (The remaining bamboo powder) is mixed with agglomerating binder to obtain component 2.

Step 4: Humidification and aging

Gradually add water at room temperature to component 1, mix thoroughly for 3 minutes in a double-blade mixing device until the water is completely absorbed, transport, lift to the silo container, remove iron, and then enter the silo for 12 hours to age to make the water full Enter the fibrous structure and get the aged material 1. After aging, the water content of the material is about 19%, and the material after aging is obviously wet but without dripping image.

Step five: total mixing and granulation.

Mix the aging material in step 4 with the component 2 in step 3 evenly, and then perform extrusion granulation (the granulation should be completed within 4 hours after mixing to shorten the binder and moisture content). (Contact time), drying, and cooling to obtain semi-finished cat litter, and sieving to separate unqualified particles and powder to obtain cat litter.

Example 2

Step 1: Same as Example 1;

Step 2: Ingredients, (through the central control system), each raw material powder is equipped according to the following weight parts, the static accuracy of the batching scale is ≤1‰FS, and the dynamic accuracy is ≤3‰FS;

Fine bamboo powder: 60 parts; fine licorice powder: 8 parts; fine wormwood powder: 5 parts; fine green grass powder: 5 parts; ageratum powder: 5 parts; clumping binder: 2 parts;

Step 3: Same as Example 1;

Step 4: Same as Example 1;

Step 5: Same as Example 1.

Example 3

Step 1: Same as Example 1;

Fine bamboo powder: 65 parts; fine licorice powder: 3 parts; fine wormwood powder: 5 parts; fine green grass powder: 2 parts; ageratum powder: 4 parts; clumping binder guar gum: 1 part;

Step 3: Same as Example 1;

Step 4: Same as Example 1;

Step 5: Same as Example 1.

Example 4

Step 1: Same as Example 1;

Fine bamboo powder: 70 parts; fine licorice powder: 3 parts; fine wormwood powder: 5 parts; fine green grass powder: 2 parts; ageratum powder: 3 parts; clumping binder guar gum: 3 parts;

Step 3: Same as Example 1;

Step 4: Same as Example 1;

Step 5: Same as Example 1.

Comparative example 1

Step 1: Same as Example 1;

Step 2: Same as Example 1;

Step 3: Mix the fine bamboo powder, fine licorice powder, fine wormwood powder, fine green grass powder, ageratum powder, and agglomerating binder guar gum in step two to obtain a mixed powder;

Step 4: Gradually add normal temperature water (the same amount of water as in Example 1) into the mixed powder, mix thoroughly in a double-blade mixing device for 3 minutes until the moisture is completely absorbed, transport, lift, and remove iron into the warehouse for more than 12 hours , So that the moisture can fully enter the fiber structure to obtain the aged material;

Step Five:

The aging material in step 4 is extruded, granulated, dried, and cooled to obtain a semi-finished cat litter, which is screened to separate unqualified particles and powder to obtain cat litter.

Test example 1

The cat litter obtained in the foregoing Examples 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 1 were tested for agglomeration, water absorption, and bottom leakage. The test methods are as follows:

(1) Agglomeration (that is, the agglomeration during the use of cat litter) test: Pour the same amount of cat litter of Example 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 1 into the cat litter box, and pour on top of it 50ml water solution containing 1g/100ml urea, test the time required for it to completely absorb water and the agglomeration time. After clumping, remove the cat litter clumps and observe the fragmentation. The test results are shown in Table 1.

(2) Water absorption test: Take 100ml of 1g/100ml urea aqueous solution and place it in a beaker, add the cat litter of Example 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 1, and let stand for 5 minutes until no water drips out of the inclined beaker. Record the addition For the quantity of cat litter, calculate the water absorption (100ml/gram of cat litter), and the test results are shown in Table 1.

(3) Bottom leakage experiment: spread the same amount of cat litter of Example 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 1 in the cat litter box. The thickness of the cat litter is fixed at 20 cm. At a height of 3cm from the cat litter, drip evenly on a fixed point (dropping) within 30s. After 60s, check whether the cat litter is leaking at the bottom (check for water marks at the bottom of the cat litter box), and it is qualified if it does not leak. , The test results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

From the data in Table 1 above, it can be seen that the water absorption of the cat litter prepared in this application is better than that of the cat litter prepared in Comparative Example 1.

Test example 2

The cat litter obtained in the above Examples 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 2 made by using bamboo powder alone The rest of the steps are the same as in Example 1 except for grass powder and Agastache powder), the agglomeration, water absorption, and bottom leakage experiments were performed. The test methods are as follows:

(4) Deodorization test: Weigh 50g cat litter of Example 1-4 and 50g cat litter of Comparative Example 2, add 1 mL of ammonia water with a mass concentration of 2%, and then close the container and wait for 5 minutes to observe whether the odor remains If the odor is not obvious, add 1 mL of 2% ammonia again until the odor remains 5 minutes after adding the ammonia. Record the amount of ammonia added. The test results are shown in Table 2.

(5) Bacteriostatic test: This test uses Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus as model bacteria for antibacterial experiments. The cat litter of Examples 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 2 were measured with reference to the ASTM E 2149-2013a standard test method for the determination of antibacterial activity of antibacterial agents under dynamic contact conditions. The test results are shown in Table 2 below.

(6) Bacteriocin determination after 4 hours of water addition: Test the cat litter of Example 1-4 and the cat litter of Comparative Example 2. Take 100 grams of test cat litter, add 100 ml of water, and place it for 4 hours according to the method of drug hygiene inspection. The number of colonies of sand and the test results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2

Compared with the cat litter made with bamboo powder alone (Comparative Example 2), the present invention has better deodorizing, antibacterial and inhibiting effects of bacteria reproduction and corruption of wet cat litter after cat urine. It shows that the plant cat litter added with traditional Chinese medicine (licorice, wormwood, green grass, Huoxiang, etc.) has a good antibacterial and antiseptic effect. The prior art also achieves antibacterial effects through acidification methods such as acetic acid, such as bamboo vinegar or wood vinegar. This is different from the effect we achieved through herbal plants. Although acetic acid treatment can also improve the sterilization ability of the product itself, it is corrosive to the production equipment, and the sour taste is one of the cats’ least favorite odors. Long-term use of cat litter treated with acidulants may damage the gastrointestinal acid-base balance of cats who love to lick cat litter. After the cat litter of the present invention is used by cats, the clumps are taken out, there is still no peculiar smell after one week, the herbal fragrance is maintained, and no mold is formed.

Claims

A method for preparing cat litter, which is characterized in that it comprises:

Ingredients steps: weigh bamboo powder, licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder, ageratum powder and agglomerating binder according to the formula;

Dry mixing step: mix a part of the bamboo powder with the licorice powder, the wormwood powder, the green grass powder and the ageratum powder to obtain component 1; combine the remaining bamboo powder with the Mix the agglomerated binder to obtain component 2;

Humidification and aging step: adding water to the component 1, mixing, and then aging to obtain aging materials;

The step of total mixing and granulation: mixing the aged material with the component 2, and then granulating and drying, and it is obtained.
The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein the preparation method further comprises a pretreatment step before the batching step; the pretreatment step is: drying and sieving the coarse bamboo powder to obtain The bamboo powder; licorice, wormwood, green grass and Huoxiang are respectively dried, crushed and sieved to obtain the licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder.
The preparation method according to claim 2, characterized in that, in the pretreatment step, the bamboo powder, licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder are all finely divided into 80-mesh sieve. The water content of the bamboo powder is less than 10wt.%, the water content of the licorice powder, the wormwood powder, the green grass powder and the ageratum powder is less than 8wt.%, preferably, the The water content of licorice powder, wormwood powder, green grass powder and ageratum powder is controlled within 5-8wt.%.
The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the batching step, the bamboo powder is 5-80 parts by weight, the licorice powder is 5-80 parts, and the wormwood powder is 5-80 parts by weight. The powder is 5-80 parts, the green grass powder is 5-80 parts, the ageratum powder is 5-80 parts, and the clumping binder is 0.01-50 parts.
The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein in the compounding step, the agglomeration binder is at least one of guar gum, xanthan gum, konjac flour, and pregelatinized starch.
The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein in the dry mixing step, a part of the bamboo powder accounts for 30-85% of the total mass of the bamboo powder; preferably, a part of the bamboo powder It is 60-85% of the total mass of the bamboo powder.
The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the humidification and aging step, the mixing is specifically: mixing in a double-blade mixing device for 3-5 minutes.
The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein in the humidifying and aging step, after the mixing and before the aging, impurity removal is performed; the impurity removal is specifically: removal by strong magnetic Metal impurities including iron.
The preparation method according to claim 1, wherein in the humidifying and aging step, the aging time is more than 12 hours; preferably, the water content of the aging material is 18- 20wt.%.
A cat litter, which is prepared by the preparation method of any one of claims 1-9.